tonytalkssports My Take on Sports, particularly the Yankees, Maple Leafs and Browns

Hillis Situation Push Browns Backwards

Word out of Cleveland is that the Browns are prepared to let Peyton Hillis walk at the end of this season when his contract runs out. Reportedly players are not happy with the way Hillis has handled the situation. Several weeks ago on this blog I stated that based on comments made by Pat Shurmur and Mike Holmgren that the Browns would not bring Hillis back. It looks like I was right.

Since 1999, the Browns have never had a running back that they could rely on to grind out the tough yards and possibly break one. William Green, Abdul Karim al-Jabbar, Marc Edwards, Charles Ali, Jerome Harrison and Terry Kirby are a few names that were Browns backs and from this esteemed group its easy to see why they have essentially had no running game to speak of. For a team whose history is filled with star running backs (Marion Motley, Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly, Greg Pruitt, Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner) its really a bad joke and is another example of what long suffering Browns fans have had to endure since they have come back to the NFL.

Last season, Peyton Hillis had the type of season that Browns fans were accustomed to prior to their moving to Baltimore. Hillis was a Kevin Mack-Earnest Byner type all wrapped into one. He could run hard and get the tough yards and he had the ability to break one to keep a drive going in a third and long situation. He also is a good receiver out of the backfield. Think about the Patriot game last year when the Pats scored in the fourth quarter to make the game interesting. The Browns engineered a long drive which gave the Patriots a diet of Peyton Hillis. Hillis carried the ball 10 out of 11 plays on the time consuming drive that ended with a Hillis touchdown. Fast forward to this year against the Colts when late in the fourth quarter Hillis scored a touchdown which basically put the game away for the Browns.

That Colts game was very telling because if you remember with the ball down within the five yard line earlier in the game, Hillis was taken out of the game and Montario Hardesty was stuffed 3 times. There was also a critical 4th and 1 situation in another game when Hillis was taken out and a flip hand-off to Armond Smith actually lost yards. Both situations told me, along with the above referenced comments, that Hillis's days were numbered.

Peyton Hillis was an Eric Mangini guy. Yes I know that Heckert and Holmgren were there when the Brady Quinn trade was made but it is my understanding that Mangini was the one who pushed for Hillis. Heckert traded up to draft Hardesty. To me Hardesty will constantly be a player who will be injury-proned. I also think he does not have the physical ability to be a 25-30 carry per game guy over a season. So with Hillis gone the Browns will have to try to get a running back along with looking to upgrade the offensive line, bringing in a playmaking receiver, getting defensive back and linebacker depth and if it is determined that Colt McCoy is not the guy drafting a quarterback.

This is what a long suffering fan base has to look forward to as the Browns approach today's game against the Houston Texans. While Hillis deserves to bear some responsibility here, the Browns organization deserves blame also. Once again the team goes backwards and we fans just have to endure another hopeless football season. Not sure when it ends.