Giants’ Hixon catches praise on first unit
ALBANY – Domenik Hixon lined up wide right, broke off the line of scrimmage, was about to go into his route . . . and the play already was over.
The wide receiver, in his second year with the Giants, had missed a call. When the defense blitzed, he should have turned around earlier. Instead, he kept running down the field while Eli Manning’s pass spiraled into the ground a few yards behind him – where he should have been.
That prompted an earful from offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. “He did some very aggressive coaching,” Hixon said with a smirk.
It must have worked. Later in the session, Hixon made an athletic diving catch on a low pass, then went up high to grab a fade pass from Manning at the 1 and turn into the end zone for a touchdown.
There have been more Hixon plays like those in this training camp than the one that fueled Gilbride’s ire.
Hixon joined the Giants after the season began last year. He quickly had to get over the shock of being cut by the Broncos, grasp the Giants’ playbook and deal with the demons of being the player who was involved in the near-fatal injury to Bills tight end Kevin Everett during a kickoff. It was a difficult time for him.
Now he’s a starting receiver for the defending Super Bowl champions.
newsday.com
7/28/08
