When life deals you lemons, make lemonade.

Natchez native and Cathedral graduate Von Hutchins, who recently signed a one-year contract extension with the Houston Texans, can attest to that.

Hutchins, who was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft, was cut by the Colts just before the start of last season.

After a few weeks of trying out for other teams, Hutchins signed with the Texans in Week 11 of the season and saw his first action in Week 15 in a 40-7 loss at New England.

Hutchins recorded five tackles in three games with the Texans at cornerback last season.

“I feel like I was able to contribute and able to play pretty well,” Hutchins said. “I showed I was a capable player and very coachable, and also able to satisfy my job on Sundays.”

Hutchins said he had several suitors before eventually signing with the Texans.

“I had a number of visits before I signed with the Texans,” he said. “I had a workout with the Texans in Week 3, along with Tampa, Denver, New England and a couple other teams. This is a business. It’s all about getting your opportunity and taking advantage of it.”

Once he got his chance again, Hutchins said he made sure to make the most of it.

“It took a couple of weeks to pick up the system,” he said. “As the season progressed and the opportunity presented itself, I was able to fill in where I was needed.”

Hutchins’ former teammates and coaches finally picked up a long-awaited ring in a Super Bowl XLI victory over Chicago in February, but he said he doesn’t feel any bitterness about missing out on the championship.

“I understand the nature of the business,” he said. “I’ve got friends on the team. I keep in contact with the coaches. I still have a house in Indianapolis, so I spent a lot of the offseason there. I was happy for those guys. I knew how hard they worked.”

With another season of football looming, Hutchins said he is looking forward to working with the Texans’ organization.

“(Head coach) Gary Kubiak’s done a good job organizing (the team),” Hutchins said. “He’s put some good free agents together to come in and contribute, such as Matt Schaub. Everything seems to be good. We finished the season pretty well, defeating the Colts and Browns. We’re rolling going into the 2007 season. Hopefully we can build on that success.”