The Giants’ offense should get one more weapon back tomorrow, when wide receiver Domenik Hixon is expected to return to practice. He sat out Big Blue’s blowout win at Carolina with a concussion, and can only recall parts of the play that left him that way after being hit by Tampa Bay linebacker Mason Foster in Week 2.
“Do I remember the hit? Yeah, I remember parts of it. … Painful parts,” said Hixon, who suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit from Foster after a 12-yard catch to the Buccaneers’ 4.
Foster was fined $21,000, but Hixon wouldn’t call it a dirty play from his offseason training partner.
“My helmet coming off, that wasn’t a good part either,” he said.
“We train together in the summer. It’s just football, at the end of the day. But I was going down, I was already down, back of the head. … I mean, it is what it is,’’ said Hixon, who has suffered through horrible injury luck with torn ACLs the past two years. “No, it ain’t no [big thing]. That’s just football, and like I said anybody can get hit in the back of the head. That’s just part of the game.’’
Coach Tom Coughlin said: “[Hixon has] been cleared and hopefully he’ll be able to go [tomorrow].’’
Hixon had been cleared yesterday, but with the Giants enjoying today off, sitting Hixon — and Hakeem Nicks — yesterday seemed logical.
“You always like to have the guys back, but you figured the guys who didn’t play last week are still [recovering]. No point in rushing back,” said Eli Manning. “They have a few more days to rest up and hopefully this week we have them back. If not, obviously we have guys who are capable of playing and playing well.’’
Even playing without Hixon and Nicks, who torched the Bucs for 199 receiving yards, the aerial attack was stellar in Week 3 with Ramses Barden stepping to the forefront with nine catches for 138 yards.
“[I was] excited. We proved that anytime you can be called upon, be ready to play, and that’s what happened,’’ said Hixon, the Giants’ No. 3 receiver. “They executed to a T, and got a huge win against a good team.’’