Keyshowned

All offseason the wide receivers on the Ravens heard about how much they stink.

They read that the Ravens needed more weapons, how their current group of players was so old they herded sheep to Noah's Ark, and how the Ravens were doomed to experience massive amounts of big-play offensive fail.

Then, Sunday morning, just hours before a record-setting offensive explosion against the Kansas City Chiefs that led to a 38-24 Baltimore victory, Ravens players said they were made aware of critical comments by ESPN analysts Keyshawn Johnson and Cris Carter during a conference call with reporters.

Ravens players were particularly incensed by Johnson, who said, "You want a bum, you pay a bum."

The remarks by Johnson and Carter were, apparently, the last straw for Ravens, particularly receiver Derrick Mason who went supernova on Johnson and Carter to CBSSports.com after the game...

"Keyshawn Johnson is the bum, that's why he's in the analyst seat," said Mason after catching four passes for 47 yards against Kansas City. "He tried to come back to football but no one would sign him. He was never that good a player. He got lucky and signed on in Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl because they had a great defense.

"Just look at the two people doing the criticizing, that's all I'm saying. Keyshawn was overrated and Carter is in the same boat I'm in. He doesn't have a Super Bowl ring either. He's in the analyst seat without a ring. At least I'm playing. He still wants to play but he can't anymore. We're the bums? That's why you're in the analyst seat. Just be quiet and keep dreaming you still could play."

HT - cbssports