FLOWERY BRANCH — For Falcons veteran guard Chris Lindstrom, reporting day is kind of like Christmas.
“It’s just an exciting moment,” Lindstrom said Wednesday. “It’s one of the best days of the year to get back into camp. You do all of that preparation, from the end of last season until now. The moment is kind of here now to put that all to work together. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s one of the best days.”
The Falcons, who are coming off three consecutive 7-10 seasons and six consecutive losing seasons, have a brighter outlook for the coming season after hiring Raheem Morris as head coach and signing quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency.
The Falcons will hold their first practice Thursday and host an open practice at Seckinger High in Buford on Saturday.
“Just exciting to see everyone come back,” Lindstrom said. “Now with Raheem ready to go, super fortunate again that we have all of our guys in our (meeting) room. I think that’s a unique thing. The culture here is really fantastic.”
The reset of the franchise appears to be genuine.
“That’s one of the best parts of so many people pulling in the same direction,” Lindstrom said. “There is energy in the building. It’s the first day, we are two hours into. It’s an exciting time. … There are expectations. That’s the exciting part. You play this game to win. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Several players reported during the open media period, including left tackle Jake Matthews, running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier, safety Micah Abernathy and wide receiver Darnell Mooney. The Falcons had a special-teams meeting set for 2 p.m. followed by the team meeting later.
Cousins reported and was wearing a Hawks’ Steve Smith jersey. There was even a Michael Penix Jr. sighting.
Lindstrom believes the Falcons are on the verge of a breakthrough.
“Just as a competitor, you (must) have that mindset that this is the year that you’re going to win,” Lindstrom said. “Every single day, preparation and work is going toward it. I don’t necessarily know the difference, but the work that we put in in OTAs was incredibly detailed, and the chemistry that we are building with Kirk is fantastic.”
Lindstrom was elated that offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford was retained by Morris. Also, the four starters alongside of him are back in Matthews, left guard Matthew Bergeron, center Drew Dalman and right tackle Kaleb McGary.
“I only speak because the offense, and the offensive line, is my personal viewpoint,” Lindstrom said. “Guys have put in the work and are ready to go. I think there is real focus on what we are doing.”
During the offseason programs, there are rules against contact. There will be a ramp-up period to training camp before things get physical.
“Definitely to develop all of the tools that we worked on this offseason,” Lindstrom said. “Then focus into applying (them to) live situations. The physicality is the biggest thing that will step up from the OTAs.”
In the offseason, the Falcons’ offensive linemen were working on their stances and hand-placement. Now, they’ll get to apply those techniques in a live-contact – real-football – setting.
“I don’t think there’s a better tool than getting to work against (defensive linemen) Grady (Jarrett) and David (Onyemata) and those guys every single day,” Lindstrom said. “There are different things that they’ll help with. … There are so many things I get to learn from what they do.”
Ledford was retained as the run-game coordinator/offensive line coach. He’ll oversee keeping the Falcons’ rushing attack at a high level while new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has installed the passing attack.
Now, they must blend the two operations together. Lindstrom said there naturally will be an adjustment period.
“Zac and Led did such a great job of installing everything that I think the mental side is going to be really easy to pick up,” Lindstrom said. “The physical part, it always take just a couple of days to get kind of all steamed up.”
With Cousins slated to be at the controls, the Falcons hope to have a more potent passing attack.
“It’s just through reps and your identity is what you put on film,” Lindstrom said. “That’s the biggest aspect of it. As a group, we know the standards we set for ourselves. We have to go out there and prove it.”
Lindstrom knows the basic plan of attack.
“It’s simple, you want to always keep Kirk upright and make sure that he has time to throw, and the ability to those guys to make plays,” Lindstrom said. “In the run game, it’s the same thing for Bijan, Tyler and those guys. (Help) them make their plays. That’s one of the most rewarding things as an offensive line.”
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