Maybe the hooded sweatshirt was hanging over Josh McDaniels’ eyes the entire 2009 season. Or maybe he never took the time to watch all of the Denver Broncos’ game film from 2008. Or maybe Mike Holmgren and the Cleveland Browns’ new front office is a whole lot smarter than we realized.
Or maybe there’s no reasonable explanation for how Peyton Hillis(notes) ended up where he is – sparking the suddenly feisty Browns, and leaving Broncos fans writhing in agony over the worst trade of last offseason.
Where is Brady Quinn(notes) these days? You’ll find him scraping barnacles off the bottom of the depth chart, languishing behind Tim Tebow(notes). Yes, that’s the guy whom McDaniels traded Hillis for – he of the career 66.8 quarterback rating and 52 percent completion rate. And it wasn’t even a straight up player-for-player deal. Denver kicked in a sixth-round pick in 2011 and a conditional pick in 2012 to sweeten the pot. Nothing like a couple of bamboo shoots under the fingernails on draft day to remind fans of a team’s brain-searing roster machinations.
[Photos: See more of unlikely star Peyton Hillis in action]
The Browns’ Peyton Hillis rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns vs. the Patriots.
(Tony Dejak/AP Photo)
(Tony Dejak/AP Photo)
You could say McDaniels couldn’t have known, and you’d be right. He couldn’t, because McDaniels never took the time to try and know what Hillis was capable of accomplishing. Despite Hillis’ five yards per carry average and five TDs in a meager 68 rushing attempts in 2008, he didn’t get a sniff when McDaniels took over. Instead, the new regime, in its infinite wisdom, went out of its way to try almost anyone at running back other than Hillis. They drafted Knowshon Moreno(notes), signed J.J. Arrington(notes) (then cut him and signed him again), and scooped up injury-addled veterans Correll Buckhalter(notes) and LaMont Jordan(notes). And into the abyss Hillis went, never to be heard from again in 2009, save for 13 meaningless carries in 14 games.
The truth is, McDaniels never believed in Hillis, and the running back said as much when he joined Cleveland this offseason. Maybe only Hillis believed in himself, since nobody in the media (including me) was shooting a thumbs-up in Cleveland’s direction at the time of the deal. Just like nobody talked about Hillis when they lauded the sick talent in the University of Arkansas’ backfield in 2007, yammering non-stop about Darren McFadden(notes) and Felix Jones(notes), and almost never saying a word about Hillis.
Hindsight is cruel in the NFL, and Hillis’ success is downright merciless for a Broncos team that can’t run the football (last in the NFL heading into this weekend) and has watched Moreno struggle to stay on the field.
So Hillis delivers the two-pronged entry this week, making Denver’s shortsightedness a loser, and Cleveland’s sheer luck a winner. I have a feeling both cities will be talking about this trade for years to come.
On to this week’s other winners and losers …
Falcons defenders separate Bucs running back LeGarrette Blount from his helmet and stop him short of the goal line at the end of the fourth quarter.
(Curtis Compton/AP Photo/Atlanta Journal & Constitution)
(Curtis Compton/AP Photo/Atlanta Journal & Constitution)
The unit overcame some special teams issues and the playmaking of Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman(notes), coming up big when it was needed the most. The fourth-and-1 stand from the 2-yard line late in the fourth quarter might be its defining moment. If you think safety Thomas DeCoud(notes) isn’t a game-changer for the Falcons, watch his hit on the fourth-down play that essentially ended the game.
• New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez(notes)
He was getting outplayed by Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford(notes) into the middle of the fourth quarter, but Sanchez turned it on with five minutes left. Trailing 20-10, Sanchez engineered the Jets’ final three drives for 13 points, including the winning field goal in overtime. He finished with the highest passing total of his career – 323 yards – and looked every bit like the clutch leader the coaching staff has been seeking.
• Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress
His coaching obituary was being written by seemingly everyone late into the fourth quarter against the Cardinals. Fire Chilly? Trailing 24-10 in the final minutes, the question was whether he would make it to the locker room before owner Zygi Wilf chased him down with an axe. But an utterly inept Cardinals team was undone by Brett Favre(notes) and Adrian Peterson in the final minutes and overtime. Give this to Favre: the guy never quits. So Chilly presumably lives to fight another week.
Seyi Ajirotutu caught four passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
(Dave Einsel/AP Photo)
(Dave Einsel/AP Photo)
The defense had a superb second half, holding the Texans to three points. Quarterback Philip Rivers(notes) continues to put up points with third- and fourth-string receiving options, this week’s stars being wideout Seyi Ajirotutu(notes) (four catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns) and tight end Randy McMichael(notes) (two touchdowns). The schedule the rest of the way isn’t brutal, and you have to wonder how prolific this offense will be when Malcolm Floyd and Vincent Jackson(notes) step back into the mix. The Chargers’ AFC West hopes aren’t dead yet.
• New Orleans Saints defense
You have to be careful about any giddiness following a win over a bad Panthers team, but this unit is getting back to last season’s form. The pocket pressure was consistent, and some of the hits (hello again, Darren Sharper(notes)) were devastating. It’s saying something when your defense plows its way to an opponents’ third quarterback and third running back.
• Baltimore Ravens
They’ve lost two games this season by a combined eight points, and the defense had a big spring in its step coming out of the bye week. Safety Ed Reed(notes) had another interception in the win over the Dolphins, giving him three in two games. They’ve got Atlanta and Tampa Bay in two of their next three games, but I fully expect that the Dec. 5 game against Pittsburgh will sort out who looks like the best team in the NFL heading into the playoffs. If the Ravens’ defense continues this rise, that game should turn the clock back to those 2008 title bouts.
• New York Giants
Five straight wins since the 1-2 start, and the offense has been crushing it for four straight games with Sunday’s landslide win over the Seahawks. Eli Manning(notes) has 12 touchdowns and five interceptions in that span, and give a load of credit to the offensive line and backfield, too. Manning has only been sacked three times in the past four games, as the line has played some of its best football of the season. Running backs Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) and Brandon Jacobs(notes) have found their groove. Before anyone crowns this the NFC’s best team, the defense needs to prove it can slow down prolific teams.
• Philadelphia Eagles defense
Since 2008, only one team had sacked Peyton Manning(notes) three times in a regular-season game, until the Eagles accomplished the rare feat in Sunday’s win. It wasn’t a perfect effort, but the Eagles kept Manning off balance for much of the day, limiting him to a 59 percent completion rate (yes, that counts as success against Manning) and forcing him into a pair of interceptions. The defense would have added a fourth sack and a fumble recovery if it hadn’t been for defensive end Trent Cole(notes) brushing against Manning’s helmet during a fourth-quarter hit.
• Oakland Raiders wideout Jacoby Ford(notes)
His 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown brought the Raiders back to life in the second half against the Chiefs. And his 148 receiving yards were ultimately the difference in the overtime win, moving Oakland into decisive scoring position. His last two catches, a 29-yarder he stole from Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers(notes), and his 47-yard catch in overtime, were as big as anything an Oakland wideout has done all season.
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