Posts Tagged ‘Domenik Hixon’

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‘A Little Jealous’

February 12th, 2008 - 4:51pm by domonique_foxworthOther posts by domonique_foxworth

Well I guess the Super Bowl is a good place to start. It was an extremely entertaining game. I enjoyed it and it was fun to watch, although the commercials were a bit of a let down this year. I think the stain talking on the shirt was my favorite; I got a real good laugh out of it.

But the game was very entertaining which was more important. I hate seeing a blowout in the Super Bowl so it was a fun game to watch and great to see that amazing play by David Tyree and Eli Manning that everyone has been talking about. I honestly felt a little sorry for the Patriots afterwards. Just seeing them get so close to a major mark in history and falling short. But then again I am no position to feel sorry for the Patriots. They had a great season despite falling short of history.

It was great to see two former teammates Domenik Hixon and Jeff Shoate be a part of the Giants. Anytime you spend that much time with guys — Hixon a year-and-a-half and Shoate was here as long as I was before leaving mid-season — you are happy to see them succeed. There is a little bit of jealousy to be honest. I definitely want to get a ring and those guys got sent off and landed into a great situation and are able to get a Super Bowl ring. I would say an extremely large percentage of players in this league never play in a Super Bowl, so I am proud of them and happy for them but a little jealous at the same time to be honest.

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Hixon Out; Clark Back In

October 2nd, 2007 - 4:40pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Few topics have been more debated in the comments section of this blog than the status of Domenik Hixon as the Broncos’ kickoff and punt returner, as the Broncos’ special teams in general have failed to generate much momentum so far this season.

With the struggles on kick coverage and runbacks, perhaps change was invevitable, and on Tuesday, the victim of the change was Hixon, who was waived. The Broncos re-signed Brian Clark to take his spot on the 53-man roster; Clark had been waived on Saturday when the Broncos brought Steve Cargile and Glenn Martinez up from the practice squad; both of them played in Sunday afternoon’s loss to Indianapolis.

Hixon averaged 22.0 yards on his five kickoff returns Sunday, but dropped one kickoff. He also called for fair catches on both Hunter Smith punts and has taken fair catches on five of 12 punts in his direction.

Through four games, Hixon ranked ninth in the AFC and 24th in the league with an average of 4.6 yards on seven punt returns. His kickoff-return average of 22.8 yards on 12 returns placed him 14th ithe AFC and 22nd in the league.

Clark led the Broncos in kickoff-return yardage last year with a final season tally of 512 yards on 23 returns — a 22.3-yard average. Several others on the roster have regular-season experience on kickoff and/or punt returns, a diverse group that includes fullback/running backs Mike Bell and Cecil Sapp, cornerbacks Dre’ Bly and Champ Bailey and wide receiver Glenn Martinez.

What do you think of the move? Comment below …

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Kick/Punt Returns: ‘Learning Experience’ for Hixon

September 21st, 2007 - 1:52pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Like a lonely scarecrow in a rural cornfield, Domenik Hixon stood alone at one end of a practice field Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, awaiting a football that was set to soar skyward from a JUGS machine some 75 yards away.

His teammates had already retired to the adjacent headquarters building to socialize, shower and scrub up for post-practice meetings. Hixon, though, wouldn’t do that.

So he lingered in the west end zone of the south practice field, with only the gusting winds and the stentorian bark of special-teams coordinator Scott O’Brien’s voice shattering the mid-afternoon silence. Football after football flew towards Hixon, with most chasing him to the sidelines of the field, allowing him to work on darting his way out of tight corners.

“We’re going over every situation that’s going to help Sunday,” Hixon said.

For someone with only six punt and three kickoff returns to his name as an NFL player, even this work has its benefits.

“Every rep the guy gets is experience for him,” O’Brien said. “He works here on different situations so when they come up in the game, he doesn’t panic. He can control the ball.”

