Rookie jitters? Not for Aidan Hutchinson. The defensive end out of Michigan tallied 9.5 sacks, 52 tackles, 15 QB hits, two recovered fumbles and three interceptions in his first 17 games with the Detroit Lions.
The second-overall pick lived up to the expectations in a massive way as a full-season starter.
The Lions, clearly, are building something, even if it took a bit for it to come together. After a slow start to the year, the team finished 9-8 and won eight of those games in their final 10 contests, including a spoiler where they barred the Green Bay Packers from qualifying for the playoffs by beating them on Sunday Night Football in Week 18.
Hutchinson is glad to be a part of it, no matter the position.
“I’m willing to score some touchdowns if you had to flex me in at tight end, I’m willing to do that. So, I’ll talk to Dan about this soon,” Hutchinson joked with Patrick Allen and Matt Verderame on the Stacking the Box podcast during Super Bowl week.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr3USoBSAQ
Aidan Hutchinson loves playing for Lions head coach Dan Campbell
Dan Campbell, head coach of the Lions, on the outside, is enigmatic.
He’s intense and clearly determined to win with this Lions team. But you can tell he’s also got a soft side to him, and while he might be hard to understand to outsiders, Lions players totally get it.
“Really, what you see is what you get. That same intensity you see on Hard Knocks it’s very apparent all the way around. So, really, I love playing for a guy like that. He’s really a player’s kind of coach. It’s a guy that you want to strap it up for you want to put on the pads for him and you want to win for a guy like that.”
Patrick Allen asked Hutchinson about the fact that, while he’s intense and passionate, he appears to have a big heart. Hutchinson had to agree and thinks that’s the main thing driving him.
“It’s what he’s driven by, his heart, his passion for the game. Everything.”
Results-oriented, but empathetic. What more could you want in a leader?
Hutchinson joined Stacking the Box on behalf of Bounty.