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          Aidan Hutchinson says his childhood New England Patriots fandom 'no good' ahead of matchup

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          • Eric Woodyard, ESPNOct 6, 2022, 08:29 PM ET
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              Eric Woodyard covers the Detroit Lions for ESPN. He joined ESPN in September 2019 as an NBA reporter dedicated to the Midwest region before switching to his current role in April 2021. The Flint, Mich. native is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has authored/co-authored three books: "Wasted, Ethan's Talent Search" and "All In: The Kelvin Torbert Story". He is a proud parent of one son, Ethan. You can follow him on Twitter: @E_Woodyard

          ALLEN PARK, MI. -- No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson won't be facing fellow Michigan Wolverines alum Tom Brady anytime soon, as the Detroit Lions aren't scheduled to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season.

          But as the Lions (1-3) head to Brady's old headquarters in Foxborough to face the New England Patriots (1-3) on Sunday, the Detroit rookie says he welcomes a Michigan versus Michigan clash someday.

          He grew up idolizing Brady during his time with the Patriots.

          "I just liked Tom Brady. Every kid loves Tom Brady," Hutchinson said following Thursday's practice. "Hopefully, one of these days I'll get the chance to hit Tom, but we'll see. I would say that Patriots fandom that you referenced is no good."

          Hutchinson anticipates the experience of playing at New England being "fun," as Detroit is looking to clean up its defense.

          The Lions are the only team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to lead the NFL in points per game (35.0) and rank last in points per game allowed (35.3) through the first four weeks of a season, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

          Hutchinson is confident that the defense can turn it around. The Lions coaching staff are considering personnel changes, including a possible switch from a three-point stance to a two-point stance after Hutchinson had success in college with the same switch at Michigan.

          "Every week, he's getting a little bit better," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Hutchinson. "I think he's one of the players that I think we need to look long and hard about, 'Do we need to move him in some different spots? Do we need to see if we can give him an opportunity to have more success?' But look, I think he did a lot of good things in the run game [versus the Seattle Seahawks], and look, I think he's kind of where our defense is right now, where we've just got to improve, I mean get a little bit better, and I think we can all help each other."

          The 22-year-old, who dressed up as Brady for Halloween as a child, wasn't alive for Brady's senior season at Michigan in 1999, but this wasn't the first time he's stated that Brady would be on his hit list of who he'd like to sack most in the league.

          "Growing up, seeing Tom play there in those cold-ass games, so hopefully it gets a little cold," Hutchinson said of playing at Gillette Stadium.