Mason waiting his turn but wants the ball

FLORHAM PARK, N.J.

Much has been made of Rex Ryan's ill-fated attempt to get Plaxico Burress a catch in the fourth quarter of Sunday's blowout win over the Jaguars. Ryan so badly wanted to get Burress on the scoresheet but wound up seeing quarterback Mark Sanchez suffer a bruised arm after being hit on the pass attempt.

But Burress may not be the only receiver he needs to keep happy by making sure he gets involved in the offense. Take a number, Derrick Mason.

Ryan suggested in the preseason that Mason might wind up with 90-100 catches, but the 37-year-old receiver is hardly on pace. Through two games, he has only four catches for 26 yards and no touchdowns.

For now, Mason is keeping a stiff upper lip, content to be 2-0 despite his limited production. He admits it is not easy, which tells you that things might get a little dicey if the numbers don't start to increase.

"As a player, you have to be patient, and you have to realize what's going on and realize this is your first year with a new quarterback and a new offense," Mason said Thursday. "You can't allow yourself to get frustrated."

But he is frustrated. Like any receiver who wants the ball, Mason is itching to contribute more. And he's fighting the urge to express his disappointment.

"You have to fight it," he said. "It's human nature. You have to have it within yourself to be patient with the process, knowing that in the end, it will work itself out."

Mason is particularly mindful of not making a spectacle because he sees himself as the veteran presence among a receiving corps that includes Santonio Holmes, Burress and rookie Jeremy Kerley.

"You have to guard against it," he said. "I know I'm the elder statesman, and they're looking at me in a sense. If I get outside of that box, it sets a bad precedent for everything else. So I have to stay within the framework of the offense and just wait for my time, knowing that it will come."

But Mason's situation bears watching because he's one of several strong-willed receivers. So if Ryan was so intent on getting the ball to Burress, what's to stop the coach from making a similar request of offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to do the same for Mason?

Mason admits there's a fine line here. "You want guys to feel as if they're a part of the offense, because you know they bust their butts throughout the week and you want to reward them, especially if they don't have a chance to affect the game in a positive way," he said. "Rex trying to get Plax a catch, that's a good thing. Let's see if we can get him one. That speaks a lot of him as a head coach."

But it puts a burden on Schottenheimer and Sanchez to keep all the receivers happy, and that's where it gets tricky.

"We're not going to go into a game and say we have to get this guy five catches," Schottenheimer said. "It's not fair to the team, and it's not fair to Mark. We design good plays. We move guys around so they're in different spots. I wish there was more than one ball, but we'll try to spread it around as best we can. But the main thing we want to do is win the game."

And that's what the receivers have to keep in mind. Burress had it right when he said that this is about winning games, not padding stats.

"We score 30 points a game, and I catch one, two balls a game and we're going to the Super Bowl, I have nothing to complain about," he said. "The goal is to be a team player and win a championship."

Words to live by. Now let's see if this talented, yet strong-willed group of receivers can pull it off.