Peyton Hillis Injury Update: Running Back Already Declared Out For Next Game

After re-injuring his hamstring in practice before Sunday's game against the Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis was quickly declared out for the matchup, which eventually ended in a 30-12 loss for Cleveland. His replacement, Montario Hardesty, was also declared out early on after injuring himself the week before against the San Francisco 49ers. News immediately came out that, now after injuring the hamstring twice, Hillis would be likely to miss multiple games and not just the tilt against Houston.

It looks like those reports were correct, as Mary Kay Cabot reports on Twitter:

#browns montario hardesty and Peyton Hillis are out this week.    

It looks like head coach Pat Shurmur wanted to get that out of the way quickly and not deal with the constant status questions throughout the week: both running backs are out, and coming as early as Monday, that means the injuries really are significant. Considering they're both already ruled out, don't expect either to practice this week, either. Also according to Cabot, the when asked about adding another running back, Shurmur said the team would consider all options for improving the roster.

Peyton Hillis Injury Update: Cleveland Browns RB Out Vs. Texans

After re-injuring his hamstring during the media portion of practice on Friday, it was all but certain that Peyton Hillis would not play tomorrow vs. the Houston Texans. Now it's official, according to the Dayton Daily News, and Hillis could miss multiple games:

Hillis was downgraded from questionable to out on the team's injury report Saturday, one day after the Browns' beleaguered back reinjured his left hamstring on a running play during the early portion of practice open to reporters.

Hillis, who will miss his third straight game with the injury, underwent an MRI. The team has not disclosed results of the test, but when Hillis was dropped off at the training facility following the MRI, his leg was heavily wrapped and he walked with a pronounced limp. It appears the 25-year-old Madden '12 cover boy may miss a few more games.

Without a contract for next year and growing suspicion that his time in Cleveland has run its course, the Browns may put Hillis on the injured reserve if those MRI results suggest he'll need more than a few weeks to recover. 

Peyton Hillis Status: Injury Report Says Questionable, But Could Miss Two Weeks

The Peyton Hillis injury saga has been something to watch nearly every week for the Cleveland Browns and, after the team released it's final injury report of the week, it seems that won't be getting any better. The running back is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans, but reports are the injury might be much worse.

Hillis is expected to miss at least a couple of weeks after re-injuring his hamstring Friday, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer. His MRI apparently showed "significant aggravation," causing the downgrade in his status among those close to the team. 

Fellow running back Montario Hardesty was also listed as out on the team's final injury report of the week, leaving Chris Ogbonnaya and Thomas Clayton as the team's only healthy backs. Ogbonnaya is expected to start on Sunday if Hillis is out as reported.

Defensive back Dmitri Patterson and defensive lineman Auston English are the only other players ruled out for this weekend. Along with Hillis, Tony Pashos, Ray Ventrone and Kaluka Maiava are all listed as questionable after being limited in the final practice of the week.

Peyton Hillis' Attitude Hurting Cleveland Browns Locker Room, According To Report

Peyton Hillis and the Cleveland Browns have enough problems with their team the way it is without getting into off the field issues. Unfortunately it seems that's exactly what is happening as Hillis's interest in getting a new contract has spilled into issues with his fellow teammates.

Hillis has seemed distracted while battling injury issues as of late and, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports, his teammates have decided to take matters into their own hands.

By Wednesday, a group of about eight Browns veterans had summoned Hillis into a meeting room for an intervention-style, air-clearing session designed to restore his focus.

[...]

"I've never seen anything like it," says one Browns veteran. "Last year, Peyton was such a positive, inspirational force on our team - but now he's like a different guy. It's like he's in a funk that he can't get out of, and it's killing us, because we really need him. And we've told him that. But we're at the point where we just don't know what to do."

In a surprising turn of events, a couple of the Browns' top players even went on record with their issues to Yahoo! for their report.

"A few guys tried to talk to him, to make him understand the best way to go about things is to put your head down and do the best you possibly can," said All-Pro tackle Joe Thomas, the team's best and highest-paid player. "Because if the Browns aren't going to pay you, some team will break the bank - and either way you need to play hard."

Added linebacker Scott Fujita: "The fact that everyone has to get asked about [Hillis' situation] by the local beat writers every day, it's started to create a distraction, and it's a shame that it has to be that way. I'm never gonna be in a position to question a player's toughness. I just want him to be healthy and in the right frame of mind to help the team. More than anything else, that's what our conversation with him was about."

