Peyton Hillis

[JReb1]

Hillis leads way as Browns beat Colts

Peyton’s Place is starting to look a lot more like a one-man act. The Browns don’t seem to mind.

With one Peyton (Manning) out, another Peyton (Hillis) overpowered the Colts’ defense for two touchdown runs Sunday, leading the Browns to a 27-19 victory over reeling Indianapolis.

Cleveland (1-1) simplified the game plan by relying on Hillis, who carried 27 times for 94 yards and the game-sealing score with 3:55 left. He wore down the Colts with his strong runs and repeatedly converted in short-yardage situations to help the Browns play keepaway.

“That’s Peyton,†Browns quarterback Colt McCoy said after throwing for 211 yards and one TD. “He’s going to run and run and run. Eventually, he’s going to run over someone and go.â€

Last week against Cincinnati, the Browns’ defense got caught napping on a long touchdown pass, and punt returner Josh Cribbs got knocked down when a teammate leveled a Bengals defender. Then Saturday, as the Browns got ready to depart Cleveland, the team plane got stuck in the mud.

Some thought it might be a harbinger. Hillis made sure it wasn’t against the Manningless Colts.

“Maybe we should get stuck in the mud every week,†Cribbs said, drawing the kind of laughter usually heard in Indy’s locker room.

The Browns changed the dynamic by trading touchdowns for field goals. Without Manning, Indy couldn’t keep pace.

http://www.daytondailynews.com/dayton-sports/cleveland-browns/hillis-leads-way-as-browns-beat-colts-1255538.html?cxtype=ynews_rss

:hail:

 

[backrow]

apparently, according to Plains Dealer, Shurmur wants to use Hardesty more in an effort to keep Hillis fresh. my impression is, he's plenty fresh, he just needs a REAL offensive line for crying out loud!

some comments from Browns fans:

"Observation AFTER Browns TD. Pass blocking is bad, run blocking is almost non-existent. Hillis has 30 yards in 9 carries. All on his own. For some guys those 9 carries would be 12 total yards."


"Hey story, Hillis got NO blocking all day"

"
This Browns front office almost cost this team a win today. Who had the nerve to put Hardesy ( I don't know how he spells his name) in the game prior to our last field goal and let him carry twice instead of Hillis.......These people are so intent on proving Heck was right on wasting 3 draft picks on the injury prone stiff, they could have cost us the game. Just try to win instead of playing corporate CYA. We got lucky, Manning could not play.........................Go Browns"

"
Hillis would have had a buck fifty rushing if they hadn't ran right most of the game,come on Shumer get real,the right side sucks, there in the back field on the snap"

people are also pretty evenly split on Owen, some of them calling for Vickers (admittedly, a great blocking FB), some of them liking him and calling for patience. i think he will be just fine, even if he missed a block or two. he's an athlete and a smart guy, so i have no worries.

 

[bigunreal]

Yes, running Hardesty two times in a row at the goal line (even after he fumbled) was inexplicable. I just don't trust Shurmur (and certainly not Holmgren). The only reason why Hillis is getting so many touches, imho, is the lack of any credible black alternative.

The team probably realizes how mediocre Hardesty is at this point, but I'm sure they're watching the waiver wire and will put RB high on next season's priority list.

 

[backrow]

this from rotoworld...

Coach Pat Shurmur hinted that he wants to back off Peyton Hillis' massive workloads.

Hillis has 54 touches through two weeks, but is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. This comes after he averaged just 3.9 YPC over the final eight games of last season. "Peyton is a bruising-style runner that needs a little bit of relief at times, and I think that's what we’ll try to do a better job of next time," said Shurmur. Selling high on Hillis is a value play.
Related: Montario Hardesty

Source: Akron Beacon-Journal
Sep 20 - 10:06 AM



how about they fix the o-line? Hillis doesnt look tired, he just has no holes whatsoever but what he himself makes breaking gang tackles!

He does need a good game, statistically, to get these monkeys off his back. 6.0 ypc, but how can he get that with sumos blocking???

 

[dwid]

Well hopefully we are just taking this the wrong way. 27 carries is what was needed for the last game but he can't keep that average up for the entire season. I mean he can but I don't want him to wind up like Larry Johnson and burn out after the season, because 27 carries for the rest of the season would equal 378 plus the 44 he already has. He averaged 3.5 ypc the last game which is what Cedric Benson averaged the entire season last year with 320 carries. Hillis wouldn't have to have such a "bruising" style if his line blocked better, he could be putting hits on dbs at the 2nd level while he has some momentum instead hes fighting to get past the line of scrimmage.

