Steve Hutchinson will receive Hall of Fame ring during Sunday's Vikings game

What's left of Steve Hutchinson's former 313-pound NFL body got to hang out with what's left of Matt Birk's former 310-pound NFL body for the first time in years when the former arrived in town Friday morning for a weekend celebration that will culminate with Hutchinson receiving his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring at halftime of Sunday night's Vikings-Cowboys game at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Hutchinson, who was inducted in Canton, Ohio, in August, told reporters at TCO Performance Center on Friday that the two former Vikings offensive linemen joked about being skinny.

"I hadn't seen Birk in years," he said. "We talk by phone and via text a lot. The first thing we did [Friday] was, 'What's your diet? What are you doing? What's your regimen?

"When we were playing, it was, 'All right, how are you going to get stronger? How are you going to maintain [weight]?' Now, it's the opposite. It's how are you going to keep losing."

Hutchinson and Birk played next to each other as Vikings left guard and center from 2006 to 2008. Both players retired after the 2012 season, Birk as Super Bowl champion with the Ravens and Hutchinson as a Tennessee Titan.

Birk lost at least 75 pounds.

"Originally when he dropped, he got down to 220-something," Hutchinson said. "He was really skinny. He's probably around where I am now."

Which is to say down at least 75 pounds.

"I'm back to actually my high school weight," Hutchinson said. "I'm sub-250 now. … It makes it a lot easier to find clothes, I'll tell you that."

It also makes for a longer, healthier life than NFL linemen whose weight goes the other way after retirement.

Hutchinson said he learned not to put off the drive to lose that excess NFL weight from some of the stories told to him by linemen who struggled with their weight after retiring. He said the natural urge was to take six months off and relax after being told what to do with his body for 12 years.

"I kind of took that to heart when I heard those stories," he said. "My back, my knees, they thank me for it."

Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen talked to reporters before Hutchinson spoke. Griffen played with Hutchinson in 2010 and '11.

"I love Hutch," Griffen said. "He was mean back in the day. He never talked. But he's a great dude. He looks good. Nice and skinny. He looks like a model."