INDIANAPOLIS &045; The stage was set at the home of the defending Super Bowl champs for the NFL to unveil the 2004 season in front of a national audience.

Rookie Von Hutchins took advantage of the opportunity.

The former Cathedral and Ole Miss standout defensive back couldn’t have found a better way to make an appearance as a visitor in an electric stadium on that Thursday night. Despite being one of the smaller guys on the field among both his Indianapolis Colts and the homestanding Patriots, Hutchins made the tackle on the opening kickoff in his first opportunity to step on a NFL field.

Welcome to the NFL.

&uot;As soon as I stepped on the field in New England &045; the first game, everybody’s watching in the country and against the Super Bowl champs &045; it’s just crazy,&uot; Hutchins said. &uot;I made the first tackle of the NFL season. It was great. I’m just blessed with the opportunity.&uot;

Blessed would be a good word, but the 5-9, 181-pound defensive back has worked awfully hard since being drafted in the sixth round of the NFL draft by the Colts back in April. He arrived at camp in August and impressed head coach Tony Dungy and the Colts’ staff enough to earn a spot on the roster.

Hutchins has played in each of the Colts’ five games on special teams, but he got 44 snaps on defense in their 35-14 win over Oakland Oct. 10.

Indianapolis was off last week and plays host to Jacksonville at noon today.

&uot;It was a great experience,&uot; Hutchins said. &uot;It was my first time to get extensive play on defense. It was a lot more than I had been playing. We definitely played real well. I don’t have anything to compare it with this year, but it’s definitely the best we’ve played. We defended the run and the pass real well.&uot;

Hutchins spent time in the game at nickelback in the Colts’ secondary against the Raiders with some starters out with injuries. But it was enough to give the coaching staff an impression of what the rookie could do and what allowed him to make a name for himself as a safety at Ole Miss &045; quickness, smarts and abililty.

&uot;He’s progressing very well,&uot; Colts secondary coach Alan Williams said. &uot;He’s a smart player. He has good ball skills. Everybody in the NFL is good &045; it’s tough to just come in and play. He’s adjusted well and is fitting in.&uot;

The secondary was without Donald Strickland in the last game, and it moved Hutchins up into the nickel back slot. Hutchins finished that game with four solo tackles and two assists, figures that went with his four solo tackles and two assists on the season on special teams.

How much Hutchins plays in the secondary remains to be seen. But the Natchez native can’t hurt himself by taking advantage of any opportunity he had.

&uot;He fits our system,&uot; Williams said. &uot;What that means is we’re looking for good football players. We look for speed, we look for guys that can tackle well and we look for guys that have a knack for making the play &045; whether it involves making an interception or make a third-down stop. Our scout department does a good job of finding those guys for us.

&uot;That’s what Von does. It’s not just one thing you can put your finger on. He’s just a good football player. People say size matters, but for us size isn’t a big factor. One of our best players &045; Dwight Freeney &045; people may have thought he was too small, but he’s been to the Pro Bowl. They’re all guys people overlook because of the immeasureables.&uot;

The Colts’ defense, it’s worth noting, is the area the team needs to improve on after a solid offensive attack with quarterback Peyton Manning, wide receiver Marvin Harrison and running back Edgerrin James putting pressure on the opposition.

The last game out the Colts bottled up the Raiders’ ground game and picked off three Kerry Collins passes to win their fourth straight since losing to the Patriots back on that Thursday night.

&uot;If we make plays week-in and week-out, we’ll be tough to deal with,&uot; Hutchins said. &uot;Peyton is a good guy. If you need him, he’s there for you. As a team, we’ve got to get better. We make plays on defense. If we’re putting up points the other team as got to change their game plan. We want to make teams one-dimensional.&uot;

Hutchins has been able to get back to work last week with the off week and this week to prepare for the Jaguars and their offense behind quarterback Byron Leftwich. The Colts have four defensive backs listed as questionable as of Friday, but Strickland should return today.

&uot;We kind of look how well guys practice and how they perform and make a decision on game day,&uot; Williams said. &uot;We’ll make a decision at the end of the week. Just because somebody is back doesn’t mean his playing time is not there. Any time you get people back, it helps all the way around. It makes you better as a secondary, as a defense and overall as a team.&uot;

Hutchins will retain his duties on special teams &045; he’s a regular on kickoffs, punt returns and punts &045; and hopes to get more time in the secondary. The Colts have a budding defense this season that’s played well the last two weeks, and Hutchins is just hoping to be a part of it.

&uot;It doesn’t matter,&uot; Hutchins said. &uot;You’ve got to play football. You can’t be shellshocked by who’s across from you &045; even Jerry Rice. They’ve got some great players out there, but I’ve got to go out and play ball. I just want to get better. There are things I can’t control, but I’ve got to go out and get ready to play every game.&uot;