Peyton Hillis

[backrow]

another article about how Broncos are missing Hillis, from Denver Post:

Kiszla: Broncos fans pine for Hillis
By Mark Kiszla
The Denver Post
Posted: 10/05/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT

Peyton Hillis has been a big hit with the Browns this year. The former Broncos running back has rushed for 322 yards and four touchdowns in four games. (Amy Sancetta, The Associated Press )At the risk of angering coach Josh McDaniels and offending families with small children, we dare to print the two dirtiest words in the Broncos' language:

Peyton Hillis.

So far in 2010, Hillis has gained 322 yards rushing for the Cleveland Browns and deducted 50 points from McDaniels' IQ.

Like Bigfoot, the 240-pound Hillis and his myth grow larger by the hour. Run, Peyton, run. He is the first good reason during the entire recorded history of man that Colorado has ever been envious of Ohio. We would gladly trade Longs Peak for Hillis, even up. Deal?

Most fair-minded Broncomaniacs admit McDaniels might have been correct for trading away Jay Cutler, don't miss Brandon Marshall as much as originally thought and now have trouble remembering what jersey number Alphonso Smith wore during his brief stint in Denver.

The sin of dumping Hillis, how- ever, is unforgivable.

In Cleveland, the peeps have made a folk hero of Hillis, breathlessly mentioning him in the same sentence as tough guys Larry Csonka, Earl Campbell and Chuck Norris. Since joining the Browns, Hillis has buckled his chin strap and run to infinity. Twice.

On a daily basis, when scanning my overflowing inbox for e-mail, two subjects are by far the most prevalent:

1) A generous stranger from a foreign land wants to give me $15 million (in U.S. dollars) and all he requires to process the transaction is access to my bank account.

2) A raging Broncomaniac demands to know if state law would allow a judge to declare McDaniels legally insane for letting Hillis go to the Browns.

Hate to break this to Broncomaniacs, but Hillis is already you. Feeling very much at home in a state that is more blue collar than blue skies, Hillis has told my friend Michael Arace of The Columbus Dispatch newspaper, "When I think of Cleveland, I think of me."

Funny, McDaniels rarely thought of Hillis at all. A year ago, Hillis got 13 carries for 54 yards. In Cleveland's victory against Cincinnati on Sunday, Hillis ran 27 times for 102 yards.

Through four games of this young season, Hillis is the NFL's eighth-ranked rusher for a weak Cleveland team. Knowshon Moreno, who leads the Denver ground game, ranks No. 42.

Of course, it's not all bad news for the Broncos' offense. Denver quarterback Kyle Orton leads the league in passing yardage. Teammate Brandon Lloyd awoke Monday morning trailing only Indianapolis star Reggie Wayne in receiving yardage.

So it appears that contrary to detractors who stubbornly believe McDaniels doesn't know how to draft or dress, the new Broncos coach does know more than a little about how to effectively throw the football.

But for a kid who grew up down the street from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, McDaniels acts as if he fell asleep the day his third-grade class memorized Vince Lombardi's speech on the power sweep. Run to daylight? The Broncos' running attack has fallen in a black hole.

Every time Orton turns and hands the pigskin to Laurence Maroney, there's such a stinking mess of humanity at the line of scrimmage it's an orgy of football incompetence.

"We are complicating the issue right now in the running game," McDaniels said. "I think we have to start to trust that the play is going to be blocked properly and then the runner has to find green grass. We have to eliminate the (defensive) penetration and start stringing together some plays that move the ball and keep the pressure off the passing game."

Dare I say Hillis has surpassed Tim Tebow as the most popular NFL athlete who doesn't play for the Broncos? Would it be foolish to predict at the next home game in Denver there will be season-ticket holders donning Hillis replica jerseys?

With election day in Colorado only four weeks away, gubernatorial candidates John Hickenlooper, Tom Tancredo and Dan Maes had better be glad of one thing.

Hillis isn't on the ballot.

Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com

Read more: Kiszla: Broncos fans pine for Hillis - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_16254422#ixzz11Ui1fhZ9

 

[backrow]

and comparison of two Browns backs from Canton Repository:

Last two, first two for RBs
"¢ In the final two games of the 2009 season, Jerome Harrison ran 72 times for 275 yards (3.8 average), scoring two touchdowns.

He did it against defenses that wound up ranked 26th (Oakland and 23rd (Jacksonville).

"¢ In his last two games this season, Peyton Hillis has rushed 49 times for 246 yards (5.0 average), scoring two touchdowns.

He did it against defenses whose 2009 ranks were third (Baltimore) and fourth (Cincinnati).

Carries and yards gained by Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis through four games in 2010:

OpponentHarrisonHillis
Tampa Bay9-52 9-41
Kansas City16-338-35
Baltimorex-0-0 12-144
Cincinnati0-0 27-102
x-did not dress

PS Hillis is also hugely effective as a blocker, he destroyer a blitzer few times during the Bengals game when Wallace was in the pocket!

 

[Cassiodorus]

Hillis was also leading the Browns in receptions until this week.

 

[Toby Hillis]

Awesome!!! Written by a black journalist, white guy could not of written--that would be racist!!!!

AFC NORTH HIGH ENERGY PLAYER OF THE WEEK
By James Walker

He's been the bully of the AFC North this season, punishing defenders and breathing life into an otherwise struggling Cleveland Browns offense.


<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right>
<T>
<TR>
<TD rowSpan=2 width=5><SPACER ="block" height="1" width="5"></TD>
<TD width=200>

</TD></TR>
<TR>
<TD width=200>Peyton Hillis has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of the past two games.</TD></TR></T></TABLE>Burly 250-pound running back Peyton Hillis -- coming off back-to-back 100-yard performances -- is this week's High Energy Player in the division. He's eighth in the NFL in rushing with 322 yards and averaging 4.9 yards per carry, which is tops in the AFC North.

The Browns (1-3) are certainly not without issues, but one thing they have is an offensive identity. Hillis gives Cleveland a go-to player on offense as the team deals with injuries at quarterback and lack of talent at receiver. Opposing defenses know they will get a steady dose of Hillis, but the Browns remain effective running the football.

Hillis has been the best roster move made so far by first-year Browns president Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert. Cleveland traded quarterback Brady Quinn to the Denver Broncos this offseason for Hillis and a sixth-round draft pick.

After four games, there's no question Hillis has quickly established himself as Cleveland's best offensive skill player.

LINK

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

Video of Hillis' 48 yard run. Yes he can make guys miss!

[Tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ1-Gls5jK8[/Tube]

 

[whiteathlete33]

Hillis is extremely powerful and hard to bring down. You are right Tough, he makes people miss as well. He's a complete running back and it's about time he's getting his due. He has nice footwork and hits the hole hard. You couldn't ask for more from your tailback.

 

[Borussia]

Notice how NFL.com keeps showing afflete stiff Seneca Wallace in the picture category as 'key player' for Cleveland.
What a scam. Please nfl.com, you only serve to look foolish doing this.
Hillis is the star and go to player.

 

[backrow]

more praise for Peyton this time from cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Browns fans need to pinch themselves.

Their team needed to give up whom, exactly, to acquire 24-year-old running back Peyton Hillis from the Denver Broncos in the offseason?

Oh, that's right: Brady Quinn.

I don't want to overreact to four games, 416 total yards and four touchdowns -- especially where the Browns are concerned -- but this trade at least has the potential to be as lopsided as Mike Tyson vs. Marvis Frazier.

In Week 4, alone, Hillis made you go wow more than Quinn ever did in his brief time in Cleveland. Hillis rushed for 102 yards on 27 carries and scored once in the Browns' 23-20 victory over the Bengals. One week earlier, he ran over the Ravens for 144 yards and one score.

When I watched the Browns-Bengals game from the stadium pressbox as part of my job at The Plain Dealer, I thought I knew how hard Hillis was running. Then I watched the CBS telecast on DVR. He was killing fools.

