Falcons OT Sam Baker to injured reserve

According to Vaughn McClure, who covers the Atlanta Falcons for ESPN, the team will place offensive tackle Sam Baker on injured reserve due to a knee injury that has nagged him all season.  Baker had not been able to play in two consecutive games this year and head coach Mike Smith said the team would not play him until he was fully healthy.

With this move, that that looks it will not be able to happen this year.  Baker appears to have tried everything legal to get his knee right so he could help his team and try to protect quarterback Matt Ryan’s blind side, but in a season that has been nothing short of a disaster, this is just the latest of a pile of injuries, bad luck and ineffective play that have mired the Falcons into a 2-7 season thus far.

Whether Baker is truly incapable of playing this year or if they just looked at the situation and decided it was not worth the risk of putting him out there again this season, especially with their current record, the hope is that Baker can be healthy next year.  The Falcons are significantly invested in Baker and need him to be productive to help make their offense work.  The Falcons prepare to play the 1-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a game of two of the biggest disappointments in the league this year.