Austin Hooper thinks Chris Lindstrom will be the best lineman in football eventually

[gazoo 20,686]

I got this from The Falcoholic.  I saw definite signs of greatness out of Lindstrom before he went down. I’m very excited about his promise coming into this year.

 

Tweet from Vaughn McClure

“One thing Austin Hooper told me on his way out: “I think Chris [Lindstrom] is going to be the best [offensive] lineman in the NFL, eventually. I really think he’s going to be that good.’’

 

816

8:55 AM - Mar 18, 2020

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https://www.thefalcoholic.com/2020/3/19/21185640/austin-hooper-thinks-chris-lindstrom-will-be-the-best-lineman-in-football-eventually-falcons 

[birdz4i 9,735]

 

 

On his way out of the door and into Cleveland, now former Pro Bowl Falcons tight end Austin Hooper delivered a message which should be music to the ears of all Falcons fans — he thinks Atlanta guard Chris Lindstrom will one day be the best offensive lineman in football.

 

 

Lindstrom was a surprise selection by the Falcons at number 14 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. After achieving First-Team All-ACC honors at Boston College, he was one of the best and most polished guards available in the draft. Many thought that he was a reach at 14, however — including Falcons fans at the team’s official draft party:

For this pick to end up working out Lindstrom will have to completely solve the right guard position for Atlanta and play it at a Pro Bowl level for a long period of time. Hooper thinks this will be the case and then some.

 

Lindstrom saw his Falcons career get off to a very unlucky start after he suffered a foot injury which landed him on Injured Reserve in the team’s opening day defeat at Minnesota. He returned in Week 14 and played out the last quarter of the season — the Falcons went 4-0 upon his return.

Right from his first snaps in the Hall of Fame game Lindstrom showcased a bit of nasty and a willingness to play right up to the whistle, something the Falcons offensive line had been lacking in recent years.

 

On this play, the Boston College alum contributes to a successful double team of his man and immediately looks for more contact after that assignment is complete, never showing contentment until the play was over.

While he was a rookie prone to a few mistakes here and there, Lindstrom carried himself with the poise of a steady veteran upon his return to the Falcons lineup:

 

As Matt Waldman breaks it down in this video, Lindstrom is the key figure in this play, springing Devonta Freeman with a wonderfully designed and executed pull block to the left side which created a hole for the running back to run through.

 

 

This video montage from the Scout Academy’s Brandon Thorn showcases why the Falcons were so eager to draft Lindstrom and why Hooper seems to be so excited about his potential development.

Lindstrom never had moments where he looked like a rookie for an extended period of time. He always played right to the whistle, was never afraid to go right at his assignment with incredibly polished technique, and he always remained engaged with his man (sometimes for seconds at a time) until that player was out of the play. He rarely ever seemed to get fooled, which is pretty amazing for a rookie lineman.

Lindstrom graded out as Atlanta’s third-best offensive lineman behind only Jake Matthews and Alex Mack according to PFF. He was third on the team in pass blocking grade, and second behind only Mack in run blocking. The interior of the offensive line seemed to stabilize with his presence upon his return.

When he gets another full offseason under his belt Chris Lindstrom figures to make a big step in year two of his NFL career. The Falcons may have found something special with the 14th overall pick last year, even if not many people seemed to think so at the time.

 

https://www.thefalcoholic.com/2020/3/19/21185640/austin-hooper-thinks-chris-lindstrom-will-be-the-best-lineman-in-football-eventually-falcons

[gazoo 20,686]

That Brandon Thorn snap compilation of Lindstrom from week 14 and 15 after he’d missed so much time is really impressive.

note the point that the interior of the OL seems to have stabilized upon his return in week 14.  This is a point I was making earlier today on another thread that the OL should be ok with the group we have if Lindstrom and McGary stay healthy. You can have a mediocre LG if the rest of your line is strong and still have a good OL.  It’s when you have 2 OL that are mediocre when it negatively impacts the other players to a considerable degree.

[Romfal 11,525]

I'm excited for this O-line to take a step forward in 2020

[ATLSlobberKnockers 8,239]

Nice find.gaz. I think Lindstrom could definitely be a top 5 OG at some point. Going to be hard to keep him after that 5th year.

[DonOfThemBirds 18,489]

7 hours ago, ATLSlobberKnockers said:

Nice find.gaz. I think Lindstrom could definitely be a top 5 OG at some point. Going to be hard to keep him after that 5th year.

