Loading ...Some players are content with being dealt a lifetime back-up designation – at least they made it to the NFL and continue to get (or be on the cusp of getting) snaps. Strong, competitive teams view these guys as important depth. The New York Giants have a tendency to hold onto blue collar players that have heart and, at times, give their all for the team. In recent years, names like Rich Seubert and (more recently) Chase Blackburn come to mind, but how about a 6’2” wideout from Akron? Domenik Hixon has made his mark in blue quietly and steadily.
#87 was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2006. He was cut later on in the following year, early into the regular season. The Giants signed him for help in their special teams/ return game – which turned out to be a prudent move as they went on to improve their starting field position and eventually win Super Bowl XLII.
Since then, Hixon has made every attempt to be more. His attitude screams nothing but “team” as he patiently awaits his turn to do what he does. He just continually gets lost in a wide receiver depth chart, but makes the most of his chances when they’re finally presented to him.
In 2008, his potential showed when he was thrust into a starting role in the Week 5 blowout home game versus the Seattle Seahawks (when Plaxico Burress was suspended). Before leaving that game in the second quarter with a concussion, he collected 102 yards and a touchdown while hauling in four catches.
In Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Hix would again be positioned in the starting wideout role for the rest of the season, due to the loss/suspension of Plaxico. He finished ’08 with 43 receptions and 596 yards and two touchdowns. 2009 was uneventful for #87 as well as the New York Giants (8-8).
In mid-June of 2010, during open-to-fans day of mini-camp at their brand new home stadium (then, the New Meadowlands Stadium), Hixon suffered a torn ACL, leaving him lost for the season. The Giants waived/injured him and subsequently placed the PR/WR on the injured reserve list on July 17.
After obvious surgery, he vigorously rehabbed and came back the following preseason. However, in Week 2 of the 2011 Season against the St. Louis Rams, Hixon tore his ACL while making a spectacular bobbling catch for a touchdown in the end zone. He was again lost for the season after starting out with 50 yards and a touchdown on four receptions.
Many fans ditched the valuable special teams player and wideout at that point, wondering why the Giants (in March of this year) would bring back an athlete that tore up his knee twice in two years…
He makes plays, that’s why.
So far, he has stepped in and up while number one wide receiver, Hakeem Nicks is out healing. He has been a positive go-to guy for QB Eli Manning as well as helping the G-Men move the chains. In five games (missed one due to being concussed), Hixon has a steady 19 receptions for 314 yards. His most important statistic is that 14 of those receptions have gone for first downs. If health remains on his side, he should be yet another vital cog in Easy E’s passing game – a dependable one at that.
In his six-year career in blue, Hix has caught 82 passes for 1,152 yards and four touchdowns, rushed three times on reverse plays for 18 yards, returned 45 punts for 534 yards and a touchdown and 68 kickoffs for 1,692 yards and a touchdown. He’s also never been charged with a fumble. These are pretty solid numbers for an unobtrusive guy that continues to only have the New York Football Giants’ winning/concerns in mind, no? Silently, he serves as a reminder of what our Big Blue organization continues to stand for.
photo credit: West Point Public Affairs via photopin cc
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Ive always thought that one of the strengths of the Giants is not necessarily its first teamers but in an age of multiple injuries , what the strength of its backups are .
Here is a prime example of almost no drop off in skills necessary for Eli to use .
Im not suggesting that Hixon is as talented as say Nicks but to get whats needed in plays done for Eli he doesnt have to be . With the Redskins weaknesses in the defensive backfield , Im expecting BIG numbers from Eli and all the receivers .
Giants win 31-17
Domenik Hixon represents an awful lot of what’s best about the Giants.
He has stepped up and done well at everything they’ve asked him to do (with the one exception of playing the X-receiver spot where he has trouble beating #1 corners on a consistent basis). He is a “team” guy. He’s an awfully nice young man. He’s intelligent and articulate. He does a lot of charitable work without publicity. He should make fans of the team proud.
As for the Giants, well, they picked him off the trash pile, recognizing his talent and figuring that he was traumatized by his horrible experience as a Bronco and that affected his game. They stuck with him through injuries and setbacks. Tom Coughlin went out of his way to describe him as a “high character young man”. His teammates supported him through three rehabs.
Like I said, this young man and his team are great examples of why it’s so easy to root for the New York Football Giants.
Love Dominek Hixon. Guy much like Kiwi does whatever is asked of him. I remember last season that Rosedale clown was all over Kujo and I for defending Hixon and arguing that he wasn’t a useless bum as Rosedal suggested at nausea..
Catching up on the last 2 days worth of thread while drinking my morning coffee and I see that RG3 was the topic as much or more than the NY Football Giants..
In a black and white analysis, it’s likely that some here have labeled me as a Hixon hater.