Ball control hasn’t been the issue for Hixon so far this season. Game-time opportunities have, as chances to return kickoffs have been scarce for the Broncos, whose total of three kickoff runbacks in the season’s first two weeks ranks 31st in the league. (Coincidentally, Sunday’s opponents, the Jacksonville Jaguars, are in 32nd.)

In fact, of the 28 teams that have been in existence since 1976, none have returned fewer kickoffs since then than the Broncos, in part due to the altitude at which the team plays its home games. (It would also be due to the team’s general success in that time; the fewer points you allow, the fewer kickoffs you yield.) The Broncos have run back 1,638 kickoffs since 1976, which is 72 fewer than the next team up the list, the Miami Dolphins. For comparison’s sake, the team with the most kickoff returns since 1976 is the New Orleans Saints, who have returned 435 more kickoffs than the Broncos — an average of 0.87 more returns per game.

“When you don’t get any opportunities,” O’Brien said, “you can’t take advantage.”

Punt returns have been somewhat more plentiful, but the yardage has not, as the Broncos’ 3.0-yard average on six returns places sixth from the bottom in the league table, at the 27th position.

Hixon had an opportunity to break a big return early against the Oakland Raiders after making a tackler miss, but ran squarely into another after spinning out of the first potential stop.

“The first return for the Raiders game, that was on me,” Hixon said. “I made the first guy miss, but I read it wrong. We’ve been working on it.”

Eluding the first tackler, though, is nothing extraordinary in O’Brien’s mind.

“That’s a pre-requisite,” he said. “You’ve got to make the first guy miss. That’s what the good ones do.”

Hixon can be a good returner, O’Brien says, but it’s too early to judge his potential success based on just two games of work.

“Physically he’s got all the ability to make big plays, the explosive plays, but there’s a lot of players in the National Football League that have that physical ability,” said O’Brien, whose past special-teams résumé includes four seasons with Carolina’s Pro Bowl returner and wide receiver, Steve Smith. “So time will tell on this one.”

For now, all Hixon can do is work diligently on the practice field, wait for his chances and show evidence of growth that O’Brien hopes — and expects — to see.

“Obviously it’s a learning experience,” Hixon said.

But it’s one in his learning must also yield ongoing results. If the Broncos’ run of taut games continues, the returns will have to provide a turbo boost; otherwise, the slim gap between defeat and victory could leave the Broncos skidding instead of sailing.

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Reserves Take Center Stage

August 29th, 2007 - 10:37pm by mike_riceOther posts by mike_rice

I know, I know, there is still Thursday night’s preseason finale to tend to. But I’m ready to get the regular season going. Since the starters won’t play against the Cardinals, it won’t feel like a real game.

It’s still an important game for the players who have one final opportunity to make a positive impression. But realistically, how many roster spots are open? I can’t believe it’s a large number at all.

Of the reserve players, there are a few who have me at least intrigued, if not excited.

One of those guys is wide receiver Brian Clark. He has shown the ability to make plays, he doesn’t seem to be afraid to go over the middle, he has shown improvement, and — while this may not count for a whole lot — he seems like a really neat guy. Javon Walker, Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokely, Domenik Hixon and maybe Clark, maybe Quincy Morgan, maybe both are on the roster for the season opener against Buffalo.

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Training Camp Day 6: Morning Session

August 3rd, 2007 - 2:05pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Camp Day 6
The eyes couldn’t help but wander to the sidelines on Friday morning, as the roster of players missing from the session was as notable as those who remained on the field. Here’s a rundown:

… Head Coach Mike Shanahan said that Warrick Holdman was held at Sky Ridge Medical Center overnight and had some numbness on Friday morning. “The doctors thought that he would be released at 10 or 11 a.m. this morning,” Shanahan said …

… Guard Ben Hamilton “got dinged a little bit” on Thursday and was in uniform Friday, but did not take part in any of the team sessions. “Knowing Ben, he should be ready to go tomorrow,” Shanahan said …

