Image courtesy of the New England Patriots
FOXBOROUGH – The lights at Gillette Stadium are just a little brighter than the ones at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill.
On Thursday night, former BC linebacker/EDGE Quintayvious Hutchins got to live out a dream, playing in his first NFL game when the Patriots hosted the Colts in the preseason opener for both squads.
Following his two-tackle performance, I caught up with Hutchins in the locker room to get a sense of what it was like running out of the tunnel for the first time and asked him what he’ll remember most about that specific moment.
“The lights,” he quickly answered with a smile. “The bright lights. It really opens your eyes to see that it’s real now. It’s a different opportunity, different ball game.”
While nerves were obviously through the roof, Hutchins tried to keep his game day routine as normal as he could, going with his usual meal and talking to his mom.
“I’d say it was more like college, keeping the same ritual, the same plan taking care of my body, eating my same meal from college, spaghetti,” he said. “Took a little nap. I felt like I was more recovered than I was any other game before. I took the recovery more serious with my body, taking more naps and stuff like that.
“I talked to my mom. My mom gave me a good luck wish. It was a long paragraph, but it was worth seeing her see me play a game, especially in the league. That was a good experience for me and her.”
Hutchins’ mom wasn’t technically in the stands – in fact, Hutchins was solo for this one – but he knew it still meant a ton to his family.
“Nah, nobody here tonight, just me,” said Hutchins.
As a rookie, Hutchins is constantly learning every single day he’s in the building. Now, with actual game film to go off of, what’s the biggest takeaway from his first NFL reps?
“Just being consistent,” he added. “Being better with my rushes, being more in the game. Just…one bad play isn’t the end of it. Go to the next. Experiencing the preseason was really good.
“I’ve just got to keep working on being consistent . Overall, I think it was pretty good.”