FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons left tackle Sam Baker returned to practice on a limited basis Wednesday. Baker, who started the first six games this season, missed the past three games with a back injury. The team’s original diagnosis called for Baker to be out three to four weeks.
“We are going to bring him along, and hopefully he’ll have more reps [Thursday] than he did [Wednesday],” coach Mike Smith said. “It’s a very good thing to get Sam back in. We are a little bit ahead of schedule.”
Baker starting working with trainers last week.
Wide receiver Julio Jones (hamstring) and safety William Moore (quadriceps) did not practice because of injuries. Moore missed Sunday’s game against the Saints. Jones injured his right hamstring against the Saints and did not play in the second half. Both worked with trainers Wednesday.
Jones had back-to-back 100-yard receiving games against the Buccaneers (115) and the Seahawks (127) in October. He injured his left hamstring the next week against the Packers and was limited to one catch. He missed the next two games before he returned and had another 100-yard day against the Colts (131). However, he was injured against the Saints after making only two catches.
“He is a very resilient guy,” Smith said of Jones. “He has not shown any signs of not being mentally strong and being able to deal with it.
“We have to make sure we make the right decision for putting a player back out on the field for a short-term goal and hurt us for a long-term goal.”
Wide receiver Harry Douglas (thigh), defensive end Ray Edwards (knee), cornerback Brent Grimes (knee), running back Antone Smith (knee) and running back Jason Snelling (hamstring) practiced on a limited basis. Veterans John Abraham, Tony Gonzalez and Todd McClure did not practice as part of an on-going maintenance program.
Familiar faces
Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey will face a familiar foe in Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray on Sunday. When Mularkey was head coach of the Bills from 2004-05, Gray was his defensive coordinator.
Mularkey expects to see a multi-look Titans defense, not unlike the Falcons faced last week against the Saints. The offense will have extra homework this week in preparing for an AFC team they don’t play on a regular basis. “There is not the familiarity of going against the same guy,” Mularkey said.
Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux also will have a very familiar face on the opposite sideline. His brother, Jordan, is a safety for the Titans. He signed with Tennessee as a free agent after a seven-year career with the Seahawks. The brothers have met as opponents three times before, in 2005, 2007 and last season.
Blown coverage
Defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder said one player was not responsible for the blown coverage that led to an uncovered Jimmy Graham of the Saints catching a 21-yard touchdown pass.
“We were in a two-deep, so we had a number of guys who were involved,” VanGorder said. “And our guys hadn’t seen that particular route. That wasn’t a route that we had worked on during the week. It was a little bit different, and we just didn’t manage it well.”
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