But if considering shades of gray, one would recognize that I’m not so much a Hixon hater, but more confident in the other guys. In other words, not a big fan of what’s frequently been the 4th most talented receiver on the team getting snaps over 1-3.
In 2009 I made my G101 avatar a picture of Killdrive in full Einstein mode with the caption 10 + 87 = 6. This was of course while guys like FF55 were (rightly) pointing out that then-rookie Hakeem Nicks was Hall of Fame Bound and that it doesn’t matter what you’re doing before Thanksgiving, and Hixon was taking early reps away from Nicks. I never agreed with it then, and I never agreed with it with Manningham.
And I never agreed with it in 2011. That was, of course, the year following Cruz showing more talent in one preseason game than Hixon ever had. But here we were again, Cruz buried on the depth chart after one mistake, needing a horrible turf surface in the MetLife Stadium end zone to force the better player into the lineup. Indeed, that game last year was a true blessing in disguise (anyone thinking the Giants win the Super Bowl last year without that happening, without Cruz turning games around by himself, something Hixon never has or likely will do, save it).
And it continues into 2012. With a stud in the making, Randle, sitting on the bench, not able to connect mental reps to physical game reps. So if and when called upon late in the season, much like Manningham in 2008, it’ll be that much tougher for him. If called upon at all.
Of course, you’re not allowed to ever question any small piece of coaching strategy of a 2-time champion (notwithstanding the dumb luck of him having the greatest quarterback alive to save his behind from 7 late game deficits, largely borne of disappointing offensive output through 3 quarters). But I do, and will continue to question why Randle doesn’t get more reps than he does now.
Reps at the expense of giving them to a guy averaging a little less than 500 yards per healthy season. I ask: do you think Randle will average less than 500 yards a year here? He might, so long as he’s backing up Hixon.
This preseason, I quoted Plaxico’s 2011 stats (with Sanchez throwing him the ball in an offense designed by Schottenheimer to fail). I pointed out that in his time here, Hixon had never had more yards, catches or touchdowns in a single season, with all the opportunity to do so.
I agree with the article that he’s such a great and valuable team player, dependable as hell coming off the bench. I wouldn’t ever get rid of him. But I’d keep him where he belongs: coming off the bench, spelling the best 3 receivers on the team, making the offense continue to tick if one or more go down.
Not getting reps over a healthy receiver who’s more talented, just because he’s older/more experienced. Because, while I love the guy, simply, his ceiling is lower than Randle’s, and that’s fact. But realizing that higher ceiling only gets delayed while sitting on the bench. Ask Colts fans about 2011, and you realize how waiting for tomorrow is silly in this violent sport.
(Writer’s note: feel free to substitute the word “Wilson” for “Randle” and “Bradshaw” for “Hixon” and you’ve got yourself the same opinion piece)
You ever consider that maybe…just maybe…they play the vets until the Rookies learn the offense and are past making rookie mistakes that KILL teams? We have all read time and time again about how complex are passing game is and how it takes a while to get acclimated to it, so maybe they let the less talented but more experienced guy keep the spot warm for the up and coming star until he is ready to contribute WITHOUT hurting the team with the mistakes inexperienced players make. Also, maybe…just maybe…The coaching staff waits for the rookie RB to learn pass protections, show that he wont fumble and most importantly pick up blitzes to protect the friggan franchise behind him?? Maybe you know more football than Tom Coughlin, Kevin Gillbride, Mike Sullivan, Jerald Ingram and the rest of the staff that won 2 SB’s in the last 6 years, then again maybe you dont?
In the past I felt like Dirt but watching this year and looking back I think Demo’s take is correct. Hixon while not as talented as Cruz or Randle is a good player. A good player who Eli can completely trust is more valuable than a more talented young player who’s going to make mistakes. At the 3rd WR a lot of your snaps are on 3rd down when mistakes are the most glaring. Look I like Randle and clearly see his upside but with the way Hixon is playing I don’t see the need for Randle to get major snaps if everyone is healthy.
I do feel that our backfield could use the explosiveness that Wilson brings. I don’t have a problem with him having a limited role right now but think we should find a way to get him 5-7 touches per game.
As far as RG3 goes here’s my two cents.. Kid is good… Very Good. He is very exciting to watch and if he was on any team outside the NFC East I’d be a huge fan. I’ve watched him play and listened to several interviews and he is EVERYTHING you want in your franchise QB. He is smart, motivated and very humble. He will do the work to get better and will be a thorn in the giants side for years to come. I’m glad the Redskins gave the farm away to get him and still have the Daniel running the show, as this will hurt the talent around RG3 for a few years.
