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how do you get a firetruck across a football field?


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Kim Klement / US PRESSWIRE

After dragging defenders around last season, Peyton Hillis' next victim? A fire truck.

 

 

 

 

CLEVELAND -- Peyton Hillis has been dragging cars and all-terrain vehicles around the streets back home in Arkansas to stay in shape during the NFL lockout.

 

On Saturday, the Browns' bulldozing back plans to pull a fire truck across a football field.

 

"Yeah, I'm going to give it a try," Hillis said Friday night. "We're going to have a good time doing it."

 

Hillis is ready for some football.

 

Before joining his Cleveland teammates in Texas for a weekend camp -- dubbed "Camp Colt IV" for Browns quarterback Colt McCoy -- Hillis hosted his own camp Saturday for more than 300 area kids, some of whom will be on board the fire truck he will harness himself to and attempt to lug for a few yards. Based on what Hillis did last season for the Browns, the emergency vehicle doesn't stand a chance.

 

Not only did he rush for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2010, the handsome, soft-spoken Hillis became an overnight sports icon in a city left reeling by the departure of NBA superstar LeBron James, whose nationally televised "Decision" celebrated a one-year anniversary on Friday with zero fanfare. Hillis has helped fill the void left by James, now viewed as a villain in Cleveland.

 

Hillis is the new folk hero.

 

With overwhelming help from the Browns' passionate fan base this offseason, Hillis was voted as the cover figure for "Madden NFL 12," the wildly popular video game. He beat out Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick in the final, a victory that was followed by an appearance on David Letterman and more publicity than the Conway, Ark., native could have ever imagined.

 

It's been a whirlwind, but Hillis has been able to keep things in perspective. Nothing has gone to his head.

 

 

 

"It's all pretty much been the same," he said of the past few months. "It might change a little bit when I get back in Cleveland and settle down. But being in Arkansas, in the middle of nowhere, it hasn't changed that much. That's the way I like it, though. I've been very blessed. It's surreal. I just have to keep doing what I'm doing."

 

Hillis has done his best to stay clear of the NFL labor rhetoric, preferring to work out at home with his buddies, who have helped him with his regimen of pulling cars, trucks and ATVs around town.

 

"I feel like I've been doing what I need to be doing to make me better at the game," he said of his unorthodox training methods.

 

On Friday night, Hillis charmed sponsors of the camp he will host at Cleveland's St. Ignatius High School during a dinner at the Ritz-Carlton also attended by Browns safety T.J. Ward and running back Montario Hardesty, who missed last season with a knee injury but who, if healthy, could give Cleveland a 1-2 combination in the offensive backfield to rival any team.

 

Hillis gladly signed autographs and took photos with anyone who asked. He even obliged a request to do Arkansas' famous war cry and belted out, "Woooooo. Pig! Sooie! Razorbacks."

 

Asked what new Browns coach Pat Shurmur should do next season, Hillis had a quick response.

 

 

 

"Run the ball," he said, smiling.

 

Hillis has stayed on top of the NFL labor talks, but hasn't let them become distracting.

 

"I don't put too much thought into it because it's out of my control," he said. "I'm preparing in my own head and my whole state of mind for the season -- whenever that is."

 

Hillis has attended two of the Browns' workouts in Austin, Texas, where McCoy played college ball and makes his offseason home. Hillis said the get togethers, which will include defensive players for the first time this weekend, have been productive.

 

"They've been really good, especially for the young guys to get to meet the older guys and get in the groove of things," he said.

 

Hillis, who wasn't expected to be Cleveland's primary back heading into last season, revealed he played the final three games with broken ribs, an injury he was determined not to slow him down.

 

"I just wanted to do everything I could for the city of Cleveland last year," he said. "People around here have been so good to me. That's the kind of guy I am."

 

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

Edited by hooknladder
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Jonathan Brownfield / US Presswire

Peyton Hillis could be poised for another huge season thanks to new coach Pat Shurmur.

 

 

 

 

Peyton Hillis is not a one-year wonder.

 

He is not a flash in the pan or a byproduct of being a star on a bad team.

 

He is one of the best runners in the game, and the Cleveland Browns would be wise to build their offense around his remarkable talents.

 

That might appear presumptuous based on only one full season of major work, but those who've watched Hillis closely since his NFL arrival realize he is a special back with versatility that is uncommon for a player of his size.