The guy is 6-2, 250 pounds of pure beast -- a-gile, hos-tile and mo-bile.

I enjoyed the performance so much, I went back and watched each of the 27 carries again at high volume, so as to get the full effect of the helmets and shoulder pads crunching.

One carry stood out. It told me all I needed to know about the player, his abilities and, most importantly, his priorities.

With 2:46 left in the fourth quarter, the Browns had a second-and-7 from their 30. They were protecting a 23-20 lead. Hillis received the handoff from Seneca Wallace and took a couple of steps up the middle before bouncing to the right behind fullback Lawrence Vickers and pulling left guard Eric Steinbach. Vickers, as usual, got his man. Steinbach, putting the finishing touches on a dominant afternoon, got his man and slowed another.

Hillis turned upfield at the 30. He kept moving right as he moved forward to avoid safety Chris Crocker, who had the angle. They finally met at the 45. Crocker wanted to ride Hillis out of the bounds to stop the clock, and appeared to be in prime position to do so. At the Cincinnati 49, it was a done deal. Hillis was going to get the first down, and more, but the clock was going to stop.

Then came a move I needed to replay five times to believe actually happened. A tumbling, off-balance Hillis, refusing to allow Crocker to make him stop the clock, quickly turned his right side and buried it into the turf inches inside the white paint. Hillis's head hit the ground awkwardly at 2:40. He rolled out of bounds at the Cincinnati 46 as Crocker bounced off him and fell.

After the game, Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said he thought Hillis had been tackled out of bounds. In real time, it certainly looked that way. But a remarkable freeze frame showed Hillis upside down, his entire body barely tucked inbounds. It is difficult to imagine how a player that big could stop his momentum enough to accomplish the objective in such a small amount of space.

Credit head linesman Steve Stelljes, who raced up and signaled to keep the clock moving. Browns reserve offensive lineman Steve Vallos stared at Stelljes and cranked his arm, just in case Stelljes had any doubt.

Hillis popped up with the ball, but he was dinged. Starting right tackle Tony Pashos, understandably excited, grabbed Hillis by the shoulder pads and head-butted him. Browns linebacker Matt Roth slapped him on the helmet. A third teammate slapped at the helmet before Hillis motioned to his head, as if to say, ''Please don't do that again.''

On the sideline with 2:07 left, Hillis had the helmet off and seemed to be in some degree of discomfort above the shoulders. At the two-minute warning, Hillis motioned that he wanted to return to the field.

The Browns didn't need him, though, in the victory formation. Wallace knelt on the final three plays.

Bottom line: When the easy (and safe) way out was out of bounds, Hillis opted to put himself in potential harm's way, and might have given himself a stinger, to ensure tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. What's more, he wanted to get back on the field as soon as possible.

That mindset, combined with his skill set, makes Hillis fun to watch and a natural fan favorite.

Other observations from watching the Browns-Bengals game on replay:

"¢ Steinbach continues to play at an extremely high level. When he pulls, he squashes people. If there is a guard playing better through four weeks, I'd like to know who he is.

"¢ Right guard Floyd Womack won the vast majority of his confrontations. "Porkchop'' delivered one pancake and almost had a second. Womack might not be the most technically sound lineman ever to walk the earth, but he is a load when the motor's running, and it was running hard against the Bengals. Womack drew the critical holding call against Bengals defensive tackle Pat Sims late in the fourth quarter. Easily forgotten was Womack hustling to recover Chansi Stuckey's fumble in the second quarter.

 

[JReb1]

<ul ="recent"><li id="yui_3_1_2_6_128636417018651" ="first last "><div id="yui_3_1_2_6_128636417018649">RB
Peyton Hillis continues to amaze as he emerges as the Browns' feature
back. Hillis has scored a touchdown in all four games, and he has
consecutive 100-yard games. There's little that will keep him from
getting the bulk of the carries for the Browns as the season continues.</div> <cite>(Yahoo! Sports)</cite>[/list]

 

[whiteathlete33]

Some sites have him ranked as the 8th best fantasy back.