 

Probably not.

 

By then both Ryan and Julio may not even be on the team with huge salaries.

[gazoo 20,686]

40 minutes ago, ATLSlobberKnockers said:

Nice find.gaz. I think Lindstrom could definitely be a top 5 OG at some point. Going to be hard to keep him after that 5th year.

If he stays healthy I believe there’s a good chance  he will make the 2020 pro bowl. I actually thought he might as a rookie but the injury took him out.

Well get at least 4 more seasons out of him and McGary with their options and I think that’s our window as it looks now.

[Osiruz 10,079]

1 hour ago, ATLSlobberKnockers said:

Nice find.gaz. I think Lindstrom could definitely be a top 5 OG at some point. Going to be hard to keep him after that 5th year.

Hoping we will.

[BlazerSlayer 429]

Lindstrom fitted right in which, considering he missed most of the season, was very impressive. I'm more worried about McGary but time will tell.

[FalconFanSince1970 24,515]

4 hours ago, gazoo said:

That Brandon Thorn snap compilation of Lindstrom from week 14 and 15 after he’d missed so much time is really impressive.

note the point that the interior of the OL seems to have stabilized upon his return in week 14.  This is a point I was making earlier today on another thread that the OL should be ok with the group we have if Lindstrom and McGary stay healthy. You can have a mediocre LG if the rest of your line is strong and still have a good OL.  It’s when you have 2 OL that are mediocre when it negatively impacts the other players to a considerable degree.

McGary needs to do a helluva lot of improving. He was turrible.

[gazoo 20,686]

16 minutes ago, FalconFanSince1970 said:

McGary needs to do a helluva lot of improving. He was turrible.

I would say he was inconsistent, since there were stretches in which he was terrible but also stretches where he played well.  Still a question mark, sure. Let’s see how he looks after another camp.

[youngbloodz 15,926]

4 hours ago, ATLSlobberKnockers said:

Nice find.gaz. I think Lindstrom could definitely be a top 5 OG at some point. Going to be hard to keep him after that 5th year.

Salary cap is going up by like $40 million next year alone. No telling what it will be by the time he gets a contract. He is staying 

[NWFALCON 4,039]

1 hour ago, gazoo said:

I would say he was inconsistent, since there were stretches in which he was terrible but also stretches where he played well.  Still a question mark, sure. Let’s see how he looks after another camp.

Yeah that is a big change for him.  Going from being one of the biggest meanest guys on the field and then missing most of the preseason work outs due to injury. 

Mudd's technique that was taught to McGary is what holds him back and you can tell that he knows he needs to do things differently.  In some of the film I've watched, he seems to be thinking alot.  Not being able to work out prior to the regular season really set him back.

The thing about McGary is he takes his job seriously and will work to improve.  He is a good kid and will work his *** off to improve.

[gazoo 20,686]

55 minutes ago, NWFALCON said:

Yeah that is a big change for him.  Going from being one of the biggest meanest guys on the field and then missing most of the preseason work outs due to injury. 

Mudd's technique that was taught to McGary is what holds him back and you can tell that he knows he needs to do things differently.  In some of the film I've watched, he seems to be thinking alot.  Not being able to work out prior to the regular season really set him back.

The thing about McGary is he takes his job seriously and will work to improve.  He is a good kid and will work his *** off to improve.

He showed really good awareness most of the time, always played with good balance, always played to the whistle and was strong as an ox. 

You are right to point out, if a player is caught up in his head on his responsibilities it can create the illusion he doesn’t have good quickness or reaction time.

No doubt a huge adjustment coming out of Mudds system. I think he’s got a good chance at being much better this year, but he needs to be on that field and get the consistency. 

Wasnt McGary playing a lot better the last few games of the season though? It certainly would have helped him having a solid RG playing next to him once Lindstrom got back.

[NWFALCON 4,039]

22 minutes ago, gazoo said:

He showed really good awareness most of the time, always played with good balance, always played to the whistle and was strong as an ox. 

You are right to point out, if a player is caught up in his head on his responsibilities it can create the illusion he doesn’t have good quickness or reaction time.

No doubt a huge adjustment coming out of Mudds system. I think he’s got a good chance at being much better this year, but he needs to be on that field and get the consistency. 

