Giants' Hixon tears ACL, out for season

When Domenik Hixon fell to the turf at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Tuesday afternoon, it appeared that he suffered a severe injury. His ability to walk off the field under his own power gave the Giants some hope that he had just hyperextended his right knee and simply would miss the rest of the minicamp. But Wednesday afternoon, the Giants learned that first instincts are often the correct ones.

Hixon, one of the team's key wide receivers and special teams players, will miss the entire 2010 season with what was diagnosed as a torn ACL. Hixon underwent an MRI and examination by team doctor Russell Warren Wednesday and he will have surgery to repair the injury in the next two to three weeks.

Hixon, 25, had signed a non-guaranteed, one-year restricted free-agent tender this offseason and was due to earn $1.684 million in 2010. The Giants have no obligation to keep him on their roster and pay him that money, although they likely will to protect him for 2011.

The injury took place during the first workout at the New Meadowlands Stadium, a session that left several Giants players both complaining about and concerned with the FieldTurf that was underfoot. Hixon appeared to snag his right cleat in the soft, newly installed turf while making a cut on a punt return and then crumpled to the ground.

"This is a new field so it has not been broken in yet," Justin Tuck said on Tuesday following the workout. "It's still kind of soft, so you have to wear the right cleats out here now."

Tom Coughlin discussed proper footwear Wednesday, before he was aware of the severity of Hixon's injury.

"We're asking the turf people to take another look at the field and some of the thoughts that we have about shoes," Coughlin said. He added that Hixon, like all of the players, was wearing the type of cleats that were recommended.

"Listen, you have to go over there and go on it before you make some judgments about it," Coughlin said of the reason for practicing at the stadium. "We'll be better served now because of the shoes we recommend and so on."

"I heard [Hixon] tweaked his knee," said Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, whose team was practicing on the new field for the first time Wednesday. "It's new ground for us for both teams. I felt OK with it, but it's still new and we need to break it in a little more."

Hixon's absence will leave a void at wide receiver where he was a spot starter. But filling his role as a kickoff and punt returner will be more difficult. The Giants have been shuffling players in and out of the returning roles during this minicamp, so they've had plenty of players to look at from Sinorice Moss to D.J. Ware to Andre Brown.

One player who would like to step into the role is cornerback Aaron Ross. He's been working on the job during the spring.

"I hope it's for real," Ross said of the Giants' intentions to use him there. "I like special teams. I've been asking to do it so hopefully I'll finally get that chance."

With Bob Glauber