FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Last week after Wednesday’s OTA session, new offensive line coach Pat Hill spoke highly of his new unit, specifically the fact that they are a highly intelligent group of guys that are quick to learn and adapt.
With two Stanford and one Wake Forest-educated player, along with five guys with seven or more years of NFL experience under their belts, this unit should be smart.
But that intelligence doesn’t stop with the veterans.
Left guard Justin Blalock said that both rookies—Peter Konz and Lamar Holmes—have been very adept at picking things up. Even though Holmes hasn’t practiced with the team yet, he’s shined in the film room. Konz is really turning heads both on and off the field.
“His flexibility,” Blalock answered to what’s impressed him the most about Konz. “He can play multiple positions. He’s a center, a guard, what have you. And he’s taken up both quite well. That’s something that a lot of guys that have been here for years can’t do extremely well. He’s picking it up pretty naturally.”
Konz was a center at Wisconsin and said he’d never played guard above the high-school level. The Falcons drafted Konz mainly as a guard, but are cross-training him at multiple positions across the line.
Both rookies are learning from the coaching staff, the veterans and even from their own mistakes. Blalock said as first-year players there is bound to be struggles, but Konz and Holmes are minimizing those rough patches.
“They’re coming along quite well,” said Blalock. “If they mess something up once they don’t do it again, typically. They’re very quick in the meeting room to understand concepts really well.”
