Aaron Ross may be returning Punts next season for the Giants.
NYDailyNews
Ross returns to fill Hixon's role »
By Ralph Vacchiano
This isn’t the way Aaron Ross wanted to get it, but it’s definitely the opportunity he’s been seeking for several years. He’s been itching to take his shot at being an NFL punt returner.
Now, with Domenik Hixon lost for the season, he’s going to get his chance.
“It’s something he’s always wanted to do,” said Giants special teams coordinator Tom Quinn. “He’s been bugging us to let him do it. This might be his opportunity.”
Ross said “I hope it’s for real,” and it certainly appears that it is. One day after the devastating loss of Hixon, the Giants’ best return man, the 27-year-old Ross appears to be the leading candidate to fill at least one of his shoes.
The problem, of course, is that Hixon has more than one shoe to fill. He was the Giants’ best punt returner and kickoff returner last season. He also began the season as a starting receiver and though his role was eventually reduced he still caught 15 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, and Tom Coughlin said “There were many days he looked to be the best receiver on the field.”
Plus, as Quinn reminded, Hixon wasn’t just a return man. “He also was a very good cover guy on kickoffs and punts,” the coach said. “So you really got to replace four starting positions on (special teams).”
The return game, though, will get the most attention and figures to be a wide-open competition this summer. Ross and receiver Mario Manningham are the top candidates to handle punt returns, but receiver Sinorice Moss and rookie safety Chad Jones could factor in as well. Safety Antrel Rolle and running back Ahmad Bradshaw have the ability to return punts too, though they’re not likely to be immediately involved.
Bradshaw, though, could end up handling kickoff returns - - something he did in 2008, averaging 22.2 yards on 39 returns. Of course, that’s only if he’s fully recovered from surgery on both his feet and his right ankle. Moss and running backs D.J. Ware and Andre Brown will be in the mix, too.
Putting Ross on punt returns is certainly one of the more intriguing options, though. He was the Giants’ first-round draft pick in 2007 in part because they believed he had dynamic ability as a returner. At the University of Texas he averaged 11.8 yards on 76 punt returns (893 yards), including three he returned for touchdowns.
Ross has a lot on his plate already, though, trying to come back from a lost 2009 season that was ruined by three separate hamstring injuries. Plus he’s also battling Terrell Thomas for a starting cornerback job.
Still, Coughlin said “I would certainly hope that he’d be one of the guys that would really be a consideration. It will be interesting in camp to see who comes to the front.”