The Peyton Hillis drama is not going away

Reuters

Peyton Hillis’ agent Kennard McGuire was presumably trying to cover for his client Wednesday.  McGuire — Hillis’ third agent in four months — told the Associated Press that he advised Hillis not to play in Week Three when Hillis sat out with a case of strep throat.  McGuire’s admission likely will have the opposite effect.

The agent’s involvement only supports the belief of some Browns teammates that Hillis’ stance was contract related.

If it’s not contract related, why does an agent have to get involved at all? Isn’t it just up to the team doctors and Hillis?

Hillis wasn’t happy with his lack of usage after last week’s game. Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer believes the drama may only be starting.

Grossi opined on a video segment that he thinks Hillis will request a trade as the “next step” in the process.  The contract talk is “not going well” according to Grossi, who says the Browns see Montario Hardesty as a runner with a higher ceiling.

So, yeah, this may get uglier.

83 responses to “The Peyton Hillis drama is not going away

  1. PHillis has a case of “strep throat”, Kenny has a case of “shallow throat”, and someone going to “step on it” soon.

  2. It’s obviously the Madden curse. Dude got struck by the flu. It sucks, but the blame clearly lies with EA Sports.

  3. Hardesty – higher ceiling?? WTF?

    Montario may BE higher but there is only downside with Hardesty. He’ll never be any better than he was in week 3. 14 carries for 67 yards and no touchdowns. That is the ceiling for Hardesty. As a Seahawks fan mediocre runningbacks when I see them.

  4. The Browns will regret it if they give Hillis big money.

    And am I the only one who hopes Tony Grossi’s wife’s name is Josie?

  5. I’m not interested in buying into all this stuff just yet, but as a Browns fan I’ve noticed that it seems like Hillis isn’t running as hard as he was last season. I could be way off but has anyone else noticed? Either way they need to either re-do his deal or let him go because its not good to lean on your offensive foundation when that foundation doesn’t really want to be there

  6. Here’s something i bet no one has thought of – maybe……The Madden curse?

  7. Yeah we saw how high Hardesty’s ceiling was last week. What did he have 3 or 4 dropped passes. Hillis won’t cost crazy money and Hardesty gets injured every other year going back to college. Give Hillis a descent deal and don’t run him into the ground like last season. Maybe 15-20 carries a game 4-7 passes a game.

  8. The Walrus and Heckert have this one wrong…time to pay Hillis according to his potential.

    They have taken care of just about everyone on the Browns roster…many who have had but a fraction of Hillis’ output.

    …pay the man !

  9. Honestly, they should trade him

    Anyone think the Broncos would be interested in getting him back? Maybe a package involving Knowshon Moreno.

  10. Hey, I like Hillis, I love the way he plays, but he’s a fullback trying to be a feature back. I have no problem with giving him a raise, but he’s nowhere near “Top 10”. He’s slow and has a problem fumbling. Try to keep him, but if his agent keeps wanting too much, trade him or just let go.

  11. He has came down with the case of djax..playing not to get hurt this season that’s his focus…but like djax u can’t blame him…he’s only making 600 thousand…pure robbery the browns are crooks…this man needs to get paid…so pay up browns

  12. Not to mention, Hillis has a history of butting heads with coaches. In Arkansas, and in Denver with two coaches. You could say that’s because he was always buried on the bench, or maybe he was buried on the bench for butting heads with the coach. We dont know for sure.

  13. Everyone has one good year & wants to cash in… He’s a RB, dime a dozen… There is nothing special about Hillis, just a stubborn hard runner… He needs starting RB pay but nothing close to the top 10.

  14. Pay da man! You get a two-headed monster and at least three more years of Hillis bruising up the NFL. Don’t be the next Josh McDaniels, Holmgren.

    Hillis on the Steelers? I hate the Steelers but that would be a great move.

  15. This is a shame. Nothing positive comes from players getting into contract wars during the season. The Browns looked promising last year, Hillis received good press, fans were excited about him. Now he’s viewed as a negative. He’s alienating his teammates by–apparently–using an illness as a strategy and letting down his team. Even if things work out, that’s liable to create ongoing friction in the locker room. If he winds up going elsewhere, his new bosses will view him as a prima donna. He’s getting poor advice.

    Love ’em or hate ’em, the Steelers are right never to engage in contract negotiations during the season. Players can throw tantrums, stage sick-outs, or have their agents do Jackie Chiles impressions, but that door is closed while games are being played. Teams don’t need that distraction.

  16. You are not getting payed by cleveland,and i think that is a smart move on their part….

  17. Mark Sanchez should be on the cover of Madden next year. At least then the Jets will have an excuse for him being one of the five worst quarterbacks in the league.