Wasnt McGary playing a lot better the last few games of the season though? It certainly would have helped him having a solid RG playing next to him once Lindstrom got back.

He owned Cam the first game but he seemed to struggle against that Wide 9. Teams started using that against him. He would bite/over reach and then they would spin or counter with an inside move. 
 

He will gain patience and improve I’m sure of it. Before the season, I talked to him a few times and we were going to meet up but he messed up his schedule and had to fly out the Atlanta. 
 

he actually played HS football with my coworker’s son out here. 

[Diggable Birds 540]

Machai  Beckton at 16 anybody? McGary has slow feet and he has a lot of trouble with speed rush guys I say kick him inside if possible to LG problem solved. I’m not confident in brown or carpenter ...... he could use his power and strength to open holes on the inside versus kick stepping to get out on the DE. 
 

LT-Matthews LG- McGary C -Mack

RG-Lindstrom RT- Beckton

[kschreck 5,799]

5 hours ago, gazoo said:

I would say he was inconsistent, since there were stretches in which he was terrible but also stretches where he played well.  Still a question mark, sure. Let’s see how he looks after another camp.

Agreed, some players make the jump to the NFL look easy while others take time to develop. If he's inconsistent again this season, then I'll be concerned.

[Hurry_Up_And_Buy 447]

McGary had questionable technique coming out so if there was anybody to move up for it would have been that Center that the Saints ended up picking up. Def would have been a better value pick out of Texas rather than going with a guy who's not really gonna be ready until his third or possibly fourth year. By the time McGary contract comes up he'll be worth a dam. But in order to justify the precious draft capital spent on him he'd need to be productive right out the gate. Another middle-thumb by Dimitrioff imo.

[PokerSteve 27,246]

5 hours ago, NWFALCON said:

Yeah that is a big change for him.  Going from being one of the biggest meanest guys on the field and then missing most of the preseason work outs due to injury. 

Mudd's technique that was taught to McGary is what holds him back and you can tell that he knows he needs to do things differently.  In some of the film I've watched, he seems to be thinking alot.  Not being able to work out prior to the regular season really set him back.

The thing about McGary is he takes his job seriously and will work to improve.  He is a good kid and will work his *** off to improve.

Agree. I don't see McGary as somebody who would ever settle for being the worst player on his OL no matter what level of football.

[CEO_PARLAY 82]

6 hours ago, youngbloodz said:

Salary cap is going up by like $40 million next year alone. No telling what it will be by the time he gets a contract. He is staying 

Plus if they see the potential in him after 2 more seasons they will most likely extended him early for a discount to what he can get 4 years from now. 

[MattM12 1,446]

I’m nowhere near as down on Kaleb as most. In fact I’m excited about him.

put Chris next to him for a season and he will also improve hugely. They will gel so well (very good friends privately, too.) and create the nastiest right side of the line we have ever had, with pro bowl skill sets. I don’t think Kaleb is as slow footed as everyone suggests. I saw a very fatigued player late in games.

and before someone says it, no, Harvey and Tyson were not as good as these guys will be.

lindstrom is legit and roll to multiple all-pro nods. Kaleb will be right up there with him after a full healthy off season with an NFL line coach. 

the future of our OL is good in my eyes. Let Gono play LG dammit. And draft a Schweitzer replacement/future Mack replacement. 

epic.

[gazoo 20,686]

3 hours ago, PokerSteve said:

Agree. I don't see McGary as somebody who would ever settle for being the worst player on his OL no matter what level of football.

Reminds me of Harvey Dahl as far as attitude.  Harvey wasn’t that talented, but fans loved him as he made up for it with his infectious attitude and hustle that rubbed off on everyone around him.

[gazoo 20,686]

4 hours ago, kschreck said:

Agreed, some players make the jump to the NFL look easy while others take time to develop. If he's inconsistent again this season, then I'll be concerned.

It is rare in today’s NFL for a rookie OT to play consistently well all year. There are some outliers, but most of them struggle their rookie seasons of they are even able to get any starts.

McGarys inconsistencies last year were expected by most scouts. It was pretty clear to scouts he needed some development. Many speculated he wouldn’t be a starter his rookie season. 

This year is where we will know what we really have in him. 

[Mister pudding 2,532]

I hope he does very well, definitely a great talent. That being said, I find it hard to fathom that any guard in the league would be looked upon as the best offensive lineman in the league. Think he would have to slide to left tackle to earn that accolade