FanHouse Sam Baker

When Todd Weiner retired and Wayne Gandy got even older, the Falcons all of a sudden had a clear need for some depth at tackle. And if the Falcons are looking for a potentially reasonably priced tackle who could step in an start if needed, there is no better target than Titans' tackle Daniel Loper.

Loper has only started one game in his Titans' career, but it was a big one, as he played well against the Chargers during the 2007 playoffs. The only reason he's not been a starter is because the Titans have two equally young and even more talented tackles ahead of him.

Every week I take a look at the battle at the line of scrimmage in one NFL game. Check back every Thursday for a new edition of Between The Lines.

If you actually watched the Falcons last year, you got to witness a disaster. The team didn't have a quarterback to count on, and relied on an aging Warrick Dunn while a younger, more talented back (Jerious Norwood) spent the season as his backup. Oh yeah, the quarterback was in jail and the coach bailed on the team in the middle of the season, but hey, at least he left a note.

But as bad as all of that was, the worst part of the 2007 Falcons' team was its offensive line. The team went through four left tackles as Wayne Gandy's blown knee was the first of a series of injuries. Rookie guard Justin Blalock struggled and additional injuries forced shuffles at right tackle as well. The result was plenty of sacks, no holes for the running game and general disorganization.

Sam Baker has not gotten off to a good start on his Falcons' career. The first-round pick has played pretty well when he's been in the lineup, but he's been laid low by a concussion against Tampa Bay that has given him trouble for two weeks.

Baker had to leave last week's game against the the Chiefs, but he had to leave the game with what he described as "not a feeling of well-being." The problems can best be described as flu-like, but that isn't too far away from a descriptions of the side-effects of post-concussion syndrome, which can include: fatigue, headaches, nausea and vomiting.

Baker hopes to play this week, but if there's any worry that he's still not fully recovered from the concussion, it's better to err on the side of caution. The Falcons have a solid backup in Todd Weiner, and it's more important to get a healthy Baker back for a long period of time than to risk any chance of developing a recurring problem with concussions.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is a month off, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterbacks: If he develops as expected, and if he doesn't have a hidden dog-fighting hobby, the Falcons have their franchise quarterback for the next decade at least. Matt Ryan will be the team's starting quarterback by the start of 2009 for sure. The question is whether he'll be stepping in to replace Chris Redman early this season. Considering how bad Atlanta will be, the likelihood is he'll be under center by Week Eight, when the Falcons come off their bye. Heat Index: 4

Running Backs: If there is one position on the Falcons' roster where they compare favorably to the rest of the league, it may be running back. Jerious Norwood has been one of the most productive backup running backs in the league over the past two seasons (202 carries, 1,246 yards with a 6.2 yard per carry average), and was expected to step into the starting role whenever Warrick Dunn aged out of the position. Dunn finally left town to head back to Tampa Bay, but Norwood will still be the backup, as the Falcons signed LaDainian Tomlinson's understudy, Michael Turner, to a big-money deal. Turner's resume is very similar to Norwood's--he's been a productive backup for three seasons (228 carries, 1,257 yards with a 5.5 YPC average) who is looking to step into a larger role. The two should complement each other pretty well, as Turner is a bigger, one-cut home run hitter with good speed, while Norwood is a shiftier, smaller back with blazing speed. Together, they could be an outstanding combo if they didn't have to run behind such a brutal offensive line. Heat Index: 7

This is probably a good idea: after the whole Michael Vick fiasco, the Atlanta Falcons have decided not to feature Matt Ryan as the "face of the franchise."

There were some segments of the internets that considered the Ryan selection a publicity stunt, but, well, that's just silly; the recently deposed face of the franchise is currently incarcerated for first-degree (puppy) murder, and Joey Harrington and Chris Redman aren't exactly guys you can build a team around. That the Ravens were trying to trade up and grab Ryan further suggests that NFL teams in the market for a quarterback considered him worth a top-5 pick (and everybody knows that Baltimore has a keen eye for identifying quarterback talent).

In any case, the Falcons front office will have a new marketing strategy for 2008:

Newly drafted quarterback Matt Ryan will not be a prime player in an advertising campaign planned by the Atlanta Falcons to try to rebuild the team's sagging season-ticket base. ...

"I don't think we're going to sit there and try to harp on one player," said Falcons president Rich McKay, who oversees the team's business operations. "It doesn't mean [Ryan] won't have some appearances or that you won't see him in the community, but I don't think he'll be the focus of our campaign."

For some idea of how bad things were last season, the Falcons saw a steep decline in season-ticket renewals, even though they cut prices. Four wins and myriad off-the-field nuttiness has that effect, Personally, I'm hoping the team builds a marketing strategy around Sam Baker. That guy looks like he can move some season tickets.

It's the move that no mock draft foresaw. There was a lot of talk of the Falcons moving up to snag a quarterback late in the first round, but once they took Matt Ryan, the logical money was on them sitting back and waiting to use their three second-round picks. Instead Atlanta used its surplus of picks to move back into the first round to take offensive tackle Sam Baker.