  18. Peyton Hillis is the greatest White Running Back in the past 20 years…

    That being said, I also think he is a top 10 RB this year and Beyond. The fact that Cleveland doesn’t want to pay him is absurdity – because he brings a dimension to the game very few have now adays.

  19. People act like strep throat isn’t a serious illness, it is. Strep bacteria can cause heart damage if it gets out of hand. I wouldn’t play with strep, and I definitely wouldn’t play with strep in a contract year if I was making the league minimum. Guess what? I wouldn’t go to work at my 40K a year job with strep either.

    Had he played before recovering and it turned out to be Antibiotic-resistant strep he could have ended up with rheumatic fever and a heart murmur. Do you think the browns would have paid him if that happened? No chance.

    As a lions fan I would love to have the guy, maybe Mayhew should get on the phone and set up another Corey Williams-esque fleecing.

  20. Hillis is only worth a couple million a year tops. If he is asking for anything more than a 5yr, $10million contract, well then he’s asking for too much. RB’s are easily replaced in the NFL.

  21. How many of the 11 posters so far who mentioned the Madden Curse thought they were being original?

  22. Hillis has only averaged over 4 YPC once since Week 15 of last year. He’s already worn down. The Browns would be idiots to give him a long term deal.

    Trade.

  23. I agree with the previous statements of sending him to Denver for Quinn and No-show; Quinn seems quite comfy carrying that clipboard on the sidelines……….

  24. mymorningstory says:Oct 6, 2011 6:22 PM

    Peyton Hillis is the greatest White Running Back in the past 20 years…
    _____________________

    How quickly we forget Mike Alstott, that dude was awesome

  25. The guy is a poor mans mike alstott. He deserves a new deal, but nothing crazy. Hey did anyone mention the madden curse, because if not let me be the first.

  26. Honestly I can’t slam the guy for not playing with Strepped Throat.

    Strepped throat was the wost sickness I’ve ever had. You can barely breath, you notice just how many times you swollow, and because you are trying to hold back you do it even more and it hurts every time. You can only eat mashed potatos.

    Of course, I’m not an NFL player who got treatment right away. I fought it for a week with no help then had to go to the doctor and get a shot.

    In the end, Madden and EA Sports are to blame.

  27. Dude has no leverege whatsoever. No one will trade for him either. He had one decent year. for a RB, that doesnt mean a new deal. Ask Chris Jonhson, Adrian Peterson and others who are far better and had to prove their worth for more than just one season.

  28. Tony Grossi “opines”; actually who are these “unnamed sources” who have given him reason to “opine”?

    In reality Tony Grossi who has covered the Browns for several decades is a Pittsburgh Steeler supporter and says extremely little in a positive vain about the Browns. The Rooney family is his coin of the realm.

    If there is any thought about Hardesty replacing Hillis, then insanity has taken root in the Browns’ front office.

    Let’s face the truth: Hillis was did not play a game due to “strep throat”; Steinbach was put on IR for surgery which now is called “minor” and he could be playing were he not on IR. Don’t you think the problems may be with the front office?

    It’s not the Madden curse; it’s the curse of Art Modell. And because Tony Grossi berated Modell over and over and refuses to vote for his admission to the HOF, that curse will get him too.

  29. Say there is a trade. Realistically, what three or four teams would go after him to work out the deal? I’m curious to know what the PFT nation thinks about this hypothetical. My four: Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and the New York Jets (because Shonn Greene sucks, especially at fantasy football). Maybe Atlanta since Michael Turner is getting older. I dunno though. Seems weird to trade your marquee player; then again, the Eagles did it with McNabb and who came out on top there? (I say that as someone who hates the Iggles.)

  30. Yeah trade for a guy who fumbles too much, breaks down every season. So tired of all the excuses Hillis supporters give for this guy. He is not that good folks. Most teams wouldn’t give up a bag of doritos for him.

  31. I have absolutely no sympathy for players who hold out for a better contract. You signed it, you play it out.

    In Hillis’ case, though, I see his agent’s point. The teams want to say that it’s a business, fine. It’s a business. He’s making a business decision not to play while he’s sick, because he’s concerned about damaging his future earning potential. I’m OK with that. He can balance the risk of getting hurt against the risk that he’ll be perceived as a malingerer, and won’t get as big a contract offer, and evaluate that however he likes.

    No one is required to play hurt, and you can’t fake a strep test.

  32. Anyway we could trade back Brady Quinn+Knoshow Moreno for Hillis? That would be beast to have TT + Hillis in the back field..