 

[white is right]

His fantasy value is extremely high because he gets touchdowns. Even if he was still platooning he would be more valuable than his raw stats. Now that he will be the workhorse he could be the way Riggins was back in the mid 80's.

 

[whiteathlete33]

His fantasy value is extremely high because he gets touchdowns. Even if he was still platooning he would be more valuable than his raw stats. Now that he will be the workhorse he could be the way Riggins was back in the mid 80's.

The question is what happens after this season. If he continue to play extremely well, and I think he will, do the Browns look for an upgrade next year?

 

[Colonel_Reb]

His fantasy value is extremely high because he gets touchdowns. Even if he was still platooning he would be more valuable than his raw stats. Now that he will be the workhorse he could be the way Riggins was back in the mid 80's.

The question is what happens after this season. If he continue to play extremely well, and I think he will, do the Browns look for an upgrade next year?

I get your point wa33, and it may happen (it usually does in the Caste System), but in reality an upgrade over Peyton Hillis is impossible.

 

[backrow]

"¢ Hillis is tied for 10th in the league for carries that gained 10 or more yards.

"¢ No running back with six or more rushes inside his opponent's 10-yard line (I-10) has converted a higher percentage of those rushes into touchdowns than Hillis (Mike Tolbert and Rashard Mendenhall tie Hillis at 50 percent).

 

[white is right]

His fantasy value is extremely high because he gets touchdowns. Even if he was still platooning he would be more valuable than his raw stats. Now that he will be the workhorse he could be the way Riggins was back in the mid 80's.

The question is what happens after this season.  If he continue to play extremely well, and I think he will, do the Browns look for an upgrade next year?

I don't know what his contract situation is, but he could be on a rookie contract that is about to expire. If he doesn't get injured he will demand big money and will get it from some team. Any team that signs him will use him as a feature back. You don't sign a 1200 yard back to be a platoon player or 3rd string tailback/starting fullback who doesn't get touches.

 

[icsept]

Hillis hurt in practice today. Unspecified thigh injury.

Source: BSPN

 

[snow]

hopefully its not that bad he was only limited in practice, he didn't sit out

just read some good news, says he is in no danger of missing sunday's game.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirms that Browns RB Peyton Hillis (thigh),
added to the injury report Thursday, is in no danger of missing this
week's game.
"Not considered serious ... leg
muscle strain," tweeted Schefter. "Good by Sunday." Hillis indicated
earlier in the day that it normally takes him until Saturday to get
back to full health after the pounding of 20+ touches. He's still a RB2
for Sunday's matchup against Atlanta

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/pl...rt=NFL&amp;id=4965&amp;line=185116&amp;spln=1

what is a rb2? Is that something to do with fantasy football or does that mean he will be sharing carries?</font>
</font>Edited by: snow

 

[Jack Lambert]

Yeah snow, that's for fantasy football. He'll still be the Browns' primary back.

 

[JReb1]

I don't know if anybody has posted this, but it's a great article with awesome video links of Hillis.

<h1>Peyton Hillis biography: On the verge of NFL greatness (Videos)</h1>
click the link below

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AsoFIkVC22PLDoEobCF.iv7.uLYF?slug=ac-6877634

 

[JReb1]

<h1>

McDaniels taking heat for Hillis trade</h1>
<div><div style="text-align: left; text-decoration: none; border: medium none;">

Josh McDaniels has never been shy about shedding some of the players he inherited from Mike Shanahan's star-studded offense.


With Kyle Orton leading the league in passing and a half-dozen of his
targets already in double digits in catches, there doesn't seem to be a
lot of angst among Denver Broncos
fans over the departures of Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall and Tony
Scheffler, no matter how well they're playing for their current teams.


Given the Broncos' woeful running game, however, McDaniels is drawing
plenty of scrutiny for his decision to trade backup tailback Peyton
Hillis to Cleveland this spring.


Hillis has the Browns' ground game in high gear while the Broncos are
ranked last in the NFL in rushing, making what was a rather minor trade
one of the hottest topics in the league at the quarter pole.