Personally Id like to see Hillis get around 350 carries for the season, I would only want to see more if he had the chance to break the 2k mark, but behind this line he isn't. All of the elite backs with long careers have stayed under the 350 carry mark for the most part, LT only one season and that was 370 carries, Steven Jackson 7 seasons none over 350. Maybe after the 24 yard touchdown get Hardesty to run out the clock, that would have lowered his total to 24 carries. I thought he had that one touchdown the first time, if that was called a td then he doesn't have to carry again for another yard so thats another thing that lowered his ypc, without those two things he would have had 23 carries for 85 yards 3.7 ypc 2 tds which is pretty damn good behind that line and play calling.

Hopefully he can raise his ypc to 4 ypc soon, or at least close to it. It shouldn't be that hard for a line to create enough push for a guy to get 4 yards per carry. All of those 2 yard and 3 yard gains should have been at least 4 to 6 but there are guys on the line that just aren't NFL material, or at least playing like it right now. There should be at least a few plays where he breaks into the 2nd level but there really isn't anything there right now. Hopefully they can find a way to create some creases, they have Joe Thomas and Alex Mack, the LG just has to play AVERAGE, even slightly below average would do because it can be hidden in between two elite linemen.

The bottom line is Shurmur should know deep down without Hillis they don't win. They can check for guys out there all they want but nobody that is available is going to do well behind that line, 3.4 - 3.5 ypc is a first down every 3 carries, I don't think any average back would get that. You would have to hope for someone like Steven Jackson or Adrian Peterson. Speaking of Jackson he looked great before he was injured which makes me wonder if Shurmur's scheme isn't runningback friendly, Jackson averaged 3.8 ypc last year under Shurmur. Hardesty hasn't shown anything, averaging 2.4 ypc and 1 fumble on 8 carries. He doesn't show any potential out there, like a tight end getting the ball.

Funny how Rotoworld spins it as "54 touches" but then talks about his yards per carry, not averaging in his yards per TOUCH. I don't think receptions really wear a runningback down like carries do, at least they shouldn't when properly executed and called at the right time. It seems like they have called some bad pass plays for Hillis where the defense has it sniffed out. Usually a back will get a screen or something with a wall of blockers in front of him but it seems every pass there are defenders in his face. As far as the "3.9 ypc the last 8 games of last year", that is what the 2 other top backs in his division averaged for the entire season, Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenhall. 3.97 and 3.9, Hillis had his ypc lowered by the last few games, didn't he have like broken ribs or something?

edit: just now rewatching the game and the 2nd and 5 in the first quarter, the left guard sumo couldn't pull fast enough. Hillis is running left, 7 yards deep in the backfield, this guy can't move a few yards to make a block? if he would've made that block Hillis would've been running free in the open field. The only solution to that would be for Hillis to run slower.....but then there is the chance the guard doesn't get the defender anyway and Hillis has to get hit closer to the line. Ive heard stories of head coaches replaying stuff like that to lineman to call them out and motivate them for the next game. I wonder if they do that for these sumos, it would probably hurt their ego and they would perform worse.

 

[backrow]

i just ****ing hope that their o-line coach is in their faces for that. Pashos could be back this week, which is an improvement already, but Steinbach's loss was huge.

 

[Don Wassall]

It's frustrating as hell to watch Hillis get all those carries but almost never a hole or even a crease to run through.

 

[Riddlewire]

this from rotoworld...

Coach Pat Shurmur hinted that he wants to back off Peyton Hillis' massive workloads.

Hillis has 54 touches through two weeks, but is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. This comes after he averaged just 3.9 YPC over the final eight games of last season. "Peyton is a bruising-style runner that needs a little bit of relief at times, and I think that's what we’ll try to do a better job of next time," said Shurmur.

I gotta call out Shurmur on his bullsquat here.

If they're trying to keep Peyton from getting banged up by using Hardesty, then why, on three seperate occasions, when they have put Hardesty in at tailback, did they line up Peyton in front of him as the fullback?

 

[Colonel_Reb]

I didn't get to see any of the game Sunday, but I'm glad Hillis had a good game. He definitely needs a better line, but will the Browns' organization give it to him? Only time will tell.

 

[ToughJ.Riggins]

dwid: nice sum up of the situation. I think if he can get his YPC at 4 YPC by the end of the season it'll keep biased sites like Weenieworld off his back. After all, there has to be enough Browns' fans and FF fans knowledgable about how tough the run defenses are in Hillis' division and lots of people must know about Steinbach getting hurt (Browns' fans especially).

Hillis played pretty well last game and they did enough to win which matters most. I hope he comes out on a mission against Miami! Right now Frank Gore, Chris Johnson and DeAngelo Williams are averaging significantly less than Hillis, is Weenieworld criticizing them like this? Unfortunately Hillis plays the Ravens and Steelers as two of his last three games, which will give these CM sites an unfair chance to use the "wear down" argument against him again this year. Make em' eat their words Peyton!

 

[whiteathlete33]

From Weenieworld:
GM Tom Heckert blames Peyton Hillis' 3.4 yards per carry average on changes in personnel on the offensive line.