Now on the flip side, I think we need to wait a little before we start making room for his bust in Canton. First off, Michael Vick, Cam Newton, Matt Cassell and Josh Freeman all looked like world beaters when they first exploded on the scene. The problem is that this is the NFL and defenses will watch film and make adjustments. The key is how you respond to those adjustments. Also, the running QB thing NEVER works.. Why? Because this is the NFL and if you run a lot you are going to get the sh*t beat out of you and that takes its toll. In college you can run all day because you are too fast for the lineman and at 215 you’re as big or bigger than most of the players in the back 7. In the NFL those back 7 guys are much bigger, faster and hit much harder. The Lineman in the NFL or not plodding Fatties like he saw in college but 300lb monsters that fly to the ball and hit like a hammer. Those read option plays they have put in playbook are going to get Griffen hurt, particularly playing in the NFC east where the front 7′s are stocked with Studs like Babin, Cole, Ware, Spencer, Tuck, Jpp etc. I respect Shanahan for curtailing his offense and working in so much of Baylors playbook to help RG3′s transition into the NFL, but they are going to have to move back towards an NFL offense, sooner rather than later. There is a reason they dont run that stuff in the NFL.
Bottom line is a like what I see in RG3 but I think we should temper expectations a little. I think he has a rough day tomorrow, probably the worst of his short NFL career, because he hasn’t seen a defense with anywhere near the speed or talent of the NYG.
+1
Now, your thoughts on Tannenhill….
LOL, Haven’t watched much Tannenhill outside of the Arizona game. My in laws who are as obsessed with the dolphins as we are with the giants are really excited about him and Samardzia who is one of the smartest Football people I know likes him so I’m intrigued. I will DVR the next few Dolphins games and watch him. Both my sons Football seasons are wrapping up so I’m about to have a bunch more free time here shortly.
He’s looked decent–sorta has happy feet in the pocket. I guess that’s to be expected, considering their WRs are so bad that you and I could walk on and become WR1 and WR2 in 3 days flat. If they make this rumored trade for Dwayne Bowe, they might have something, especially considering how incredibly mediocre the AFC East is this year.
And my in-laws are crazy excited. They’ve already decided that they will have a grandchild named Ryan Daniel. Won’t be my kid–he’s gonna be named Eli Derek-Jeter Kiernan
LOL!! My next kid will be Eli Cruz D’Emo! Seriously though, I’m impressed that he has dragged that talentless offense to 3 wins. I had them pegged for about 5-6 all year. If they get Bowe to go across from Hartline they could factor into the AFC East Race. I see the Pats still running away with it though. The other 3 teams are all mediocre.
The crazy thing is that Miami really should be 5-1. They lost to the Jets in OT after missing a makeable FG. They lost to Arizona in OT even though they put 500 yards in offense. And their one real lost was to Houston. It’s possible that Miami is actually good. The AFC is weak enough that a surprise team like Miami could sneak into the playoffs.
Exactly. Well Said.
A veritable waterfall of reasoned thoughts – Im so proud ! I feel like a parent at a middle school concert ! And whats even more amazing no attacks because I think we all think inside that the Giants are going to come up big in this one . A continuation of last weeks beatdown .As long as the defense stays disciplined and absolutely doesnt let RG111 any room . Will they do this by scheme or a spy ? any one have any thoughts ?
You play him in a similar way as Vick. The DEs have to do better job with contain but athletically while RG3 is great, Vick is still every bit as fast. Vick use to run a 4.2 so even if he’s slowed down he’s still a 4.4.
I think we could even be more aggressive with RG3 because without Garcon, no redskin WR is a true deep treat.
I see Hixon much in the same vein that I saw Amani Toomer toward the end of his career here. While he may not exactly be the most talented receiver in the league, he is extremely reliable and is going to make plays when it counts. He has sure hands, runs good routes, and doesn’t make any mistakes out there.
I think every team needs a receiver like that; a glue receiver, if you will. Sure, Nicks and Cruz are clearly the two best wideouts on the roster and are both top 10 at their position (at least). However, if one of those guys gets hurt (a la Nicks) or is the focus of the defense’s attention, we have Hixon to act as Eli’s security blanket.
I love having him on the team, much like I loved having Amani.
The Giants have been lucky enough to have had two such utility receivers.
One of them made a “CATCH” five seasons ago that most of us remember.
Both of them put in some really hard work to shape themselves into what can only be described as quality NFL receivers. Hixson started as a really good return man/special team player. This guy has worked his rear end off sharpening his receiving/route running skills. Needless to say he’s overcome two serious injuries. The only thing he hasn’t done is quit. Not one time has he given up.
What’s more, he is no weak link in the receiving corps. And even with Wilson and Randal on board, he still returns punts and K/O with the best of them.
No matter what cut scenarios may come up, Hixson should not part of them.
He’s really earned his spot.