Ryan Poles wasn’t exactly subtle when talking about his plans for the Chicago Bears’ 2022 offseason. In his mind, the task ahead is straightforward. Fix the offensive line. When he interviewed for the GM position last month, he wasn’t shy about telling George McCaskey and the search team his opinion of their current front five. He was not impressed. All signs point to serious changes being on the horizon. Now one name has surfaced on their radar. That is Alec Lindstrom.
A source informed SM that the Bears are keeping close tabs on the Boston College center. They like his game and feel it could be a great fit for their new offense under Luke Getsy. By now it is common knowledge that the team plans to implement a variation of the Shanahan offense. The outside zone running scheme has found so much success in the NFL over the past several years in places like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Green Bay. One primary key to making it work is having a dependable center.
Here is what Kyle Shanahan had to say about it.
“It allows you to do a bunch of different stuff. It (the system) puts more pressure on the center. It puts versatility in everything you can do, not just with the center but what your guards and tackles can do. It helps solidify the entire o-line. That’s usually where it starts. There are a lot of good players, but when you have a difference-maker at that position, I’ve found in my career that it’s been a lot easier to run an offense.”
The big thing in the Shanahan offense with centers is they’re required to do a ton of pre and post-snap reading of defenses. They have to make checks so guys make the right blocks and decide where to be after the snap. It isn’t easy and requires somebody with awareness, intelligence, and versatility. When reading this scouting report by Oliver Hodgkinson of Pro Football Network, it becomes clear why Lindstrom has the Bears’ attention.
“Unsurprisingly, given his father’s coaching influence, the Boston College center has excellent football intelligence. This manifests itself in multiple forms. Lindstrom is responsible for making pre-snap protection adjustments. He has an exceptional facility to read the game post-snap, accounting for stunts and twits. He is always looking for work and has shown the ability to pick up free blitzes and help his teammates on the offensive line whenever required.”
It goes even beyond that.
Remember that Poles attended Boston College himself as an offensive lineman back in the mid-2000s. So he has deep ties to the program. Last but not least is Lindstrom’s mentality. Poles said he feels the Bears’ offensive line lacks an edge. Not enough guys that play nasty and violent. No mean streak. That won’t be an issue with Lindstrom. What he might lack in size or power he definitely makes up for with brutality.
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Boston College C Alec Lindstrom (Chris Lindstrom’s little brother) has some nasty to him. Flattens the linebacker and gives him a little extra. pic.twitter.com/E51oAleljX
— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) August 2, 2020
This is what I've been waiting to see out of Alec Lindstrom. Look at the finish. Absolutely punishing. Someone must have poked the bear. pic.twitter.com/0g3rpYruAT
— Matt Alkire (@mattalkire) February 1, 2022
Physical win for Alec Lindstrom. Been a stalwart for Boston College. pic.twitter.com/IOmLbkaAZU
— Matt Alkire (@mattalkire) February 1, 2022
Alec Lindstrom got results during his run with the Rams
During his first full season starting in 2019, running back A.J. Dillon rampaged for 1,685 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. The following year quarterback Phil Jurkovec had a solid season throwing the ball, compiling 2,558 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games. Much of that was thanks to stout protection up front. Lindstrom helped 5’8 sophomore Pat Garwo III top 1,000 yards rushing in his final year with the team.
While teammate Zion Johnson is getting more hype lately, there is no denying Alec Lindstrom put three years of quality blocking on tape. Current projections have him going somewhere between the 3rd and 5th rounds in the upcoming draft. His modest size and good-not-great power base are likely to shy some teams away from him. This is a player that won’t fit in every scheme.
The Bears happen to run one of them.
Uncertainty at center only fuels this interest. Sam Mustipher is a free agent and was average at best during most of 2021. He too suffers from size and power questions but also might not be a great fit athletically. Don’t be surprised if the Bears look to secure Lindstrom this April.