… Javon Walker became the latest wide receiver to encounter an infirmity when he pulled up holding his upper left leg while running a pass route during two-minute drill work midway through the session. Walker remained on the field for two more snaps and then went to the sidelines. He did not return for the remainder of the day. “He got a little tightness,” Shanahan said. “I wasn’t sure if he cramped up, but he didn’t pull anything. It just got a little tight, so we kept him out.” …

… Wide receiver remains the hardest-hit unit of the Broncos. Brandon Stokley sat out with a right thigh injury, Glenn Martinez missed a second consecutive day of work with a thigh injury, while Marquay McDaniel’s absence extended to three days due to a strained hamstring. By the end of practice Friday morning, the Broncos only had five healthy wide receivers — Quincy Morgan, Domenik Hixon, David Terrell, Brian Clark and David Kircus — and Hixon missed an afternoon practice this week with a separated shoulder. The absences, however, did not greatly affect the practice pattern.

“Sometimes, when you’re going three-wide or four-wide, you can’t do it, so you put a tight end in there, and you still get the same work done from a defensive perspective and you’re really running the same plays from an offensive perspective,” Shanahan said. “It’s just a different person playing that position, but you should be able to get the same amount of work done.”

Perhaps the primary beneficiary of that has been tight end Nate Jackson, who was a wide receiver before switching positions in 2005.

“He’s been very consistent and he’s gotten better in the blocking game and obviously he’s made some big-time catches,” Shanahan said. “He’s looked very good.”

… Tight end was another compromised position, with Chad Mustard and Teyo Johnson both sitting out with right hamstring and left calf injuries, respectively. They joined Tony Scheffler on the sidelines; he’s been on the physically-unable-to-perform list since the start of training camp …

… Fulback Paul Smith also sat out with a groin injury …

… There was good news for the Broncos on the injury front. Defensive tackles Marcus Thomas and Sam Adams returned to action after missing Thursday’s work with right calf and right knee injuries, respectively. Adams said the knee “felt like a million bucks” following the practice.

NOTES FROM THE MORNING:

POINTS OF EMPHASIS: The Broncos continued to work on their hurry-up offense, giving the offense a minute on the clock and the ball at the 50-yard line, with the task being to get into field-goal range. The first-team offense succeeded, thanks mainly to a 14-yard Jay Cutler-to-Brian Clark connection. Jason Elam subsequently drilled a 46-yard field goal. The second-team offense turned the ball over on downs after getting into a fourth-and-15 situation … The special teams also got in some work on field goals, although two Elam attempts slammed into an upright.

WHO’S WHERE? Jimmy Kennedy spelled Gerard Warren in the base defensive package for a few series, but Warren had the balance of the work with the first team. The remainder of the base first-unit line remained unchanged, with Warren and Kennedy joined by Sam Adams at tackle and ends Ebenezer Ekuban and John Engelberger … Nate Webster was back at strongside linebacker … The second-team base defense included three rookies: ends Tim Crowder and Jarvis Moss and tackle Marcus Thomas. Amon Gordon rounded out the quartet … Steve Cargile rotated in for Curome Cox with the second unit during the first period of team drills … With Hamilton injured, Chris Myers took his spot at left guard with the first team … Domonique Foxworth spelled Dre’ Bly for a few plays on the first unit in team drills.

ALMOST, BUT NOT QUITE: Jeff Shoate continued to show aggression in his coverage, getting his hands on consecutive passes during team work. Unfortunately for the three-year veteran, he could not hang on to either toss. “I’m focusing on the defense, I’m doing so well with that, I need to put the effort into finishing the play off too,” Shoate said. “I’m definitely pleased with my play, because I’m in position to make the plays. That’s the hardest part of this game, being in position, knowing what you’re doing, and not letting the offense make the play. For me it’s just finishing the play off, making that big play for the defense and for the team to win it in the end, but I’m definitely happy with my play right now.”

Shoate was nevertheless frustated after the second near miss; he kicked the ball about 15 yards back to the line of scrimmage in frustration. Nick Ferguson, meanwhile, tossed a helmet from the sidelines.

