Vikings: Penalty truly was a rare occurrence for Hutchinson

The Vikings' plethora of penalties Sunday at Detroit might have been unacceptable in the eyes of coach Brad Childress, but only one could be considered surprising.

Research of play-by-play sheets showed that when Steve Hutchinson was called for a false start in overtime, it marked the first accepted penalty against the Pro Bowl left guard since Nov. 14, 2004, when he was with Seattle.

That ended a stretch of 44 games, including four playoff contests, without a penalty for Hutchinson.

How does that stretch compare to the Vikings' other starting offensive linemen? Here's the breakdown: Center Matt Birk was called for a false start Sept. 17, 2006, against Carolina; left tackle Bryant McKinnie was called for holding Dec. 21, 2006, at Green Bay; right tackle Ryan Cook was called for holding Dec. 17, 2006, against the Jets; and right guard Artis Hicks was called for holding in this season's opener against Atlanta.

In other words, the longest streak next to Hutchinson's was 15 games.

Overall, the Vikings' starting linemen accounted for five of the team's 12 penalties in Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Lions. All but Hicks had at least one flag thrown against him. Cook had two infractions (holding and false start) and McKinnie (false start) and Birk (holding) had one apiece.

Huard still the guy

Damon Huard, who departed Kansas City's 20-10 loss at Chicago in the fourth quarter Sunday after taking a hit to the head, will remain the Chiefs' starter this weekend against the Vikings.

Brodie Croyle came on in relief and completed four of four passes for 55 yards; Huard had hit on 19 of 28 passes for 175 yards with an interception and a touchdown. There has been speculation that Croyle might get a chance to run an offense that has scored a total of only 13 points in losing at Houston and Chicago.

"[Huard is] the starting quarterback," Chiefs coach Herm Edwards told the Kansas City Star. "He hasn't done anything to lose his job. The offense is not just one guy. Sometimes we look at the quarterback position and say it's the quarterback. I don't put it all on his play. It's on everybody."

Etc.

• The Vikings worked out free-agent cornerback Dee McCann on Tuesday. McCann, 5-11 and 198 pounds, was a sixth-round pick by Detroit in 2006 out of West Virginia. He was released by the Lions this month. McCann had seven interceptions and three fumble recoveries in two seasons at West Virginia.

• After finishing with only 30 sacks last season, the Vikings' 10 sacks this season are tied with Pittsburgh for first in the NFL. The Steelers, of course, are coached by Mike Tomlin, who was the Vikings' defensive coordinator last season.

• If you have any interest in seeing it again, the NFL Network will re-air a 90-minute version of the Vikings-Lions game at 7 tonight. The telecast will include some extras, such as audio from the sidelines and locker rooms as well as footage from NFL Films.

• There are a few familiar faces on the Chiefs roster, including running back Michael Bennett (the Vikings' first-round pick in 2001), middle linebacker Napoleon Harris (a starter for the Vikings last year) and quarterback Tyler Thigpen (a seventh-round pick by the Vikings this year).

Judd Zulgad • jzulgad@startribune.com