Cleveland Browns offense focuses on RB Peyton Hillis, no matter who plays QB

[BernietheKid]

Cleveland Browns offense focuses on running back Peyton Hillis, no matter who plays QB


Published: Thursday, October 07, 2010, 6:58 PM Updated: Thursday, October 07, 2010, 11:32 PM

Tony Grossi, The Plain Dealer



John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer
Peyton Hillis has been very effective the past two games, rushing for at least 100 yards against Baltimore and Cincinnati.



BEREA, Ohio — If Jake Delhomme returns to his starting quarterback job Sunday against Atlanta, he will take over an offense unlike the one he left behind in Game 1.

"We are who we are," the cagey Cajun said Thursday. "We're a football team that's physical and runs the football well. When you are who you are, you need to be that."
That statement was a clear nod to running back Peyton Hillis as the new face of the Browns -- a role that Delhomme had expected to fill.

It took the Browns a while to figure out who they are. They opened the season against Tampa Bay with a 38 to 23 pass-run ratio despite never trailing until less than seven minutes left in the game. Even when Seneca Wallace replaced the injured Delhomme in Game 2 against Kansas City, the Browns still passed more (31 times) than they ran (26). And they led again until the middle of the fourth quarter.
Those were against defenses ranked 32nd and 31st against the run the year before.

The tide turned in Baltimore and continued last week against Cincinnati. In those two closely fought games, the Browns ran 54 percent of the time. Hillis accounted for approximately 50 percent of the plays with 49 carries and nine receptions.

Against the Bengals, Hillis was on the field for 63 of the team's 66 offensive snaps. He knocked two players who tried to tackle him out of the game -- safety Roy Williams and cornerback Johnathan Joseph -- and brought the rest of the defense to submission with a 24-yard run on his 27th and last carry.

"Peyton's physical. I mean, you don't see Roy Williams . . . Roy Williams can bring it and Peyton brought it a good bit last week," Delhomme said, shaking his head.

Lead blocker Lawrence Vickers loves Hillis' punishing running style. "If you don't want to run into that truck, move out the way. Mama says if you play in the streets, you will get hit by a car, or a truck," Vickers said.

"He's just a beast," said linebacker Scott Fujita. "He's the equivalent of Matt Roth on the offense."

"Peyton's a load," said coach Eric Mangini. "I mean, I avoid him in the hallway."

Joshua Gunter / The Plain Dealer
Whether it's Seneca Wallace, above, or Jake Delhomme, below, playing quarterback, the focus of the Browns' offense is going to be Peyton Hillis.

In Cincinnati, Williams is out three to four weeks with a knee sprain after Hillis ran him over. Joseph is day-to-day with a deep forearm bruise -- the result of a tackle attempt

Hillis busted through like a bull at a rodeo.

On Thursday, Hillis sounded apologetic talking about the destruction left in his wake.
"I try to make it hard for people to tackle me," he said. "Sometimes people get hurt, but it's not intentional. I don't like hurting people. It hurts their job status, their families, everybody else. But it's the game we play. I just try to play my game."

In four games with the Browns, Hillis has produced almost as much offense as he had in 26 games over two seasons in Denver. He has had back-to-back 100-yard rushing games and a touchdown in all four games. He has been the Browns' leading receiver in two games.

"I want it to be a routine thing," Hillis said. "I want to be known as being consistent and going the whole year through, being the man,

John Kuntz / The Plain Dealer
getting to tote the rock and doing good things for his team."
The question is whether the Browns can win consistently selling out to Hillis and the running game.

"Most definitely," Hillis said. "I believe all things are possible, especially when the guys on the team have faith in each other. This team has a bunch of great guys that can do amazing things. We've shown we can move the ball on any team. We just have to be consistent."

Delhomme agreed.

"Oh, I think so. I go back to when we made the Super Bowl in '03 in Carolina. Ask anyone. We were a run first, run second, run third football team, up until Week 8 or 9 when we didn't have [big back] Stephen Davis for a couple weeks due to an injury. So we had to throw it a little bit and guys made plays and guys kind of evolved and developed from there."

Delhomme's expected return to the lineup offers the hope that the team might eventually rediscover wideouts Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie in the passing game.

A more complete offense was the plan originally. Starting with off-season workouts, the Browns threw and threw and threw. By training camp, Massaquoi and Robiskie were so impressive and noticeably improved, the idea of pursuing an established receiver was summarily dismissed.

Meantime, the running game was thought to be the province of rookie Montario Hardesty, until his knee injury, and then of Jerome Harrison -- last season's revelation. Hillis missed some time in minicamp and early training camp with various ailments.

"We were working on many things in camp, be it the pass game, where guys fit, different things," Delhomme said. "Certainly, I think you learn as you go. Let's be honest. We split carries a ton in training camp between [Harrison] and Peyton. Then came the [thigh] injury to Jerome, and Peyton's had a lot more carries now.

