Falcons LT Sam Baker to miss 2014 season with torn patella tendon
By Brad Rowland
UPDATE: The Falcons have officially announced that Baker will miss the 2014 season. The full release can be found here.
The Atlanta Falcons were battered on the field during a 32-7 loss to the Houston Texans on Saturday night, and in the course of the process, starting left tackle Sam Baker was forced to leave the game with injury. Unfortunately for Mike Smith and company, the early returns on Baker’s health are anything but positive, as multiple outlets are reporting that he has suffered a torn patella tendon that would almost assuredly force him to miss the entire 2014 season.
The early diagnosis for #Falcons LT Sam Baker is a torn patella tendon, per source. If tests confirm, would almost certainly end his season
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 17, 2014
This is brutal news concerning Baker, and even if some people don’t hold his play in high regard, it is extremely likely that Baker is a better option than backup Lamar Holmes at this stage. If we assume that Sam Baker will be out for the season, some additional “news” was reported on Sunday morning, and it is also extremely intriguing with regard to 2014 first round pick Jake Matthews.
With #Falcons LT Sam Baker likely out for the season with a torn patella, plan to put rookie Jake Matthews at LT is accelerated. Big test
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 17, 2014
Ian Rapoport also reports that any plan to use Matthews at left tackle is “accelerated”, indicating that he could potentially be used there immediately. That is a large leap to make, especially given some mild concern about Mathews in pass protection, but Baker going down certainly qualifies for the “desperate times, desperate measures” provision.
Due to contract ramifications, Sam Baker may have played his final snap in an Atlanta Falcons uniform on Saturday night, but hopefully, his recovery is a speedy one, and perhaps a more positive diagnosis is on the way. Stay tuned.