Twenty-three running backs have run for more yards than Denver's 220,
including Hillis, who has 322 yards and four touchdowns. His two
100-yard games are as many as the Broncos running backs have managed in
20 games under McDaniels.


Hillis also leads the league in third-and-short conversions at
5-for-5, something the Broncos have had trouble with ever since
McDaniels made oft-injured Knowshon Moreno his first-ever draft pick
last year.


Hillis is averaging 85 yards a game on the ground and the Broncos 55.


So, was the answer to the Broncos' running woes right under their noses all along?


Not a chance, McDaniels insists.


Denver's ground game woes go way beyond the guy carrying the ball.
The injury-riddled and inexperienced offensive line has had trouble
clearing the line of scrimmage between the tackles, and the few times
there have been lanes, the banged-up backs haven't hit the holes fast
enough.


As offensive coordinator Mike McCoy suggests, it's all 11 players on
offense plus their coaches who bear both the blame and burden to fix it.


McDaniels won't look back with regrets over sending Hillis to the Browns, either.


"We've talked a lot about that. Again, Peyton was a good person, a
good player and he's in another place right now and, you know, whether
he would be effective here or not, that would be speculation on our part
and everybody else's,"Â￾ McDaniels said Thursday. "And I wish him the
best, but we've got to focus on what we've got here."Â￾


Which is quite a mess.


The Broncos gained just 19 yards on 20 carries at Tennessee last
week, their worst per-carry average in 38 years. Correll Buckhalter and
Laurence Maroney combined for just 8 yards rushing and Orton's three
scrambles for 11 yards produced the team's most effective runs for the
second straight week.


For his part, Hillis has Denver in his rearview mirror. He said
Thursday he hopes McDaniels doesn't keep getting bashed for trading him
to the Browns.


"They're 2-2. I love being a Cleveland Brown,"Â￾ Hillis said.
"Hopefully, he doesn't take too much heat because he's a good coach and
he's doing a great job for that organization."Â￾


Hillis quickly fell out of favor with McDaniels, carrying just 13 times for 54 yards and a TD last year.


The 240-pound bone-rattler energized the Broncos in 2008 when he
emerged during an injury epidemic among the team's tailbacks and ran for
a team-high 343 yards and scored six touchdowns before tearing his
right hamstring against Kansas City in December.


The Broncos sorely missed his toughness and production as they lost
their last three games to miss the playoffs, which led to the coaching
change at Dove Valley and a new career path for Hillis.


Hillis' rugged running style that gave the Broncos' struggling
offense a nasty aura in ‘08 also earned him legions of fans who were
befuddled by his lack of carries last year when McDaniels ignored him in
short-yardage situations, even though Moreno kept coming up short.


Finally, McDaniels shipped him to the Browns for quarterback Brady
Quinn, closing the book, if not the debate, on Hillis' short stay in
Denver.


McDaniels told Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan in Denver last week that
while the Broncos felt Hillis could be successful in the NFL, "I think
ultimately it wasn't a great fit."Â￾


McDaniels believes in spreading the ball around to a bevy of backs,
so nobody's going to get 25 carries a game in his offense like Hillis is
doing now in Cleveland, where injuries have forced him into a more
prominent role.


"I think he's found a place that's maybe a better fit for him,"Â￾
McDaniels told the radio station. "Our offense wasn't really centered
around that type of style."Â￾


Last week, McDaniels labeled "ridiculous"Â￾ the notion that handing the
ball to rookie quarterback Tim Tebow, whose bruising running style
helped Florida win two national titles, could be the salve for the
short-yardage, red-zone runs that keep getting stuffed.


Moreno hasn't played since straining his left hamstring on Sept. 23.
He returned to practice Wednesday but McDaniels held him out Thursday.


Newcomer Andre Brown doesn't yet have the coaches' confidence in pass
protection, McDaniels said. That's a big issue given the pounding Orton
took last week at Tennessee, when he was sacked six times.