 

 

 

At 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, Hillis is a big, physical back with a rugged running style. He specializes in punishing defenders upon contact, and his non-stop leg drive routinely leads to broken tackles and extra yardage. Although Hillis excels at grinding out tough yards, he has surprising quickness, agility and vision. His elusiveness is rare for a runner of his stature.

 

Hillis is also an outstanding receiving threat out of the backfield. He shines on screens and swing passes, which allow him to use his combination of power and balance in the open field.

 

Given an opportunity to show what he can do as a feature back, Hillis topped the 1,000-yard rushing mark (1,177) and was second on the Browns with 61 receptions. He ranked sixth in the league in yards from scrimmage (1,654) and finished with the third-most touchdowns (13) of any player in the league.

 

 

 

Don't expect Hillis' production to decline with Pat Shurmur at the helm.

 

The Browns' new coach spent the last two seasons directing a St. Louis Rams' offense driven by the talents of three-time Pro Bowler Steven Jackson. The big, bruising workhorse topped 1,500 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two years, and averaged 24.2 touches per game during that span.

 

The parallel between Jackson and Hillis is important. Both are big backs with similar skill sets, so it's likely Hillis will be used in a similar fashion as Jackson was under Shurmur. Shurmur also used zone-based run concepts in St. Louis, something Hillis thrived in as a rookie for the Denver Broncos.

 

Furthering the notion that Shurmur will make Hillis the focal point of the Browns' offense is the fact that he spent nearly a decade working as an assistant to Andy Reid. During that time, Brian Westbrook routinely finished near the top of the league in yards from scrimmage. That experience will certainly help Shurmur craft a plan that gets Hillis a number of touches as a runner or receiver.

 

If Hillis' sensational one-year run has placed him on the cusp of being regarded as one of the league's top backs, Shurmur's arrival and his creative game plan should push Hillis over the top.

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Hillis was my diamond is the rough last year. Had him on all my fantasy teams and helped me win 1 league and keep me in the top of two others. Had I have not lost Romo and a few others I would have had my Huddle league scratching their heads my first year with them.

 

I got him in the last 4 rounds I believe in every draft. This year he will not make it passed the third if not the second.

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People that draft Stewart as there #1 RB are absolute fools. Those same people do not believe somebody will have any effect on Stewarts' production. I want them in one of my leagues.

Fixed :wacko:

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People that draft Hillis as there #1 RB are absolute fools. Those same people do not believe Hardesty will have any effect on Hillis' production. I want them in one of my leagues.

+1

 

I think some of the Hillis nuthuggers are forgetting that he wore down at the end of last season, and the coaching staff has admittted as much, that they need another runner to reduce his workload. I would not be surprised at all if they give the goal-line carries to Hardesty and maybe even more to keep Hillis fresh (or maybe just help in number of carries), but regardless of the split, some regression the mean seems likely for Hillis.

 

I've felt the same way about those drafting Foster over AP, which is somewhat confirmed by the recent admission of the meniscus tear that he kept hidden to keep his job. These guys might have been vastly under-rated coming out, but they aren't all of the sudden going to become supermen because their team's had little choice but to give them all the carries one year.

Edited by delusions of granduer
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Hillis didn't "wear down" as much as played hurt. I think he had cracked ribs or something.. can't remember, but he talked about it recently.

 

What people are forgetting is that Hardesty is injury-prone. Hillis is by far the most popular player amongst Cleveland fans, do you really think they reduce his workload that much?

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Hillis is by far the most popular player amongst Cleveland fans, do you really think they reduce his workload that much?

 

Yep. I've seen reports predicting as much as a 50/50 split. While that may be a tad high, a healthy Hardesty will severely cut into Hillis' production. They didn't trade a 3rd and 2 5ths in order to move up and nab Monterio in the 2nd for nothing. "But he's the Madden cover boy!!".... :wacko: ok...run with that.

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Why would the Browns take away goal line carries from the prototypical goal line back and give them to the prototypical injury prone back?

any numbers Hardesty takes away from Hillis will be done between the 20s

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Why would the Browns take away goal line carries from the prototypical goal line back and give them to the prototypical injury prone back?

any numbers Hardesty takes away from Hillis will be done between the 20s

 

 

Ding ding ding we have a Winnnaaaa. No way do they not plow "Tillis the Hillis" down near the goal line. When he is on the field d must stack the line backers to stop him. Safteys not gonna do it which opens up the sides of the field. He may not have as many touches but he is still there best goal line option. I predict a drop off this year but not much. He is to valuable in space as a pass Catcher and blocker.

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