MANKATO, Minn. — Steve Hutchinson is sporting a thick beard at Minnesota’s training camp, as if the anchor of the Vikings’ offense needed to offer another visual cue that he’s one of the toughest, most ornery offensive linemen in the league.
“Hutch is Hutch. No matter how you paint it, Hutch is Hutch,” teammate Anthony Herrera said.
The All-Pro left guard can be gruff, a mood that fits and fuels his task to block the NFL’s biggest and fiercest defensive players. This season, though, Hutchinson must be more outgoing.
With his buddy Matt Birk — Minnesota’s starting center for the past nine seasons — now playing for Baltimore, Hutchinson has by far the most experience and ability on a line with new starters at two of the five spots.
“He’s trying to pick it up,” said Herrera, the right guard. “It’s something that was needed from him. He’s obviously the type of guy that leads by example on the field, but now he’s working to just become more of a leader in the huddle — like, literally, in each play. So he’s doing a great job.”
Hutchinson acknowledged his role as the unquestioned leader, but tried to shrug off the significance.
“When you have nine years in the league, you’re looked upon as a leader whether you like it or not,” he said.
There are specks of gray in Hutchinson’s new mountain-man scruff, a sign of his status as the sage of the line. He joked upon arrival at training camp that he had only begun growing the beard the night before.
Throughout these first practices, Hutchinson has often been seen talking to other offensive players between drills — motioning with his hand as he recreates routes in the air.
“There have been a few times when he steps out and makes a few comments. He’s really your lead-by-example guy,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. “He does it the right way, down in and down out.”
Coach Brad Childress openly teases Hutchinson about his demeanor.
“He’s not ever going to be like a Dale Carnegie or anything like that,” Childress said. “He’s really a pretty miserable lout, and he kind of relishes that role.”
Turning serious, Childress noted Hutchinson’s development as more of a vocal leader since he signed in 2006 what at the time was the richest contract ever for a guard. He got a seven-year deal worth as much as $49 million to leave Seattle for Minnesota.
“I think he’s grown into that every year,” the coach said. “He’ll be a nice resource for our younger players.”
Neither second-year center John Sullivan and rookie right tackle Phil Loadholt have a single NFL snap on their resume, so Hutchinson’s presence will be key. Last season, with the right tackle position in flux and Hutchinson in his usual form on the left, there was no secret which side of the line the Vikings wanted to send Adrian Peterson.
The development of Sullivan and Loadholt will be critical for a team that will send an inexperienced starting quarterback into the huddle for the opener on Sept. 13 — no matter if it’s Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels.
“It’s a process every day. Five guys have got to really act like one,” Hutchinson said. “It’s really the most unique position group on the football team. If one guy screws up, chances are the play’s not going to work. But it takes time, experience together to build chemistry. There’s no substitute for practice on the field.”
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