Depending on which experts you listen to, Baker was predicted to go somewhere between the late first round and the late second round. No one saw him going as early as pick No. 21.

But while the Falcons may get criticized in some parts for reach for Baker, the reality is that he was the last NFL ready tackle left on the board. There was a big dropoff after Baker, so Atlanta decided it couldn't wait to find a protector for new quarterback Matt Ryan. And the cost, two second-round picks and a fourth in exchange for the first, a third and a fifth, wasn't outlandish.

Even though he was projected by many to be a second-rounder, Baker is about as safe a pick as you can find. He may never be an All-Pro, but as a four-year starter as Southern California, he's about as polished as a college player can be. He's faced top flight competition and he could slide into guard if needed.

Before the 2007 college football season, USC offensive tackle Sam Baker was considered a potential Top 10 draft pick. With a so-so senior season and a bad pro day workout, Baker's stock slipped, and some thought he'd fall into the middle of the second round.

Baker fell, but he didn't fall as far as most people expected him to, with the Atlanta Falcons trading back up into the first round, acquiring the Redskins' first-round pick to take Baker 21st overall. The Falcons were widely expected to package some of their extra picks to get back into the 20s, and that's exactly what they did, continuing our run on offensive tackles.

Look for Baker, an enormous man who played in a pro-style offense at USC, to protect Matt Ryan's blind side for years to come.

Previously on FanHouse:
Mock Draft Roundup: It's Going To Be Dorsey
Blank Promises He Won't Interfere
Falcons Won't Draft Ryan
Braves Players Advise Falcons On Draft
Falcons Have Best Haul of Picks
Falcons May Wait For Round Two For QB
Another Reason Not To Draft Ryan
Mock Draft Roundup: Atlanta Falcons Select Glenn Dorsey, DT

Sam Baker looked bad at the Southern California Pro Day, which is potentially good news for the Steelers.

Baker, a left tackle with the Trojans who has started an amazing 57 games for the Trojans, ran a disappointing 5.5 second 40-yard dash at USC's Pro Day. Even worse, he ran as if he was carrying a piano on his back, according to the NFL Network.

That's all bad news for Baker, obviously. Any hopes he had of being a first-round pick are probably slipping away as questions about his athleticism and his ability to carry weight continue to grow. But it may be good news for the Steelers. With Brandon Albert's rapid rise up the draft charts, the Steelers are probably going to without a clear offensive lineman choice at pick No. 23. Their choice will probably be to either reach for Gosder Cherlius (a right tackle who probably can't play left tackle), pick a cornerback or some other position, or trade down.

Trading down is never easy, especially in a draft that seems to have more depth than impact talent. But if Pittsburgh could find a trading partner, Baker will probably last until sometime early in the second round at least. And while there are some more concerns about him now, he's still a very experienced offensive lineman who was extremely productive in college (a three-time All-American). He may not have the upside of a Chris Williams or Branden Albert, but he's a pretty safe bet to be a solid pro, and someone who would be a very useful second-round pick. If Pittsburgh could trade down and nab Baker, the choice of Baker and an additional pick seems more appealing than the thought of drafting Gosder Cherlius, a right tackle whose biggest concern is his struggles in pass blocking.

Notes on a trip to the NFL Scouting Combine.

Southern California offensive tackle Sam Baker weighed in at 309 pounds at the Indianapolis Scouting Combine, but he's not even close to being the biggest member of his his family.

I asked Baker today whether he's as big as his father, David, the commissioner of the Arena Football League, and he looked at me like I was crazy.

"Oh, my God, no, he's got 150 pounds on me," he said. That's David Baker in the picture to the right, and yes, I can believe that he weighs 459 pounds.

Sam Baker said he has a great deal of respect for Arena Football, and although NFL players are obviously better athletes than Arena players, the younger Baker said he's not even sure if he could cut it in the Arena League, which has few 300-pounders because players play both ways.

But David would love Sam to play Arena Football so much that, Sam said, "My pop told me I could play quarterback if I play Arena ball."

If your favorite team needs an offensive tackle, this is the NFL draft for you.

That's the conclusion one would have to draw based on all of the available evidence at this point, still more than two months out from April's draft. Almost all of the mock drafts have multiple offensive tackles going in the Top 10, up to six going in the first round, and several potential late-round sleepers.

The consensus order of possible first-round offensive tackles right now looks, roughly, like this:

1. Jake Long, Michigan
2. Ryan Clady, Boise State
3. Chris Williams, Vanderbilt
4. Jeff Otah, Pittsburgh
5. Sam Baker, USC
6. Gosder Cherilus, Boston College

On a conference call with reporters today, ESPN analyst Mel Kiper said of the overall quality of the 2008 NFL draft, "This draft will be pretty good at certain spots. Quarterback is going to be deep, offensive tackle is very good, cornerback I think is pretty good, running back is OK, wide receiver is OK, defensive line OK, linebacker just average and safety not very good."

I'm a little skeptical of the depth of the quarterback class, but there's not much doubt about offensive tackle being very good. It's the best position group in the 2008 NFL draft.