Is there a more excited fan than one who roots for the Detroit Lions and is anxiously waiting for Aidan Hutchinson to return to the field?
Not likely.
"Hutch" was on an absolute tear last year before breaking his lower leg in week six against the Dallas Cowboys. At the time of his injury, Hutchinson was leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks through just five games of action. But then everything came to an abrupt end for the 2024 campaign.
It was a pretty routine play for the 6-7, 268-pounder. He came off the edge, got ahold of quarterback Dak Prescott and swung around as he tried to bring him to the ground. Unfortunately, Hutchinson's lower leg whipped against teammate Alim McNeill's leg and broke both the tibia and fibula clean through.
Just like that, Hutchinson's season was over.
Now, the 25-year old pass rusher is back and apparently better than ever according to his teammates and coaches. Quarterback Jared Goff has referred to Hutchinson as a "monster" on several occasions and head coach Dan Campbell heaped praise onto No. 97 earlier this week.
“I can’t wait to watch him go,” Campbell said during his Tuesday press conference. “He’s put in a lot of time, a lot of effort, a lot of hard work to get back to where he’s at right now, and when you have the game taken away from you — for whatever reasons — it just gives you a little extra motivation to come back. So, I’m excited to watch him. He’s going to be ready to go.”
Hutchinson himself is also fired up and ready to return to the field and he intends to do so without any apprehension.
"Where I hit my leg last year, I've gotten that hit a few times, and definitely that builds the psychological and mental aspects of feeling ready to play again," Hutchinson recently said. "Going through that stuff, you know everything is in place. My leg is bionic now, and we're ready to go."
It's not a surprise that Hutchinson is excited to return to the field but Campbell might be even more excited to watch his best defensive player — the big fella has been wrecking the Lions offense all offseason. Campbell reportedly had to institute "The Hutch Rule" in order to get his offensive guys enough reps.
The Hutch rule is when Aidan beats his man and likely has a sack on a play, but the coaches don't blow the whistle. That allows the offense to continue the rep and get their work in. If the rule wasn't implemented, the offense wouldn't get enough reps.
Wow.
Campbell and Lions fans don't have to wait much longer. The Packers will host Detroit on Sunday afternoon in week one of the NFL season. That's really the only negative surrounding Hutchinson's return — it's not in The D. Can you imagine the roar inside Ford Field if Hutch were to get his first sack at home?
That moment might end up happening this weekend at Lambeau Field instead, but I'm sure Lions fans would take it as their team tries to get an important win against a hated division foe in the Packers.