{"id":44203,"date":"2022-08-13T12:46:49","date_gmt":"2022-08-13T12:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/detroit-lions-aidan-hutchinson-a-menace-in-backfield-in-debut\/"},"modified":"2022-08-13T12:46:49","modified_gmt":"2022-08-13T12:46:49","slug":"detroit-lions-aidan-hutchinson-a-menace-in-backfield-in-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/detroit-lions-aidan-hutchinson-a-menace-in-backfield-in-debut\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Lions&#8217; Aidan Hutchinson a menace in backfield in debut"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Two plays. <\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">That&#8217;s all Aidan Hutchinson needed to bring the crowd at Ford Field to its feet in his first game for the Detroit Lions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">It was second-and-2 on the first drive of Hutchinson&#8217;s professional career, when he lined up against All-Pro offensive tackle Jake Matthews.  The rookie from Michigan football faked right to the outside, swim-moved back inside and blew by the nine-year veteran.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Before Qadree Ollison knew what happened, he was met in the backfield by Hutchinson and slammed to the turf for a 3-yard loss.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;It was awesome,&#8221; Hutchinson said after the 27-23 preseason loss on Friday.  &#8220;I&#8217;m glad I got the opportunities, glad the plays came my way. It&#8217;s just my job to make them.&#8221; <\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_tw\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadTwitter\" data-v-id=\"1558217368492556288\" aria-label=\"Twitter Embed\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">LIONS OBSERVATIONS:<\/strong>Starting OL as good as advertised, running QBs may be an issue<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">As the crowd roared, Hutchinson did his best Michal Jackson celebration \u2014 an ode to his rookie dance that was showcased earlier this week on Hard Knocks \u2014 and his welcome-to-the-NFL moment was official.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I&#8217;m just glad I remembered to do it.&#8221;  Hutchinson joked.  &#8220;I&#8217;m sure that song will stick with me for the rest of my life now, but I&#8217;m prepared for that.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I can buy into it a little bit.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">One drive of a preseason game is too soon to making any sweeping statements about what Hutchinson&#8217;s future, but he passed the eye test with flying colors.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img gnt_em_img__inset\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:303px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PDTF\/2c54990a-a804-4608-b816-e304e50d5883-LionsATL_081220222219.jpg?ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PDTF\/2c54990a-a804-4608-b816-e304e50d5883-LionsATL_081220222219.jpg?width=600&amp;height=606&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson on the bench during the second half of the Lions' 27-23 preseason loss to the Falcons on Friday, Aug.  12, 2022 at Ford Field.\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">With each passing day, as the 2021 Heisman Trophy runner-up gets more put on his plate.  And he continues to show his coaches and teammates why he was the No.  2 overall draft picks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I&#8217;m learning a lot right now, I feel like every practice I&#8217;m taking so many strides and am feeling really good every time I touch the field,&#8221; Hutchinson said.  &#8220;I feel like I&#8217;m not even close to my ceiling, I have so much more to go and I can see it every day with myself in practice, just learning so much and figuring things out as we go.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Later on the Lions&#8217; first defensive drive of the game, Hutchinson was at it again.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Marcus Mariota scrambled for a gain of 7 yards, but the play was called back because of a holding penalty on Matthews that Hutchinson forced as he once again beat the offensive lineman into the backfield.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">All of this was after Hutchinson chased Mariota down from behind on the game&#8217;s first play when the quarterback got outside the defense&#8217;s contain.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:546px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PDTF\/ba692d8c-5085-4830-a6a1-1e91bb9bfb03-LionsATL_081220222192.jpg?ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PDTF\/ba692d8c-5085-4830-a6a1-1e91bb9bfb03-LionsATL_081220222192.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=1092&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (97) celebrates after tackling Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota (1) during the first half of a preseason game Aug.  12, 2022 at Ford Field.\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">On the whole, the defense was suspect.  