Hillis the forgotten man in Broncos' backfield
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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -With all the injuries in the Denver Broncos' backfield, this could be the week that Peyton Hillis gets his chance to play a bigger role in Josh McDaniels' offense.
Then again, maybe not.
Hillis has just a dozen carries this season, and seven of them came at Kansas City two weeks ago when the Broncos were salting away a 44-13 rout.
Last week at Indianapolis, he ran just once even though Correll Buckhalter went down with a sprained ankle and rookie running back Knowshon Moreno kept getting stuffed in short-yardage situations, short-circuiting drives.
Hillis' rugged running style gave the struggling offense a nasty aura last year before his season-ending hamstring injury and earned him legions of fans who are now calling the radio shows and asking what's wrong with a) Hillis and b) McDaniels for not using him more.
Is Hillis in McDaniels' doghouse for some reason?
"He's not in the doghouse,'' McDaniels said.
McDaniels said one reason he didn't hand the ball to Hills on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 against the Colts was that Spencer Larsen injured his back on the opening kickoff, leaving Hillis as his only fullback. So, he wasn't even an option.
"Not when he's the only fullback,'' McDaniels said.
Besides, McDaniels said, "We've had a pretty good running game with Buckhalter and Moreno this year, and that's why we're not going to change it.''
McDaniels blamed the short-yardage failures on poor blocking by the offensive line and others, not bad runs by Moreno.
"The back is the last thing I'm concerned about on short yardage,'' McDaniels said. "If you don't stop the penetration, which killed us (Sunday) in every single one of those situations, you can give the ball to Franco Harris or anybody else, they're not getting a yard.''
Quarterback Kyle Orton echoed his coach's comments when asked if he was surprised Hillis isn't getting more carries.
"Knowshon runs the ball pretty tough in short yardage. I mean, he can't run through everybody,'' Orton said. "We've got to do a better job of blocking for him, do a better job of getting the surge. And that's on everybody on the offense, not just Knowshon. So, we've got good short-yardage backs and Peyton's a good one, as well, but this isn't Knowshon's problem. This is an offensive problem.''
Whatever the reasoning behind it, this has been a fast fall for Hillis, who was inactive for two games, one of them so he could attend his grandmother's funeral in November.
Hillis, who backed up first-round picks Darren McFadden and Felix Jones at Arkansas, isn't complaining about his lack of carries or for being ignored in short-yardage situations.
"I think Coach McDaniels knows what he's doing,'' Hillis said. "I'm just out there just trying to do the best I can for the team and play the role that they give me.''
It's a much different role than he had a year ago.
The 240-pound bone-rattler energized the Broncos last season 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 for a third straight season, leading to a coaching change and a roster makeover.
When McDaniels replaced Mike Shanahan and Hillis returned from his injury, the two seemed to hit it off last summer.
During training camp, McDaniels praised Hillis' battering ram running style and his ability to catch passes out of the backfield, saying back in August: "Peyton's a very valuable player and versatile and can create some matchup problems for defenses if we can use him right.''
He hasn't been using him much at all.
Hillis' most extensive work came against the Chiefs, when he ran seven times for 47 yards to run out the clock.
"They put me in at the end of the game to close out the game and I took advantage of my opportunity and did what I could do,'' Hillis said. "That's all I can do.''
He might be doing more Sunday against Oakland with Buckhalter not expected to play, LaMont Jordan coming off a back injury and Moreno banged up. Plus, Larsen is expected to return to the lineup, freeing up Hillis to get some carries at tailback.
Buckhalter missed practiced Wednesday.
"Oh yeah. With Buck being out, there's always a better chance,'' Hillis said. "It's unfortunate that he got hurt. He's a good friend, a good teammate and a good running back. Whatever happens, I will take full advantage of my opportunity.''
26) 2-C.Simms kneels to DEN 43 for -1 yards. </LI>
