Jets' Mason commutes for his family

BALTIMORE -- No matter how many passes he reeled in on game day or the aches and pains he's feeling the day after, there's been a little more pep in Derrick Mason's stride each Monday.

The Jets wide receiver hops a plane home to Nashville in the morning, picks up daughter Bailee My-Lin and son Derrick James II from school, and shuffles Derrick off to football practice and Bailee to dance class.

"I love it because I don't get to see them as much during the season," Mason said. "But that was one of the things that had to be done that the kids wanted. 'Hey, you've got to be able to come home.' And their mom said, 'Hey, you have to be able to come home in order to play another year; it has to be something where you can come home on a Monday.' Everything was able to work itself out."

Mason, the 15-year vet who makes his return to Baltimore Sunday night when the Jets (2-1) meet the Ravens (2-1) at M&T Bank Stadium, is thrilled in his new environment, even if it's coming with a price -- leaving his family behind.

After the Ravens released him in July because, as coach John Harbaugh put it, "We really had no choice cap-wise," Mason, 37, seriously mulled over his three possible destinations.

He took his time while deciding whether to go back to the Ravens, go to the Jets or sign with Tennessee.

The Titans, for whom Mason played from 1997-2004, provided some familiarity, and he has ties with coach Mike Munchak. Mostly, though, suiting up for Tennessee would've been more geared toward his family's desire to have him home nightly.

So he opted for Rex Ryan's car salesman pitch and the allure of the possibility of winning that elusive Super Bowl ring.

"Baltimore allowed me to leave . . . that building,'' Mason said, "and once I left, Rex made it kind of hard not to come here, even though leaving Baltimore was a hard thing to do and I still was torn even when I made the decision. But Rex made it easy for me.

"I know where they are headed. They've been there and they were one or two plays away from being in the Super Bowl. So hopefully we can get those one or two extra plays and get to that game."

Mason is tied for third on the team in receptions with 10, half of which have resulted in first downs. His grasp of the Jets' system is growing, allowing offensive coach Brian Schottenheimer to more options.

"I think there is a comfort level now with him with the system," Schottenheimer said, "where he's feeling really good, moving him around to different spots."

By becoming more of an interchangeable part, Mason hopes it will move something else -- the chains. Since 2006, 105 of his 130 third-down catches have resulted in first downs, second only to Atlanta's Roddy White.

"I knew coming into this situation where my responsibilities are going to lie, and that was going to be mainly on third down," Mason said, "I'm happy with it. I've embraced the role and I'm having fun with it. It speaks volumes for an organization to bring a guy in to be just that guy, because that means A, you've played a lot of good football, and B, they have a lot of trust in you."

Just like his children trust him to come back when he leaves on Tuesdays, making his way back to New Jersey. He plans to bring them up during the holiday season. "I want them to experience the City of New York during Christmas time. I'm really looking forward to that,'' he said.

But for now, he'll have to settle for those Mondays.

"Going home and coming back, that's been the toughest thing," he said. "My children understand Dad has to go to work, and his job is in another state. My son always asks me not to leave. But he always says every time I get ready to go, 'Don't leave, don't leave. Do you have to go? Can you go tomorrow?' I think that's the toughest thing."