The starters allowed a 12-play, 82-yard touchdown drive in its only action of the day \u2014 echoing last year&#8217;s group that ranked 29th in yards allowed and 31st in points allowed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Coach Dan Campbell said from afar, before he looks at the tape, he thought Hutchinson &#8220;did some good things.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">On Friday, the rookie showed the ability to get in the backfield, both against the pass and the run.  He did so with an array of moves, not just his patented bull rush which dominated the college ranks. <\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">A SECOND CHANCE:<\/strong>Jarrad Davis finds peace with Detroit Lions;  &#8216;It never feels good to starve&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong class=\"gnt_ar_b_al\">AIR IT OUT:<\/strong>Detroit Lions, Jared Goff to unveil new-look offense Friday vs.  Atlanta Falcons<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:492px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PDTF\/eaa008f9-0626-4d45-93cc-67e183618d79-LionsATL_081220222182.jpg?ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PDTF\/eaa008f9-0626-4d45-93cc-67e183618d79-LionsATL_081220222182.jpg?width=1320&amp;height=984&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson tackles Atlanta Falcons running back Qadree Ollison (30) during the first half of a preseason game Aug.  12, 2022 at Ford Field.\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I&#8217;m just playing ball, doing what I&#8217;ve always done,&#8221; Hutchinson said.  &#8220;I don&#8217;t know if I proved anything to myself, obviously I&#8217;m at the next level being in the NFL now but at the end of the day it&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve been doing for a long time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;So I&#8217;m very comfortable and very confident.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"gnt_ar_b_h2\">Jeff Okudah&#8217;s up-and-down return <\/h2>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">While the starting defense was on the field together for just one series, a select few stayed on the field for most of the first half.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">That included the 2020 No.  3 overall pick, Jeff Okudah.  The former Ohio State standout played one half of football in last year&#8217;s season-opener against the San Francisco 49ers before suffering a torn Achilles, ending his season.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img gnt_em_img__inset\"><img class=\"gnt_em_img_i\" style=\"height:373px\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/01\/PDTF\/7c938af4-3df2-4a29-8bc1-ee30c8dbec6e-Lions__08012022731.jpg?ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/01\/PDTF\/7c938af4-3df2-4a29-8bc1-ee30c8dbec6e-Lions__08012022731.jpg?width=600&amp;height=746&amp;fit=crop&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lions defensive back Jeff Okudah goes through passing drills during the team's first padded practice of preseason camp Aug.  1, 2022 in Allen Park.\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Friday was his first live action in 334 days and despite being listed as second-string on the depth chart, when the game began, he was on the field.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;It was surreal to be honest with you, but just a blessing to get back out there with the guys,&#8221; Okudah said.  &#8220;Special moment, same field I got hurt last year and being able to play. It&#8217;s been a long journey, so to be able to take that step in the right direction is big today.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The return was largely positive.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">He made his first tackle on Mariota, who got loose for a 10-yard gain on the fifth play of the opening drive.  Later, on second-and-10 in the red zone, he made a nice tackle on the edge in run support, forcing a third-and-long.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">But it wasn&#8217;t without its hiccups, like when KhaDarel Hodge beat him on a &#8220;glance&#8221; route on the ensuing play, moving the sticks and setting up a first-and-goal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">&#8220;I think it was solid, all things considered it was solid,&#8221; he said.  &#8220;I mean for me being a perfectionist, I hate that a receiver caught a ball on me, but it&#8217;s definitely something I can look at and build on it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><em>Contact Tony Garcia at apgarcia@freepress.com.  Follow him on Twitter at @realtonygarcia.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_fo__bet-best gnt_em__lp\" aria-label=\"Scores and odds from Tipico\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-type=\"comment\"><!