It's Monday once again. I'm going to continue the series I started last week with some info on one of our newest Titans- Steve Hutchinson.
On Saturday, I broke the news that Hutch has a heart defect. I found that while starting to research for this article. Needless to say, I was a little surprised.
But, that's not our focus today because the defect is minor. Today we will focus on what we are getting from this former Viking.
Statistics
- Hutchinson has eleven seasons of starting experience under his belt (NFL.com), after being selected 17th overall by the Seahawks in 2001 (Wiki).
- There have only been three seasons that he didn't play all season: 2002 (4 games), 2010 (11 games), and 2011 (14 games) (NFL.com).
- ProFootballFocus has ranked the NFL Offensive lines. In 6th- the Titans. In 7th- the Vikings. They ranked 16th in the pass, where we ranked first. However, in the run, where we ranked 17th, they ranked 2nd.
- He started all four of his college seasons at guard, earned 4 All-Big Ten selections, 2 All-American selections, and was 2-time team captain. He didn't allow a sack in his final two seasons of college (Wiki).
- Hutch has 7 Pro Bowls, 7 All Pro selections, 2 NFL Alumni Offensive Lineman of the Year awards, and NFL 2000s All-Decade tea (Wiki)
Personal Facts
- Steve Hutchinson is a product of Fort Lauderdale and Coral Springs, Florida.
- He attended the University of Michigan.
- In his redshirt year of 2006, he was a defensive tackle and switched to guard.
- He has a son and a daughter with his high school sweetheart.
- Hutch spends some of his spare time hunting and fishing... perfect for Tennessee.
(Courtesy of Wiki)
Expectations
Steve Hutchinson- if I had been told a year ago that we would have him on our offensive line, I would have rolled over in laughter and disbelief. He is an amazing lineman that should be able to work with Roos, the only player on the Titans line in 2011 who had a positive grade, according to PFF, to hold down the left side of our offense. His experience will help push us through the season. He is used to having AP who runs right up the middle, thus he will be able to help CJ with his running to the left and up the gut. He isn't expected to bring the Titans to a Top 10 run blocking line this year, but he is going to take a lot of pressure off of the future of the line while young guys can develop and the other interior starters can work to improve. Hutch will be a leader and a positive influence on everyone on the offense. His leadership will be a great relief, and he definitely will not be a liability for our Titans.