Despite being one-dimensional, the Broncos are 2-2 thanks to Orton,
whose 1,419 yards passing through four games is second in league annals
to Kurt Warner's 1,557 yards for St. Louis in 2000.


"I'd definitely trade in passing yards for offensive balance,"Â￾ McDaniels said.


That's one trade that wouldn't draw any debate.

Read more: http://www.gazette.com/sports/mcdaniels-105984-taking-trade.html#ixzz11jXnciBT</span></div></div>

Edited by: JReb1

 

[whiteathlete33]

His fantasy value is extremely high because he gets touchdowns. Even if he was still platooning he would be more valuable than his raw stats. Now that he will be the workhorse he could be the way Riggins was back in the mid 80's.

The question is what happens after this season. If he continue to play extremely well, and I think he will, do the Browns look for an upgrade next year?

I don't know what his contract situation is, but he could be on a rookie contract that is about to expire. If he doesn't get injured he will demand big money and will get it from some team. Any team that signs him will use him as a feature back. You don't sign a 1200 yard back to be a platoon player or 3rd string tailback/starting fullback who doesn't get touches.

Since Hillis is white anything can happen. Hillis most likely goes over 1,000 yards this season if he doesn't get injured. Think back to Mike Furrey. He had 98 receptions which was second in the league a few years back and look at where he is now. 80 year old Joey Galloway is starting for the Blackskins and Furrey is on the bench. What has Galloway accomplished so far? 4 receptions! We will have to see what happens to Peyton.

 

[whiteathlete33]

Blah Blah Blah!!!

Coach Eric Mangini made it clear Thursday that Jerome Harrison is not in
his "doghouse" after questioning his limited role in the offense.
<div ="s_pNewsTextMain">
"No, not at all," Mangini insisted. "He'll probably have some
opportunities this week and every week is different. No, that's not the
case at all." Harrison has done nothing wrong. His failure to leave the
sidelines in Week 4 had everything to do with Peyton Hillis. That's
unlikely to change barring injury.</div>

 

[Tom Iron]

Good morning whiteathlete33,

Don't let Mangini's remarks rattle you. Hillis is his guy. He's just talking in vapid circles, as his mentor (Belichick) taught him. I'm still upset the Jets got rid of him. He's going to be an excellent coach. A real idea man.

Tom Iron...

 

[whiteathlete33]

Good morning fellow New Jerseyite!! HeHe! The constant whining from these black players tends to get a bit annoying if you know what I mean Tom. Hillis has obviously proven to be the superior back to Jerome Harrison so Harrison should keep his mouth shut. I'm glad Mangini is doing the right thing and giving Hillis his opportunity even though he would be blind not to.

 

[backrow]

quoting here the article from a previous page, posted by jreb in case it gets taken down haha.

Peyton Hillis biography: On the verge of NFL greatness (Videos)
By Kevin VaLeu, Associated Content
Oct 5, 1:30 pm EDT

Safety Dilemma:

What to do? What to do? Should I act like I tried to tackle Peyton Hillis(notes) at half-throttle so I can save myself of a career threatening injury and hope that another NFL team will pick me up next year at the minimum league salary or should I actually show the coaches that I am not afraid to run full speed into a Mack truck and explain to all my grandkids later why I haven't been able to feed myself, live in chronic pain in a wheelchair, and have had someone change my adult diapers because of a car accident that happened with fullback Peyton Hillis on the open field of an NFL highway 25 years ago?

ADVERTISEMENT
[bloqueado]
This is and will be the quandary of all NFL safeties for years to come. In fact, if this guy gets 25 touches a game throughout his career the injury report for safeties will double during his NFL tenure. Am I exaggerating just a bit? I don't know. One only needs to take a look at safety Bernard Pollard(notes) of the Kansas City Chiefs getting bulldozed by Hillis in 2008 to believe in his ability to damage people. Click here to view.

YouTube has a video aptly entitled "Peyton Hillis Is Dangerous" to point out how injurious it will become for would be tacklers of him in the NFL. It is a must see NFL highlight reel of Peyton Hillis and his unbelievable abilities to run over people, high jump people and pull off sick catches. Click here to view.

