Family Tradition

Football bonds father, son at Landrum

Small town football is different.

My little town can beat your little town, and if you don’t believe me, our boys are about to line up and show you.

It’s been that way for generations. And if you look closely, you can see those generations trading places before your eyes.

You certainly can at Landrum. That’s where you’ll find AJ Lindsey lining up in the backfield and patrolling the middle of the defense at linebacker for the Cardinals.

Just like his dad did years ago.

“I played here from 1992-1994, graduated in 1995,” Aaron Lindsey said. “My last year, we did pretty good.”

“Pretty good” included an 8-4 record and Landrum’s first playoff win since 1975, and third ever at the time. Aaron was one of the leaders of the team.

“From what I understand, he was a great football player,” Landrum head coach Mike Reid said. “AJ is definitely filling those shoes.”

That’s all Aaron wanted for his son.

“As a kid, you’re thinking about having a son, and I envisioned him coming up through Landrum football and doing well,” he said. “He’s pretty much made that come true for me. It’s been fun watching him play.”

Aaron’s had a hand in AJ’s development from a young age.

“I started coaching him when he was four,” Aaron said. “I didn’t put him out there a whole lot, I didn’t want to scare him. But he had four years of what we used to call 2G football. And by the time he was old enough to be part of a team, he was good from day one. I put a lot of time and work into creating that effort, but the ability is something that he’s just got in him.”

That ability is sometimes stunning. Last year, AJ was third on the team in both rushing and receiving, and was among the Cardinals’ best open-field blockers. He turned around on defense and racked up a team-high 105 tackles with 13 for loss, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and four forced fumbles.

“He works every day, and it shows,” Reid said. “He’s our workhorse on offense, and then he  makes every tackle on defense. He’s just all over the field.”

A lot of that is chalked up to AJ’s knowledge of the game and football instincts. Like the best linebackers, he plays right up to the edge of recklessness. He says it’s all he knows.”

“That’s the only way I know how to play,” he said. “I feel like when I slow it down, I’m worse. I just go out there and play free, and it works out a lot better for me.”

He sometimes ends up where the ball’s going before it gets there when he’s chasing down a play.

“It’s completely instinctual,” he said. “As soon as the ball is snapped, it just comes to me, and I run and make the play.”

Even those instincts have been honed for years.

“I’ve probably driven him crazy, but I’ve always told him how important the little things are,” Aaron said. “He’s not ever going to be the biggest. He’s not ever going to be the fastest. We’ve known that for a long time. But I’ve told him that where he can make up the difference is being ahead of the game and knowing what’s going on. Look at how they’re lining up. See if they’re pitched a certain way. Pre-snap, just try to get ahead of what’s happening. It’s just recognizing what you’re seeing and getting a head start.”

AJ has become a master at doing just that, to the point that he’s almost like a poker player reading tells.

“I definitely look at stuff pre-snap,” he said. “Fingers are a huge tell, how much pressure you’re putting on your fingers. Linemen will angle or point their knees if they’re pulling and that will tell you where they’re going. If you know what to look for, you can definitely tell what’s about to happen. The small stuff can lead you to the big stuff.”

Lindsey’s got high hopes for his senior season, but that season is on hold for the time being due to an injury. The Lindseys are taking it in stride.

“As a dad, I’ve been worried about this,” Aaron said. “He’s played three years of uninjured football, and we know how that goes. And playing the way he does is tough. We’ve been lucky and fortunate, and I’m hoping this is just a small setback.”

AJ said keeping a positive outlook is the only way to deal with the injury.

“You can’t dwell on it,” he said. “You smile through it, and keep working, and you’ll make it in the long run. I’ll get through it and be back soon, hopefully.”

Even the injury is another link between the careers of father and son. Aaron missed one game in high school – a road game at Ware Shoals. The Cardinals travel to visit the Hornets this Friday, and AJ won’t play.

Whenever he’s able to return, AJ will attack the game with his usual high-energy style. 

“I just love doing it,” he said. “And starting so young, I just never knew anything else. Football is just fun. You’re not thinking about anything but just going out there and playing.”

And if watching AJ stirs up memories of Aaron, that’s even better.

“I think it’s awesome,” he said. “He won’t say it, but growing up everybody told me what a good player he was, and it’s cool to carry that on. He’ll make Facebook posts, and one day somebody commented ‘like father, like son’. I thought that was really cool. It’s like I’m continuing his legacy.”