--@pre<iframe class=gnt_em_fo_if src=\"\/tangfrag\/sports\/gaming\/bet-best?prm-embedded&prm-teamid=1042&prm-gnteamid=1&prm-league=NFL#fhp-assetid=10314033002\" loading=lazy sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-forms\" title=\"Scores and odds from Tipico\"><\/iframe>--><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two plays. That&#8217;s all Aidan Hutchinson needed to bring the crowd at Ford Field to its feet in his first game for the Detroit Lions. It was second-and-2 on the first drive of Hutchinson&#8217;s professional career, when he lined up against All-Pro offensive tackle Jake Matthews. The rookie from Michigan football faked right to the &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/detroit-lions-aidan-hutchinson-a-menace-in-backfield-in-debut\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Detroit Lions&#8217; Aidan Hutchinson a menace in backfield in debut<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":30485,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/detroit-lions-2022-training-camp-day-4-observations-aidan-hutchinson-puts-on-a-show-for-fans\/","url_meta":{"origin":44203,"position":0},"title":"Detroit Lions 2022 training camp Day 4 observations: Aidan Hutchinson puts on a show for fans","date":"July 30, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Detroit Lions held their fourth training camp practice of the 2022 season on Saturday and it was the first time fans (at least 2,500 season ticket holders, per team source) were allowed into Allen Park. Fans lined the bleachers, in one of the bigger turnouts we have seen in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":37648,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/6-standouts-from-detroit-lions-training-camp-scrimmage-at-ford-field\/","url_meta":{"origin":44203,"position":1},"title":"6 standouts from Detroit Lions training camp scrimmage at Ford Field","date":"August 6, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Detroit Lions held their annual scrimmage practice at Ford Field on Saturday morning, and the energy in the building was palpable. According to the team, an estimated 18,000 people showed up to the Lions' home field, which was the most at this event since 2015\u2014the year after Detroit's most\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":41162,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/aidan-hutchinson-dan-campbell-shine\/","url_meta":{"origin":44203,"position":2},"title":"Aidan Hutchinson, Dan Campbell shine","date":"August 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The long-awaited debut HBO's \"Hard Knocks\" featuring the Detroit Lions hit our screens Tuesday night. And it wouldn't be a surprise if some brick walls are no longer standing up after Lions fans ran through them.From Dan Campbell's desire to drag teams into the deep water and Aidan Hutchinson's journey\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/01\/PDTF\/ae90b454-1c76-4cd6-aa07-01497f31a277-Lions__080120221259.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":44229,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/detroit-lions-jared-goff-rejected-idea-to-sit-out-preseason-opener\/","url_meta":{"origin":44203,"position":3},"title":"Detroit Lions&#8217; Jared Goff rejected idea to sit out preseason opener","date":"August 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Detroit \u2014 In the days leading up the preseason opener, the Detroit Lions coaching staff had decided they weren't going to play Jared Goff. Based on how well he'd been performing on the practice field during the first couple of weeks of training camp, they felt he didn't need the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PDTN\/bbb6ef29-9ae4-40c9-8b69-f9528aebe332-2022-0812-dm-lions-falcons00535crop.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":49584,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/lions-colts-day-2-joint-practices-observations-detroit-dbs-fight-back-in-a-huge-way\/","url_meta":{"origin":44203,"position":4},"title":"Lions-Colts Day 2 joint practices observations: Detroit DBs fight back in a huge way","date":"August 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Although Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell was pleased with the effort and performance from his team on the first day of joint practices, he admitted he wanted to see a little more out of the secondary\u2014who was, by most reports, burned by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan for most of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45206,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/pff-grades-detroit-lions-defensive-rookies-make-big-impression-in-preseason-debut\/","url_meta":{"origin":44203,"position":5},"title":"PFF grades: Detroit Lions defensive rookies make big impression in preseason debut","date":"August 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Detroit Lions preseason got underway with a loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. For the most part, though, these exhibitions have little to do with the points on the scoreboard when the clock hits zero. There are many observers who find a different set of numbers to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/08\/13\/PDTF\/858c370b-b0b0-44b3-a643-8e7b4a2b72a9-LionsATL_081220223200.jpg?crop=1892,1064,x0,y124&width=660&height=372&format=pjpg&auto=webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44203"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44203\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}