STANDOUT PLAYS: Kennedy got a hand on one of Patrick Ramsey’s passes; the play ended incomplete after Ramsey spiked the errant football to the ground … Jay Cutler and Javon Walker hooked up on a gorgeous pass that was reminiscent of their touchdown connection against the Bengals last Christmas Eve; Walker got past Champ Bailey to make the play … Andre Hall continued to show some burst, particularly on receptions. He had one play where he took a short pass in the backfield from Preston Parsons, eluded Demetrin Veal and shot upfield … Nate Jackson made several fine catches during team and seven-on-seven work … Hamza Abdullah burst into the backfield on a safety blitz for what would have been a sack in a game situation. “Way to come off that edge right there,” exhorted assistant head coach Jim Bates, adding counsel that Abdullah needed to lower his shoulder … Dre’ Bly intercepted a pass intended for David Kircus in one-on-one work.

Photo time:
Camp Day 6
Camp Day 6
Camp Day 6
Camp Day 6
Camp Day 6
Camp Day 6
Special teams this afternoon. Until the next post, vaya con Dios.

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Training Camp Day 3: Morning Session

July 31st, 2007 - 2:06pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

UPDATED AT 2:06 P.M. MDT
Domenik Hixon
With Brandon Marshall and Rod Smith on the physically-unable-to-perform list and Brandon Stokley only practicing once per day, the roster of receivers is a little shorter than the Broncos would like. For the second half of Monday’s practice, their corps of healthy wideouts dropped by one as Domenik Hixon was consigned to the sidelines with an ice pack and a wrap covering his right shoulder.

“I just came out and tried to make a play and landed on my shoulder,” Hixon said. “That’s football. You’re going to get banged up and everything.”

Head Coach Mike Shanahan called the injury “slight.”

“First-degree shoulder separation — at least that was (Head Athletic Trainer) Steve’s (Antonopulos) first thought,” he said. “We’ll get an MRI on it to be sure. He doesn’t think it’s too serious, but I’ll let you know further after the MRI.”

But as Hixon left the field, he did so with optimism.

“I plan to be out on the field for the second practice,” he said.

David Kircus filled in for Hixon on the first team for the remainder of practice, and turned in some of the more crowd-pleasing catches of the day — and a spin move that left some of the first-team secondary flailing. Nick Ferguson gave chase to Kircus, but could not catch the wideout before he crossed the goal line.

“David shows flashes,” Shanahan said. “He’s a little inconsistent. He drops the ball a few too many times, but he does come up with the big play. That consistency dictates whether or not you get a chance to play come game time. But David does show flashes and hopefully that consistency will improve and if it does improve he will have a chance to be on the football team.”

NOTES FROM THE MORNING:

ATTENDANCE REPORT: Linebacker Ian Gold missed practice with back spasms that popped up Tuesday. “He should be back tomorrow,” Shanahan said … Offensive tackle Adam Meadows and wide receiver Brandon Stokley did not practice during the morning session, but are on a one-session-a-day protocol and will practice this afternoon … Colorado Rockies pitcher Rodrigo Lopez took in the practice, as did former Redskins and Texans general manager Charley Casserly.

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Training Camp Day 2: Morning Session

July 30th, 2007 - 2:22pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

UPDATED 2:22 P.M. MDT
Jarvis Moss
Just because you and your fellow defensive linemen earned the coach’s praise doesn’t mean you’ll be exempt from one of the primary tenets of rookie hazing — carrying the pads. So long after his fellow defensive linemen had toddled off to the locker room for a shower and some grub, Moss lingered on the field, taking a long walk that was summarily captured by anyone brandishing a telephoto lens.

Moss, however, seems to be coming along. He won most of his one-on-one drills with offensive linemen, primarily using his outside speed coming from right end. Yet it was at left end where he made the most notable impression; a hand move knocked veteran tackle Adam Meadows off balance and to the ground, earning Moss a hearty “Good work!” from assistant head coach/defense Jim Bates.