"Obviously, we want him to be better," said Heckert, "but ... new left guard, new right tackle, new fullback, new offense. It's gonna come. I really think we're gonna be able to run the ball." Hillis' low per-carry average goes back to last season when he wore down under a heavy workload. Since Week 10 of the 2010 season, he's averaged just 3.67 yards per carry.

 

[backrow]

there's a clear agenda there, trying to "dethrone" a single white back that's got a star status.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

there's a clear agenda there, trying to "dethrone" a single white back that's got a star status.

No doubt. The "wore down" line is BS and anyone with a brain knows it. Hillis was playing hurt, behind a useless o-line, and suffering from some of the worst play calling any RB has had to endure. He's still dealing with a crap line and questionable play calling. Those things will have to improve for him to "prove himself" to all the caste axe-clown doubters.

 

[backrow]

it's actually very clear that o-line this year is inferior without Steinbach and Pashos (who isn't a great tackle, but at least he's not a mountain'o'lard like some of his immobile replacements...

 

[JReb1]

Defenses are also able to stack the line since Hillis is the Browns only legitimate offensive threat. Moore has the potential to be another one if he's ever used as a starting WR.

 

[Riddlewire]

Mortensen on ESPN just now said that Peyton was sick and Shurmur sent him home from practice.
He further said that Shurmur told him that they planned on using Hardesty more in games even before Peyton's illness.
The writing's on the wall. Shurmur believes that black=runningback, white=fullback.

 

[JReb1]

Hardesty will be lucky to even average 2 YPC with that line so I'm not worried about Hillis losing his job.

 

[backrow]

Riddle, Shurmur gave him more touches through first two games of the season than any other runningback in the NFL got, so i am not sure he wants to phase him out. HArdesty got, what, 8 carries so far?

PS plus, it's not like they do have an alternative :smiley:

 

[whiteathlete33]

Hillis managed to be 11th in the league in rushing yards last season and he was pretty much the only offensive threat on the Browns. This year it's pretty much the same where Hillis is the lone offensive threat. I wonder how Hillis would do with some decent receivers and offensive linemen on his team?

 

[icsept]

According to ESPN, Hillis is out with strep throat. Damn.

 

[backrow]

from rotoworld:

Peyton Hillis (strep throat) was able to attend Browns team meetings Monday after sitting out Sunday's game.

It sounds like he's getting better. The Browns likely consider Hillis day to day and probable to start Week 4 against the Titans. Keep in mind that Montario Hardesty is coming off a strong first start. It's certainly possible that Hillis and Hardesty will form a 60:40 rotation, respectively, going forward.

only a white starter would be that affected by a backup having a decent game in his absence. still, it remains to be seen what the split will be before we go crazy. if they **** him over, i hope they tank the season, Shurmur gets canned and Peyton finds a new team or a coach who fully appreciates him

 

[jaxvid]

If the situation was reversed and it was a back up Hillis that gained 60 some yards with a TD would he even be considered for more action? Or would the fans/media be yapping for the "real" starter to return?

 

[JReb1]

It's only inevitable that some of your fantasy football stars will get banged up throughout the course of the season, given the physical nature of the NFL.

But that doesn't mean they can't still produce coming off an injury.

Here are three banged-up stars sure to shine in Week 4.

3. Peyton Hillis, RB, Cleveland Browns

Peyton Hillis, who missed Week 3 with strep throat, racked up 94 yards rushing and two touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts, putting to rest any thoughts of him being a one-year wonder.
Hillis will most likely make it back to the field in Week 4 against the Tennessee Titans and running behind that young, up-and-coming offensive line should see him break out once again.


The Titans have been good against the run this season, giving up 3.3 yards per carry before limiting the Denver Broncos to 59 yards rushing, but Hillis is a fantasy star you don't sit, especially with the offensive line he has. Start him and start him with confidence.


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/865582-fantasy-football-week-3-injury-report-3-banged-up-stars-sure-to-shine-in-week-4

 

[JReb1]

If the situation was reversed and it was a back up Hillis that gained 60 some yards with a TD would he even be considered for more action? Or would the fans/media be yapping for the "real" starter to return?

Toby Gerhart performed good in Peterson's absence last year and there was NO talk of a "60/40 or 50/50" split in carries or even a small increase in Toby's playing time.

In the past I've seen Leonard, Alstott, Jervey, Kuhn etc also perform solidly when they got a rare chance to start/play because of injuries yet they never got an increased workload. I wonder why that is... :icon_rolleyes:

 

[backrow]

ha, thanks for the link to a positive article for a change, jreb, i needed a pickup!

as far as the rhetorical question goes, whites are never beneficieries of that sort of thing, they are only susceptible to it when it's their playing time that stands to decrease in favor of a black player. it is just so ingrained it's not even funny. Jordy Nelson is the only white player i can even think of that media calls for, and that's only because Driver is done.