dragondawg
05-22-2007, 03:19 AM
Hixon turning heads with his talent
Bailey likes what he sees from 2006 fourth-round pick
ENGLEWOOD - Hyperbole isn't part of Champ Bailey's M.O.
Talent's talent. A dog's a dog.
Seven Pro Bowl selections seemingly make the Broncos cornerback comfortable giving heartfelt scouting reports for public consumption. So when last season he suggested keeping an eye on teammate Brandon Marshall, people listened.
Nearly a year later, with passing camp entering its second week, Bailey was asked Monday about the progress by second- year wideout Domenik Hixon.
Bailey practically gushed.
His only question: "Where was he last year when we needed him?"
The answer is Hixon was on the injured list, unable to play because of a lingering foot injury.
Now healthy, the 2006 fourth- round pick apparently is making up for lost time.
"You can't really grade the guy too much from practice," Bailey said. "But from what I see, the guy . . . runs great routes. He's fast. He's an unbelievable talent. . . . Other than Brandon and Javon (Walker, both current starters), who are going to stand out, he's that guy where you say, 'Dang, this guy's good.' "
That's why Bailey preferred to discuss Hixon in terms of potential contributions at receiver instead of on special teams, where the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has a legitimate shot at being a dual threat in the return game.
"The guy could probably start for this team. He's got that kind of talent," Bailey said. "Now you've got to translate that to games, and that can make a difference. But he has that ability."
The coaching staff is more muted about Hixon's progress.
"Right now, in shorts, he looks all right," assistant head coach/ quarterbacks Mike Heimerdinger said.
Through either end of the spectrum, one aspect seems clear: Hixon is at last healthy enough to give the Broncos a true indication of his skill level.
That wasn't the case last season when a Jones fracture - a broken bone on the top of the foot between the small toe and heel - lingered from predraft workouts into the regular season.
Hixon was placed on the reserve/nonfootball injured list Aug. 29. He continued rehabilitation, then returned briefly to the field in November as a member of the scout team.
He later was removed from those duties as a precaution, setting up his steady climb in the team's strength and conditioning program to the first official organized team activities.
"To be honest with you, this is a childhood dream of mine. To be out last year was tough mentally," Hixon said. "And now to actually be out there competing and running around, I'm thrilled."
Hixon led the University of Akron in receptions (66), yards (882) and touchdown catches (six) in his first year as a starting wideout in 2004.
He had a school-record 75 receptions the next season despite the loss of quarterback Charlie Frye to the pros and became the second player in Zips history to crack 1,000 receiving yards (1,210).
But it might have been his performance on special teams his senior year - 164.5 all-purpose yards a game - that caught the Broncos' attention.
Scott O'Brien, who'll coordinate special teams this season for the Broncos, has talked about being intrigued by Hixon's potential. And the Broncos didn't select a kickoff/punt returner in the draft, which might underscore their feelings about Hixon's special-teams ability.
"Talking to coach O'Brien and the scheme he has, he has a lot of knowledge about the game and what he plans to do has me excited already because it's worked with past teams he's been on," Hixon said. "So coming here and installing it, I'm excited to see what it does."
The feeling is mutual about watching Hixon now that he's back on the field full time. He has shown good speed and solid hands so far.
"He's been running good and doing some good things," Heimerdinger said. "Now it's worrying about where to line up and what routes we're running."
The Broncos are trying to teach Hixon all three receiver spots to increase his versatility. While the player was around Dove Valley all last season, he was often in rehabilitation when the rest of the team was on the field or in position meetings, so his mental as well as physical repetitions were limited.
But Hixon at this point doesn't seem to be favoring the foot, something that was apparent his rookie season.
"It's going to be a learning process," he said. "But I'm going to keep working hard and see what happens."
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5549130,00.html
Bailey likes what he sees from 2006 fourth-round pick
ENGLEWOOD - Hyperbole isn't part of Champ Bailey's M.O.
Talent's talent. A dog's a dog.
Seven Pro Bowl selections seemingly make the Broncos cornerback comfortable giving heartfelt scouting reports for public consumption. So when last season he suggested keeping an eye on teammate Brandon Marshall, people listened.
Nearly a year later, with passing camp entering its second week, Bailey was asked Monday about the progress by second- year wideout Domenik Hixon.
Bailey practically gushed.
His only question: "Where was he last year when we needed him?"
The answer is Hixon was on the injured list, unable to play because of a lingering foot injury.
Now healthy, the 2006 fourth- round pick apparently is making up for lost time.
"You can't really grade the guy too much from practice," Bailey said. "But from what I see, the guy . . . runs great routes. He's fast. He's an unbelievable talent. . . . Other than Brandon and Javon (Walker, both current starters), who are going to stand out, he's that guy where you say, 'Dang, this guy's good.' "
That's why Bailey preferred to discuss Hixon in terms of potential contributions at receiver instead of on special teams, where the 6-foot-2, 185-pounder has a legitimate shot at being a dual threat in the return game.
"The guy could probably start for this team. He's got that kind of talent," Bailey said. "Now you've got to translate that to games, and that can make a difference. But he has that ability."
The coaching staff is more muted about Hixon's progress.
"Right now, in shorts, he looks all right," assistant head coach/ quarterbacks Mike Heimerdinger said.
Through either end of the spectrum, one aspect seems clear: Hixon is at last healthy enough to give the Broncos a true indication of his skill level.
That wasn't the case last season when a Jones fracture - a broken bone on the top of the foot between the small toe and heel - lingered from predraft workouts into the regular season.
Hixon was placed on the reserve/nonfootball injured list Aug. 29. He continued rehabilitation, then returned briefly to the field in November as a member of the scout team.
He later was removed from those duties as a precaution, setting up his steady climb in the team's strength and conditioning program to the first official organized team activities.
"To be honest with you, this is a childhood dream of mine. To be out last year was tough mentally," Hixon said. "And now to actually be out there competing and running around, I'm thrilled."
Hixon led the University of Akron in receptions (66), yards (882) and touchdown catches (six) in his first year as a starting wideout in 2004.
He had a school-record 75 receptions the next season despite the loss of quarterback Charlie Frye to the pros and became the second player in Zips history to crack 1,000 receiving yards (1,210).
But it might have been his performance on special teams his senior year - 164.5 all-purpose yards a game - that caught the Broncos' attention.
Scott O'Brien, who'll coordinate special teams this season for the Broncos, has talked about being intrigued by Hixon's potential. And the Broncos didn't select a kickoff/punt returner in the draft, which might underscore their feelings about Hixon's special-teams ability.
"Talking to coach O'Brien and the scheme he has, he has a lot of knowledge about the game and what he plans to do has me excited already because it's worked with past teams he's been on," Hixon said. "So coming here and installing it, I'm excited to see what it does."
The feeling is mutual about watching Hixon now that he's back on the field full time. He has shown good speed and solid hands so far.
"He's been running good and doing some good things," Heimerdinger said. "Now it's worrying about where to line up and what routes we're running."
The Broncos are trying to teach Hixon all three receiver spots to increase his versatility. While the player was around Dove Valley all last season, he was often in rehabilitation when the rest of the team was on the field or in position meetings, so his mental as well as physical repetitions were limited.
But Hixon at this point doesn't seem to be favoring the foot, something that was apparent his rookie season.
"It's going to be a learning process," he said. "But I'm going to keep working hard and see what happens."
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/nfl/article/0,2777,DRMN_23918_5549130,00.html