The Saga That Is Our Running Game

[Enigmatic Evil]

What's going on, really?

I mean it's kind of a sum of all parts, as our running game has kind of been it's own little cluster bomb inside of this entire season which speaks for itself up to this point. Hillis and Hardesty, Jackson all injured.

We've called upon Obi (Oz called him that so it sticks) and I think he's done okay. Over 5 yards per carry, he got that TD run which is production however you look at it. He had identical numbers recieving week to week, there's consistancy despite it being only 4 catches, we're spreading the ball around so much anyway that its contribution no matter how you look at it.

I do the math and Obi is producing, he may not be putting it down like Hillis in a workhorse kind of way but he is at least getting it done to a degree. If he can put points on the board, that gets points in my book...

The long term is what worries me. Will Cleveland reward Hillis, maybe with an inscentive laden deal where if he meets certain milestones he would be paid x,y and z. That sounds better than the "pay da man". Reward him for his 2010 success, but make him earn some extra cash with his play on the field.

Hardesty? I'm not sure... his injury history, and missing time this season though, is inconvenient to say the least. I'm not sure about Brandon Jackson but his being placed on the IR right off the bat, that really was an early buzzkill. I just wonder what we are going to do because the WR thing is a problem but I dont want us to just try another HB bandaid... though our draft history with HB's isn't too kind either really.

[OzDawg]

I could really see that incentive laden contract for Hillis. I don't think he's a premier RB , but he can be effective in the AFCN. Especially if we have another option once in awhile

[Greythan]

The whole Hillis thing is crazy.

Just wait him out, make him a good reasonable offer, and if someone else wants to overpay then we lose him.

However, don't start the "we're done with the guy" stuff that Grossi and others seem to be reporting.

Hillis is a valuable part of this team. He's a great forward lean runner (read: AFCN in bad weather), really good receiver, and picks up blitzers. Is that worth $10m guaranteed? Of course not. However, if we don't have the guy on our team all that does is create ANOTHER area of need. We don't need that.

[golfer704u]

At this point if you want Hillis to be a Brown next year, you have to hope he either doesn't play the rest of the year or doesn't play well. I think the Browns (rightfully) have a number in mind they are not willing to go above. The only hope is Hillis doesn't find a team out there willing to offer him more in the offseason and he comes back and takes the Browns offer.

I don't believe any bridges are burned, I just believe the Browns are not going to overpay for a RB.