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Football
Re-Establishing Himself
INDIANAPOLIS -
By John Oehser - Colts.com
Von Hutchins knows his situation.
And he knows, too, the task he faces this summer won't necessarily be easy.
His task, he said, is to prove once again that he belongs among the Colts' cornerbacks, and that he can help a defense that emerged as one of the most-improved units in the NFL last season.
Here's why it won't be easy:
Nick Harper.
Jason David.
Marlin Jackson.
Kelvin Hayden.
And that's just naming four of the other players playing corner for the Colts. And although Hutchins has belonged to the group for the past two seasons, he said in the next few months he must again prove he still belongs.
That will be a difficult task, Hutchins said. But one he said is doable.
"I know nothing around here's for certain," Hutchins said recently. "We've got a lot of great players, a lot of hungry athletes. I'm just as hungry, and I'm ready to come out and play. I haven't played in a long time. Now, I'm ready to come out and play.
"I'm looking at it as trying to gain a spot on this team."
And here's why Hutchins said he feels good entering training camp:
Because unlike last season, he is entering the period fully healthy.
Hutchins, a sixth-round selection by the Colts in the 2004 NFL Draft from the University of Mississippi, played extensively as a rookie, playing as a sixth defensive back in passing situations. He finished that season with 42 tackles, including 24 solos, and also had two passes defensed and eight special teams tackles. In a mid-season victory over Houston, Hutchins returned his lone interception 77 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown.
Last season, he entered the season with a foot injury, spending the first 11 games on the Physically Unable to Perform list. He didn't return until five games remained in the season.
"Last year was a struggle because I had to overcome the injury," Hutchins said. "I had to come in late in the season, toward the end of the season - everybody's full speed and I'm trying to get back adjusted.
"For me to get back out there, everything was just so fast."
Hutchins played in three games as a reserve defensive back, and played extensively in a season-ending victory over Arizona, making two tackles, including one solo.
"It's tough to come back late in the season, especially when you're trying to overcome an injury," Hutchins said. "As a defensive back, the only thing you have is your feet and your legs. To have an injury involving your most important part, your wheels - it's hard to overcome a flat tire.
"I'm ready to come out and play beyond expectations, beyond what I did as a rookie. I'm ready to come out and have double these expectations just for myself."
Hutchins said his expectations are high because of what he can do now that he couldn't last season. Last season, he had trouble planting, accelerating, turning - anything that involved the foot, he said. Now, that's past, and although it has been a year and a half since the end of his rookie season, he said he played enough that season to know he can play productively in the NFL if given a chance.
"I feel more flexible," he said. "I feel more explosive. I feel I can do things that I haven't been able to do since I've been here. I want to translate that into making plays on the field."
This training camp, he said the plan is for him to play more on the outside - as opposed to inside, in the nickel, as he did as a rookie - and he said because he is more comfortable inside, it will be an important transition.
"It gave me some confidence, coming out and playing as a rookie," Hutchins said. "I grew as the time went along. As the weeks went on, I grew into my position. I didn't practice a whole lot on the outside. That's what set me back last year. I look at this season as a big season as far as learning a lot as a corner on the outside and not so much in the nickel.
"I'm comfortable inside, so for me to be set back that year, to not have that year of development and improvement as a corner, was hard. I need this spring, this off-season, to grow and learn as a player.
"I definitely see this as a big off-season. We've got a bunch of good corners in and a bunch of great players in. For me to be healthy right now and to be on the same page as everybody else is great. I feel my confidence level is up.
"I feel a whole lot better. I'm just ready to go out and play."
What bothers Hutchins, he said, is the feeling that he lost most of a season because of the injury. He said he sees the progress that safety Bob Sanders and cornerback Jason David - players with whom he was drafted in 2004 - made last season, and said "I want to learn from them in that aspect, catch up with what I missed."
"I know it's a league of, `What have you done for me lately?''' Hutchins said. "I haven't done too much. It's been a year and a half since I hit the field in a useful position. I'm trying to come out and have some responsibility. I can make plays and I'm able to do things that I couldn't do before. I look quicker and I see improvement, and I want to translate that to being in better position and understanding the game more.
"I'm trying to let the team know I'm a reliable person. I want to be someone you can count on and hang your hat on."
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