I know I touched upon Bates’ verbal evisceration of his defense’s lack of post-fumble exuberance yesterday, but I have to come back to Bates’ words when looking at the morning. During these simple confrontations — defensive tackle versus guard or center and defensive end versus offensive tackle — Bates has something to say after virtually every snap. Moss was among those who received praise; so too were fellow rookies Marcus Thomas and Tim Crowder, the latter of whom went right at tackles, driving into the body and using his momentum and leverage to break into the backfield. But the lineman who received the loudest and most notable praise was second-year defensive end Elvis Dumervil, whose sub-6-foot frame is counterbalanced by arms like Greg Oden’s. After one successful confrontation for Dumervil, Bates was effusive.

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OTA Day 14: That Was Fast

June 7th, 2007 - 2:02pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Celebration
This was about as much athleticism as the Broncos would display on Tuesday morning, as Head Coach Mike Shanahan called his team together after pre-practice stretching, said a few words and then dismissed them for the day.

“We stretched well,” he said.

Most players couldn’t leave the field quickly enough, sprinting as though there was a loose football sitting in the end zone, waiting for someone to claim it for a touchdown.

“Everybody was amped up,” running back Travis Henry said. “I thought he was going to talk about the wind because it was really windy yesterday and we kind of lost focus in some areas. It was a surprise.

“He gave us a bone, and we’re going to take care of our responsibility, enjoy this time off and come back in July (for minicamp).”

So there’s not much in the way of notes from the day. Wide receivers Brandon Marshall, Glenn Martinez, Rod Smith and Brandon Stokley were all out of uniform, continuing their rehabilitation. Today, it was Martinez’s turn to be tethered to the goalpost for some conditioning work; on Wednesday, it was Brandon Marshall who went through that session after practice concluded.

And just as Shanahan shook up the schedule by calling off practice, some players threw a curveball to onlookers by switching jersey numbers:
Javon Walker
John Lynch
John Engelberger
Ebenezer Ekuban
Nick Ferguson
Elvis Dumervil
A slew of other Broncos changed jerseys a group that included including safety/linebacker Steve Cargile (from No. 38 to No. 97), linebacker Ian Gold (from No. 52 to No. 91), linebacker D.J. Williams (from No. 55 to No. 60) and defensive tackle Demetrin Veal (from No. 97 to No. 38), among others.

And here’s a few more photos from the short session:
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
OTA Day 14
It felt like the last day of school here at Dove Valley, and in a way, it is, although the players will continue in offseason conditioning for the next few weeks. For the coaches, the end of OTAs commences their longest respite of the year. And for your humble blogger, the close of this practice means vacation is in sight … but still a few days away. I’ve got plenty of stories to write and Broncos TV pieces to edit over the next few days, so we can keep bringing you something new each weekday, even while I’m away.

Back with more over the next few days … until then, vaya con dios.

(Oh, by the way … my long-lasting respect to anyone who in the comments section can identify which cartoon character said “unfettered hurly-burly” and under what circumstance he or she said it.)

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OTA Day 10: Notes, Photos and Eddie Moore

May 31st, 2007 - 2:40pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

OTA Day 10
Approximately two months remain between today’s OTA workout — the 10th of 14 this year — and the start of training camp, but the sprint for positions is already underway, as the linebackers have learned.

While the weakside and middle linebacker slots are set in the grasp of Ian Gold and D.J. Williams, respectively, the strongside duties await someone to grasp them, and so far, Eddie Moore has made the first big push, working his way into first-team work throughout team camp.

“When we first met, Coach (Jim Bates said), ‘No one has a position locked in except Ian and D.J. Everything else is free and open.’”

Moore has walked through that open door, using his reunion with Bates — under whom he played for three seasons with the Miami Dolphins — as a catapult into an opportunity.

“It couldn’t have worked out any better,” Moore said. “It’s straight competition across the board. The best man will get the job.

