By: Marques Eversoll

With less than two minutes before halftime Oct. 27 in Minnesota, Packers rookie Micah Hyde caught a punt inside his own 10-yard line with nothing but green grass in front of him.

Normally, punt returners are advised not to field punts deep in their own territory, but as it turns out, Hyde made the right decision, as he took it back 93 yards for a score.

“It was definitely exciting,” Hyde said before the “J-Mike and M.D. Show” on WDUZ, which takes place Wednesday nights from Thornberry Creek at Oneida. “It kind of quieted the dome a little bit.”

Hyde went untouched on what was his first career touchdown but nearly stumbled before he reached the end zone, thanks to a celebratory strut.

“I was trying to be a little too cool,” Hyde said with a smile. “If I would have fallen, I probably would have scored anyways, but it would have been funny.”

Hyde was pick No. 159 in April’s draft, but there certainly aren’t 158 rookies around the league making a bigger impact than he has thus far.

With cornerback Casey Hayward out for the team’s first six games with a hamstring injury, Hyde helped chip in to fill Hayward’s shoes covering the slot.

“When one guy gets hurt, it’s the next guy’s turn to step up and make some plays,” Hyde said. “Going to practice every day with M.D. (Jennings), ‘Mo’ (Morgan Burnett), ‘T’ (Tramon Williams) and Sam (Shields) and all these guys that have done it for a while makes my job that much easier.”

Against the Baltimore Ravens in week six, Hyde played a season-high 41 snaps and recorded his first career sack on a blitz off the edge. Two weeks later—in the Packers’ final game at the Metrodome—Hyde made his presence felt as a returner.

His versatility has drawn comparisons to former Packers standout defensive back Charles Woodson.

Woodson, 37, was released by the Packers last offseason and signed with the Oakland Raiders for a second stint with the team who drafted him No. 4 overall in 1998. Although others may liken Hyde to the Heisman Trophy winner, the 22-year-old Hyde won’t go that far.

“The Charles Woodson comparisons get out of hand,” said Hyde. “I wish I was one percent as good as he is. I just try to handle my business and play hard.”

You can hear Marques on the Saturday Morning Showcase from 8-9am.  Follow him on Twitter @MJEversoll