ALBANY, N.Y. — Domenik Hixon made a spectacular catch on a deep sideline go pattern on Thursday, highlighting the New York Giants' first two-minute drill at training camp.
Hixon outjumped cornerback Prince Amukamara in making a leaping grab of a deep throw by Eli Manning and kept possession after falling to the ground at the University at Albany.
The catch was the best of camp for Hixon, who was sidelined early last season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in a game. He underwent reconstructive surgery.
Giants coach Tom Coughlin was concerned seeing Hixon go down.
"You know he's going to try to make the play. This guy is something else. He has no fear," Coughlin said. "He just went up for the ball, and he got it. If I had scripted it, I wouldn't have done it that way. I probably wouldn't have had him in there, you see him go down. He makes an excellent play. Eli gives him a chance to make the play, and he does."
Coughlin said he would have preferred a few more plays in the drill. There were only three as the offense moved inside the 20-yard line, the goal of the drill.
Manning hit Hixon on a crossing route on the first play and the long pass on the second. A run by Ahmad Bradshaw ended the two-hour practice.
The Giants (No. 3 in the AP Pro32) open the preseason on Aug. 10 at Jacksonville.
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Speaking of catches, rookie free-agent receiver David Douglas, who drew praise from Coughlin on Wednesday, helped himself even more Thursday. In fact, he made a diving, one-handed catch. As the Arizona product came back to the receiver group, Victor Cruz gave him a chest bump.
"A lot of being a rookie is just learning and taking it one day at a time and giving it your all at practice," Douglas said. " Obviously, we've got a lot of great guys to learn from so you just try to pick up as many things as you can and work hard every day."
Rookie cornerback Jayron Hosley takes the 'green banana' approach to football.
"It's a learning process, but at the end of the day, it's going out there and playing football and doing what got you here," the third-round draft pick from Virginia Tech said. "You have to learn before you go out there and do, so I'm trying to soak it all in.
"I'm like that green banana trying to stay green and keep learning before I get ripe. I don't want to feel like I'm satisfied or complacent."
Tight end Travis Beckum was shaken a bit seeing cornerback Terrell Thomas re-injure his anterior cruciate ligament. Beckum tore his ACL in the Giants' Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. He remains on the physically unable to perform list.
"You can't try to progress on your knee and think about that at the same time," Beckum said. "You've kind of got blank that out and just work."
Beckum said he is making progress, with the next step being working on lateral movement. He has no idea when he will be ready to play.
"Obviously I want to be there Week 1," he said. "But I've got to listen to my knee at the same time."
EXTRA POINTS: PK Lawrence Tynes made field goals from 29, 32, 38 and 42 yards and missed from 46. ....The practice ended with TE Martellus Bennett and LB Mathias Kiwanuka in a scuffle after a running play. Teammates separated them. ...Hosley, Antrel Rolle and Dante Hughes had interceptions in the workout on a hot humid day. ... Replacement officials — the regular NFL officials are locked out because of a contract dispute — were on the field during practice. ... T Matt McCants and S Chris Horton were carted off for dehydration, along with Hosley.
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