High School All-American:

Born to Doug and Carrie Hillis of Conway, Arkansas on January 21, 1986 Hillis became the nations top fullback recruit coming out of Conway High School according to sports publicist Max Emfinger. Among the powerhouse colleges Hillis was recruited by were Alabama, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska, Tennessee and Michigan. When you rush for the equivalent of a half mile (2,631 yards) and 29 touchdowns your senior season you have done something noteworthy. Hillis' 2,631 yards was the second highest in Arkansas Class 5A history. Hillis received accolades and achievement notoriety on the national level (top Arkansas prep by Rivals.com, Tom Lemming's Prep Football All-American, Parade Magazine All-American, and SuperPrep All-American) as well as garnering local attention by being named to the All-Arkansas Team by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and receiving the Landers Award (given to the best football player in the state of Arkansas).

Hillis was also an all-conference and all-state player in baseball as well.

Unsung Hero In College:

So who is this vastly underrated and virtually unheard of player during college and his first two years of the NFL? Well, for starters, the 250-pound wrecking ball was the primary blocker at the University of Arkansas for first round draft picks Darren McFadden(notes) and Felix Jones(notes). While McFadden and Jones were busy getting the accolades and draft stock, Hillis quietly slipped under the radar as the long forgotten man that enabled McFadden and Jones to receive their glory. When it is all said and done though Hillis may reach the coveted eternal "Hall" while the other two simply walked the NFL streets of gold.

During his freshman year Hillis scored 8 touchdowns, which tied for the most of any freshman in the SEC conference. While at Arkansas Hillis averaged 4.7 yards per carry during his four years there and proved that he could catch the ball out of the backfield when he caught 118 passes for over 1,000 yards.

Entering his senior year in 2007 the College Football Preview put out by Phil Steele ranked Hillis as the #1 fullback in the nation. Altogether, Hillis amassed for 23 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards all while being the #3 guy behind McFadden and Jones. Critics have harped on this guy from the git-go. Coming out of college his critics were saying he was too slow and injury prone. The injury that ended his season in 2006 was when a player for Tennessee illegally hit him in week 10 of his junior year after he motioned for a fair catch.

A football wasn't the only thing Hillis could catch while in college. Hillis ended up marrying his college sweetheart Stephany Millick after graduating.

Pro Career:

Even though Hillis had his share of critics, the NFL scouts still prized the young man enough to draft Hillis in the 7th round by the Denver Broncos. After two years of shortchanging and disregarding Hillis they traded him to the Cleveland Browns for quarterback Brady Quinn(notes) after only a brief stint with them of two seasons. An example of the disregard the Broncos gave Hillis can be found in his rookie season. In 2008 Hillis averaged 5.0 yards a carry on 68 rushes and over 12 yards a reception on 14 receptions.

In a league where you are doing quite well if you can average 4 yards a carry and where only 5 backs averaged more than 5.0 yards a carry in 2008. I think to say Hillis was under utilized by the Broncos is an understatement. An internet article by bleacherreport.com on March 15, 2010 says it all, "Peyton Hillis: Unappreciated, Unstoppable, And Untapped."

On September 26, 2010 Hillis was finally given some respect and proved to the world what he could do if given the opportunity to play full-time. Against the stingy and top rated Baltimore Ravens defense, Hillis ran for 144 yards on 22 carries (an average of almost 7 yards a carry). He scored one touchdown and had one long scamper of 48 yards. In addition, Hillis was his team's reception leader for the game in catching 7 passes for 36 yards. Overall, Hillis had 180 all-purpose yards.

When it is all said and done Hillis will be a force to reckon with.

SOURCES:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=161982

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peyton_Hillis

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/523458/peyton-hillis

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/stats/b...=All&qualified=1&sort=40&old_category=Rushing

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/boxscore?gid=20100926033

http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=6100&ATCLID=186598

Edited by: backrow