  33. @pixelito White running backs are divas? Hm, I can’t name 10 blacks off the top of my head that have never been in trouble. We’d be better off with more white men in the NFL. The BLACK players are most of the trouble. It’s always bar fights, shootings, drugs, (who dey?) or fathering 8 children with 7 women. white athletes have class. Black ones… Can go play in Africa.

  34. This is why we suck. We get so caught up in DRAMA. You have this local AM sports talk radio station just HAMMERING to the point where they are unlistenable. WHO CARES? The Browns won. Get over it. This is ‘your girl was talking to another guy” high school crap. Cleveland media is all about drama because the teams suck.

  35. jackblackshairyback says: Oct 6, 2011 5:58 PM

    Not to mention, Hillis has a history of butting heads with coaches. In Arkansas, and in Denver with two coaches. You could say that’s because he was always buried on the bench, or maybe he was buried on the bench for butting heads with the coach. We dont know for sure.

    One thing we do know for sure, he’s got a big @$$ head.

  36. [sarcasm on] I cant believe no-one has blamed this on the Madden curse[sarcasm off]

    IMO its a non-issue, move along folks…………….nothing to see here.

  37. Wow. Usually I just like to read the fan’s comments to see what comedy can be had amongst football enthusiasts, but titan 40, you have a gift. You were able to take a comical, yet racist in itself statement, and manage- as a racist yourself, to be offended. I need to re-watch Troll Hunter. Or realize this is a Neil Hamburger post.

  38. So, if I am to believe comments above, Hillis- who clocked a 4.52 40 at the combine- is too slow to play running back and should stick to the extinct fullback position. I suppose this applies to Lagarrette Blount and his 4.7 40, or even Emmitt Smith who posted a 4.7?

  39. So Hillis DOESN’T have strep throat then?

    Strep throat is no joke. Since i’ve seen nothing anywhere saying otherwise, i’ll assume the guy is sick.

    Or- the NFL told the Browns not to let him break 1000yds rushing & double-digit TDs again……..

  40. Interesting that Colt McCoy’s production is down this year too…

    Why not just give Hillis a middlin’ five-year-deal between $10-13.5 mil and call it a season?

  41. And how does Hardesty have a “higher upside”?

    WT eff has Hardesty ever done?

    Methinks the Browns just enjoy being bottomfeeders, since they have an INCREDIBLY popular RB in Hillis who brings tons of fan interest, but they chose to blow him off for some unimagineable reason.

    I really thought Holmgren could right this ship.

  42. Im really gettin tired of players signing contracts then when they have a good season all of a sudden they get all pushy and whiney and thinking they deserve more. For the love of (insert ur religious hero here) why can’t players just play for what they signed their name to say they’d play for? Play good for the length of ur deal then go out demanding more money. Sheesh

  43. leftysmoke says:Oct 6, 2011 6:08 PM

    Hillis on the Steelers? I hate the Steelers but that would be a great move.

    ——————————————————-

    How is Hillis gonna help the Steelers?

    He can’t block for himself.

    The Steelers need to fix their OL first instead of making trades for RBs.

    And after they fix the OL, they need to fix their “D” ‘cuz they can’t stop the run worth a damn, either.

    Their offensive and defensive lines are both sieves right now…

  44. Besides, I highly doubt Cleveland will try to help out Pittsburgh by trading them anything that would help their running game.

    To get Hillis and to get the Browns to ignore the fact that these teams are in the same division, the Steelers would have to overpay for Hillis and I doubt even the Steelers are stupid enough to do that…

  45. Hillis isn’t going anywhere, He wants to be a brown, and the browns want him.They are just playing the money game, just like the lockout, anytime agents, lawyers, get involved it’s all grandstanding and a schlong length contest. We’ll see who wins, it just needs to happen soon, the team has enough issues without this distraction. GO BROWNS

  46. There is one huge, I mean huge part of all this that Everybody but myself seems to have forgot. This HUGE PART is the loss of Lawrence Vickers. Yes Vickers led the way for not one, not two, but three 1000 yard Rushers for the Cleveland Browns. Add this to the absolutely Pathetic excuse the Browns have for an Offensive line, and You could place Any Fantastic NFL RB with the Browns and they too would be failing to get major yards on the ground. So get the whole (Madden Curse) BS out of here, P. Hillis is a beast, End of Story. Guarantee you bring back L.Vickers and the Browns will once again have a good Running, Game. Hardesty will be on I.R by the end of the season. Mark my Words, Injury prone in College = Injury Prone in the Harder Hitting NFL>

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