"That's how things work out. Once you find it, you ride that horse."

Cleveland Browns offense focuses on running back Peyton Hillis, no matter who plays QB | cleveland.com

[Enigmatic Evil]

And that's just the way it should be. QB should be a game manager for us, making smart plays and making sure they aren't hurting us with mistakes, and let our running game go wild! Hillis has been running THROUGH defenses and it would be ridiculous not to plan around that. Get Harrison and Davis in the game but use them AS SPEED BACKS, you shouldn't be running Harrison up the gut and expecting the same results as when you send Hillis through the line.

[Inspecta]

Man, talk about a class act

On Thursday, Hillis sounded apologetic talking about the destruction left in his wake.
"I try to make it hard for people to tackle me," he said. "Sometimes people get hurt, but it's not intentional. I don't like hurting people. It hurts their job status, their families, everybody else. But it's the game we play. I just try to play my game.

Peyton Hillis might in fact be Jesus in pads....

[Shep]

That's a great quote and I love when players realize that. Ward's young, but the kind of hit he put on Shipley has ruined careers and changed lives forever.

That pussy shit aside (!)... I love the nastiness Ward, Roth, and Hillis have brought to the Browns.

And absolutely... this year, a transition year, the Browns need their QB to protect the ball and manage the game. You have to throw to win in today's league, but we should be throwing in a safe, WCO kind of way.

[Tobalaz]

In Cincinnati, Williams is out three to four weeks with a knee sprain after Hillis ran him over. Joseph is day-to-day with a deep forearm bruise -- the result of a tackle attempt

At first I started to grin, then smile, then I laughed until tears came out my eyes when I read that because it made me think...
I wonder if a running back has ever gotten fined for unnecessary roughness while carrying the ball?
Hillis might wind up being the first.

[Sez.EJ]

Atlanta has 2 of its starting linebackers as questionable so Hillis should have another good day provided the thigh is ok.

[YtownBacker]

MY only problem is that you don't want to have Hillis beat to death before December. You need to use Harrison as a change of pace back to get Hillis off the field a bit. Hillis reminds me of a guy who will go 100% until there is nothing left.

He needs to be managed and not overused. The pounding he takes (and gives out) can take it's effect before you know it.

[Shep]

Originally Posted by YtownBacker

MY only problem is that you don't want to have Hillis beat to death before December. You need to use Harrison as a change of pace back to get Hillis off the field a bit. Hillis reminds me of a guy who will go 100% until there is nothing left.

He needs to be managed and not overused. The pounding he takes (and gives out) can take it's effect before you know it.

THAT is a great farging point, Y... something I've been meaning to type. We really need to weave Harrison back into the picture and keep Hillis healthy and fairly fresh.

The line and the emergence of Hillis have sparked me (I needed something). Getting Harrison back in the picture would make it REALLY interesting.

And as teams stack up against the run, we might actually be able to pass.

[hiwaygal]

Originally Posted by YtownBacker

MY only problem is that you don't want to have Hillis beat to death before December. You need to use Harrison as a change of pace back to get Hillis off the field a bit. Hillis reminds me of a guy who will go 100% until there is nothing left.

He needs to be managed and not overused. The pounding he takes (and gives out) can take it's effect before you know it.

I totally agree with this. We've got some depth there with Harrison and Davis and who else?? Let's mix it up a bit, it will confuse defenses and give Hillis some kind of a safety net.

[Inspecta]

Well this goes back to the ineptitude of Dabs. That fucking moron is just so damn happy he found something that works he's gonna keep going to that well until it's all dried up. Yeah, let's not keep our new found star RB fresh, let's pound him into the ground over and over. He'll be fine come December, yeah sure he will. I got Earl Campbell on line one and he wants to have word with you, you fucking dipshit.

I hated Dabs last year, and I hate him even more this year. Get Haskells ass out of the box and get him calling some plays.

[Crow]

I still can't believe we got this guy...for Quinn. I love this dude.

And I'd love to see Haskell make sure his career lasts longer than 8 weeks.

[Alo]

When Peyton Hillis played at Arkansas, he shared the backfield with more heralded running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. But this season, Hillis has been every bit their equal and then some. Hillis has become the first Cleveland Browns running back since Greg Pruitt in 1975 to score a rushing touchdown in four straight games. One NFL executive said that Hillis is running like a 2010 version of former Buccaneers standout fullback Mike Alstott. Those who have played against him have been even more generous in their praise. Before Hillis played the Ravens, Baltimore's defenders said they had never heard of him. But after the game, Ravens defenders told each other that they will be voting for Hillis for this season's Pro Bowl.

via Schefter.