Microfracture surgery kept Moore sidelined last fall, and he spent the season completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee. But Moore is healthy now — and so too seems to be his career after a year away.

More notes …

… Wide receivers Brandon Marshall, Glenn Martinez, Brandon Stokley and Rod Smith remained out of uniform …

… Tight end Tony Scheffler took in the session. He underwent surgery for a fractured bone in his left foot last week and is now on crutches, with a boot protecting his injured foot …

… Domenik Hixon turned in perhaps the catch of the day with a tightrope grab of a short Jay Cutler pass while falling out of bounds …

… Special teams has been a point of emphasis. The team worked on punts on Tuesday and Wednesday and turned to field goals on Thursday, with Jason Elam making his first on-field appearance of the week to date …

… And without further ado, some photos:

OTA Day 10
OTA Day 10
OTA Day 10
OTA Day 10
OTA Day 10
OTA Day 10
OTA Day 10
OTA Day 10
OTA Day 10
OTA Day 10
OTA Day 10
OTA Day 11 wraps up the week’s work on Friday … see you then.

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OTA Day 9: Sam Brandon, Notes, Photos

May 30th, 2007 - 6:16pm by AndrewOther posts by Andrew

Sam Brandon
The ninth OTA session ended just after midday Wednesday, and Sam Brandon’s teammates had all left for the locker room, to lift weights or to scarf down some lunch at the team’s cafeteria. Brandon, however, was going nowhere except back and forth, backpedaling, sprinting forward and moving laterally.

Just over six months after surgery to repair torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, along with a microfracture procedure to help strengthen the knee.

Although he takes the field with his teammates at team camp, Brandon is still in the rehabilitation process. He can take part in individual and installation work but not in the team segments of the OTAs. His time to work, therefore, comes later as he builds up strength in his knee.

“This is my daily routine until I can transition back into doing on-the-field football stuff like everybody else is doing right now,” Brandon said. “It’s going well.”

Brandon is working to be ready by the start of training camp, although he couldn’t set a precise date to his expected return.

“I don’t know if there’s a target date,” Brandon said, “because a couple of weeks ago I went out and had a little bit of swelling, so I eased off. I just hope the swelling continues to stay down and that I can get stronger — which is the key, getting stronger in the weight room, to keep getting strength in my leg, my quad and my calf so it will reduce pressure on my knee.”

The swelling has gone down, and Brandon moved about the field smoothly on Wednesday. However, as he moves, the condition of his knee still weighs upon his mind.

“If you feel anything, your train of thought goes, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Brandon acknowledges. “But most of the time I can just go out there and it feels pretty smooth. It’s just once in while where you feel that tweak and you go, ‘Oh my gosh.’ But it feels really good.”

Sam Brandon
Sam Brandon
Sam Brandon
Sam Brandon
Sam Brandon
Sam Brandon
More notes:

… Cecil Sapp’s primary position has been fullback for the last three years, but as the Broncos progress through OTAs, they’re using him as a running back. Wednesday, he lined up as a deep setback behind Kyle Johnson — the man with whom Sapp waged a spirited battle for the first-team fullback role last year. “They always told me to keep my mind open about playing tailback, and now I just have to learn both positions,” Sapp said. “I’ve been doing it ever since I transformed to fullback. Now, they really want me to play tailback. Hopefully I take this opportunity and run with it.” …

… Champ Bailey intercepted a pass for a second day in a row, nabbing a Patrick Ramsey toss that glanced off the hand of David Kircus …

… Brandon Marshall watched the practice in sweats, joining fellow receivers Glenn Martinez, Rod Smith and Brandon Stokley in the present-but-not-in-uniform category. Stokley jogged around the fields throughout the early stages of work, but also did some sprinting as he continues his recovery from Achilles tendon surgery …

… Curome Cox earned notice from assistant head coach Jim Bates after acrobatically swatting away a Cutler bullet to Stephen Alexander. “Hell of a play,” Bates said as he high-fived the defensive back.

More to come tomorrow; until then, adios.

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