Hixson Steps into Big Shoes
Patrick Daly
Tuesday June 25, 2002
Hixson is not a stranger to the game of Arena Football, although this is his first season in the AFL after starting in af2 with the Tallahassee Thunder in 2001. The af2 Florida Firecats pursued him during the offseason with the hope that he’d compete for the starting quarterback job, but Hixson chose to take his chances in Arizona, where he’s swapped spots with fellow quarterback Chad DeGrenier.
For Hixson, the biggest difference between the two levels has been the complexity of the defenses.
“The speed is almost the same,” Hixson said. “The complexity of the defenses are more complex on this level. af2, for me, it’s almost the same because everything is fast. You’re in a 50-yard box, 28 yards across. If you’re moving at turtle speed, it’s still pretty fast in this box.”
Although, Rattlers head coach Danny White did simplify the play calling on offense, which enabled Hixson to settle in on his first drive. Hixson completed his first 10 pass attempts, but it was the first completion that really got things rolling.
“It’s really that first one,” Hixson said. “The best thing is that coach White is very aware of who he has in and at what times, what kind of personnel and how he wants to calm everything down, especially in a situation where the quarterback [goes down]. I’ve got to operate at a high, efficient level. He understands that, so he calls easy plays for me to throw.”
As important as Hixson’s performance was, the Rattlers benefited most from the pressure that the Arizona line put on Indiana quarterback Raymond Philyaw. Facing heavy pressure most of the evening, the Rattlers forced Philyaw to throw early and never let him get comfortable.
“This was a game that was won up front,” White said. “The guys in the trenches got the job done tonight and I was really proud of them.”
The Rattlers success along the line was so great, it overshadowed a successful return to the lineup for offensive specialist Maurice Bryant. Within the Rattlers offense, many plays revolve around the offensive specialist, which meant Maurice Bryant saw more throws over other players in the offense.
“Anybody playing that position in our offense is going to get a lot of catches, but Maurice certainly brings and element of speed and quickness to us that we don’t have without him,” White said. “I thought it helped, but this was not a game won by Maurice Bryant, Chris Horn or Hunkie Cooper, it was won by the guys up front.”
After poor showings by the line over the past few weeks, the Rattlers line stepped up to the challenge, especially after losing a team leader like Bonner. On Indiana’s first possession after Bonner went down, the Rattlers brought very heavy pressure, forcing two incompletions and a sack in what would be a preview of things to come. The line was hungry, but the circumstances of Bonner’s injury made them hungrier.
“After that, I called the guys up front and told them that we had to take their quarterback out,” Rattlers lineman Stacy Evans said. “I wasn’t saying that I was trying to hurt him, but we just had to get him out of the game. Disrupt him. Sack him. Whatever it took. We had to get him out of the game so he wouldn’t be a threat to hurt us. That’s what we did. We pressured him all game, had some sacks, and he never was comfortable.”
At the moment, the extent of Bonner’s injury is unknown, with speculation ranging from a badly bruised knee to a cartilage tear. Although it may be a small consolation, the injury came as a result of a blow to the knee, rather than through twisting the knee, which could mean less damage. Either way, White was not quite sure how intentional the hit by Muhammad might have been.
“Until I see it on film, I really shouldn’t comment on it,” White said. “If it was intentional, it’s completely inexcusable, but I don’t know that it was. It might be even hard to tell from the tape, whether it was or not. [Referee] Wes [Fritz] was absolutely certain that it was. [Indiana head coach] Mike Dailey says the kid is not that kind of a kid and apologized for it if it was intentional.”
Indiana played tight defense most of the evening, which forced the Rattlers into a short passing game. With either Bonner or Hixson in the game, the short passes allowed Arizona to eat up the clock and work their way down the field, which is a strength for the Rattlers. Only near the end of the game did the Firebirds start to press, which allowed Hixson to hit Randy Gatewood for a 45-yard gain that set up Arizona’s final points of the night.
“We had to run the short game until the very end,” White said. “We knew they’d come up and press, and Randy got open. Randy had a great game tonight. I was proud of him. He was a little bit upset for being singled out last week when he wasn’t really the reason; he was just one of many. To his credit, he turned that into a positive and used it to fuel him tonight. Randy had a great game for us tonight on both sides of the ball.”
The debut of Rattlers kicker Scott Cannon was a success according to White. Although Cannon missed a short attempt in the third quarter, he did hit two field goals and all four point after tries, which means he’ll probably hold the job in what may amount to a week-by-week tryout.
“Scott did well,” White said. “He missed the one, but it was my fault because I rushed him. I made the decision [to try the field goal] late and they had to run in there and kick it real fast. He handled himself very well for kicking in his first game.”
In a sport as physically violent as football, most players know that the second-string is only one injury away from becoming the starter, which means the backup must be prepared to play. With the uncertainty of the extent of Bonner’s injury, Hixson may or may not be the number one quarterback heading into this week’s game in Buffalo. As another option, it’s entirely possible that the Rattlers could activate Chad DeGrenier from injured reserve and make him the starter this week. While his performance on Saturday night demands consideration, Hixson will take what comes.
“Who knows what’s going to happen,” Hixson said. “Shoot, I don’t know. Hopefully, Sed will be back and be able to operate at the highest level he can. If not, then I will do the things anybody else would and try to help out the team to win.”
Patrick Daly has been an Arena Football League enthusiast since he first stumbled across the late-night ESPN broadcasts and has followed the Arizona Rattlers since their inaugural season in 1992. He graduated from Arizona State University with an engineering degree and is currently a member of a web development team for Direct Alliance in Tempe. Patrick currently resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, Arizona with his beautiful wife, son and a very large football helmet collection.
