Over the last two weeks, Peyton Hillis has been quite the source for debate around Cleveland.
Should the Browns give him a contract extension?
Was he too sick to play against Miami?
Was he being punished by the coaching staff for missing the game against the Dolphins?
If he is being phased out, won’t the Browns fans be ticked off?
One thing is for sure, first year head coach Pat Shurmur needs to put out some potential fires within the locker room.
Evan Moore has popped off about his lack of playing time, and both Shurmur and Hillis have been cloudy about what is going on with the 1,000 yard rusher of a year ago.
Anyway, back to Hillis. First, he deserves a contract extension based on the very good, but not Pro Bowl worthy, season he had in 2010.
However, it should be just a two or three-year deal because of the short life span of running backs, and because Hillis is not exactly elusive in his running style.
A longer deal could hurt the Browns in terms of the salary cap, and GM Tom Heckert would probably like to have some flexibility when his team is ready to make a push deep into the playoffs.
The people questioning Hillis’ resolve in playing against Miami must never have had a severe case of strep. Taking the running back at his word, he said he slept through most of the game that Sunday, so he definitely shouldn’t be on the gridiron.
As for his usage in the game against the Titans, in the first half, Shurmur probably wanted to keep him fresh for the second half.
After halftime, with the Browns being behind by quite a bit, the coach went with Montario Hardesty because he is a bigger threat to go the distance if he gets the ball in space.
At that point in the game, you need to score quickly. Getting 5 or 6 yards a pop is not conducive to coming back from 18 or 25 points down. Grinding out yards is Hillis’ thing, not breaking off long runs.
As much as Hillis is a crowd favorite, the faithful will get over it, if in fact, Shurmur does not hold him in the same high regard as the previous coach.
The one thing we know about Cleveland Browns fans is they support the team no matter what. Twelve years of mediocre football since the Browns returned to the NFL in 1999 haven’t subdued the people who buy tickets, why would trading someone who has played here for a little over a year?
The Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto has said you could get 50,000 fans to go to Cleveland Browns Stadium to look at a helmet sitting at the 50 yard line.
Only Art Modell moving the team in 1995 ever got people in Cleveland to stop showing up to watch football.
So, let’s not overrate Hillis’ popularity. He’s a Cleveland type guy, blue-collar, plays hard, etc., but no one is going to boycott the Browns if he is no longer with the team.
The problem the organization has with losing the game before the bye week is that now two weeks will be spent over analyzing what happened against Tennessee.
Remember, this team went 5-11 last year. They weren’t considered to be a Super Bowl contender.
Browns fans don’t want to hear this, but a little patience is in order.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 