There's really no telling how this ends, but considering Hillis will be out a few weeks after re-injuring his hamstring in practice this week, the questions about the team's star running back probably won't slow down.

Peyton Hillis Injury Update: Reporters Doubt Hillis' Eligibility For Sunday Against Texans

After news that running back Peyton Hillis had re-injured his hamstring in practice on Friday, it was immediately speculated that he wouldn't by ready to play on Sunday when the Cleveland Browns take on the Houston Texans. Now we've got some quotes that really bring his status into question. Things aren't looking good for Hillis on Sunday:

Mary Kay Cabot says it looked bad:

#browns rb Peyton hillis looked distraught after re-injuring his hamstring today. It looked bad, folks.    

Hillis was talking about how he was nervous to return to practice and how he just wanted to take things slow leading up to the game. Him looking distraught is a telltale sign that he knows its bad and, presumably, that he won't be able to play on Sunday against the Texans.

Nate Ulrich echoes the sentiments:

Hard to believe #Browns RB Peyton Hillis could play Sunday vs. #Texans after what reporters just witnessed at practice. Didn't look good.    

Not good news at all for Hillis. If he can't go, it will likely be Chris Ogbonnaya getting the start and Thomas Clayton backing him up. Both of them are recent signees, with the latter coming this week.

Peyton Hillis Injury Update: Hillis Reportedly Re-Injures Hamstring During Practice

Bad news for the Cleveland Browns and, more specifically, Peyton Hillis. After returning to practice with the rest of the team on Thursday, Hillis went out on Friday to do the same thing, but apparently re-injured his hamstring and showed immediate frustration, according to Mary Kay Cabot:

#browns rb Peyton Hillis re-injured his hamstring on a run, threw the ball, threw his helmet.    

That's pretty bad news, at this point. Last week, Peyton Hillis did some running and things of that nature on Wednesday leading up to the game against the 49ers, but on Thursday, he experienced tightness in his hamstring and was eventually ruled out for that week's game.

It's unclear to what extend Hillis has apparently re-injured his hamstring, but one can assume it has tightened up considerably and that he probably won't be ready for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans. There should be an official injury report on the matter later today.

Peyton Hillis Says He's On Track To Play Sunday Against Texans

Earlier on Thursday came news that Peyton Hillis practiced with the rest of the team and that he "looked good" doing it. There's still no official status for Hillis (that comes on Friday) in regards to an official injury report for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans, but he spoke to media after practice and said he felt good about his chances to play come gameday, via ESPN:

"I'm on pace to be healthy and play Sunday," he said afterward. "That's what I'm looking forward to and that's what I'm hoping to do."

Hillis also said that if today were Sunday and they were about to play the Texans, he'd be playing. He's likely going to take it slowly though, as he thought he might be close to being ready last week, before his hamstring tightened up and he didn't practice again until this week, missing Sunday's game against the 49ers. Either way, it's good that he's that confident at this point.

Peyton Hillis Injury Update: Hillis Practices With Team On Thursday

There's some good news on the Peyton Hillis injury front, after Wednesday came through as somewhat of a downer. First, we had heard that Hillis was going to practice with the team and take part in drills, but it was soon confirmed that Hillis was only working with a trainer in some capacity, and didn't work out with the team at all.

Now, according to Mary Kay Cabot, Hillis is back practicing with the team:

#Browns RB Peyton Hillis practiced in full pads, took part in team drills, looked good.    

Last time Hillis practiced in some variety or another was last Wednesday before the 49ers game, and he experienced tightness in his injured hamstring. That led to no practice the following Thursday and eventually, he would miss the game against San Francisco. Practicing again is a good sign, especially with the rest of the team, and speaks a lot to his potential status for the team's next game.

Cleveland Brown Injury Report, Week 9: Peyton Hillis Did Not Practice Wednesday

The Cleveland Browns released their first injury report of the week on Wednesday and, as expected, the running backs continue to be an issue. The Browns play the Houston Texans this weekend.

Peyton Hillis did not practice due to his hamstring injury and Montario Hardesty missed practice with his calf injury. Hardesty has already been ruled out for this weekend's game while Hillis's status is still up in the air for the weekend, though the latter did work out with a trainer during Wednesday's practice.

Other players that missed Wednesday's practice include defensive lineman Auston English with with a knee injury, wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi due to concussion and defensive backs Dimitri Patterson and Ray Ventrone. Patterson was out with a knee injury while Ventrone's hamstring was the cause for his missed practice. 

T.J. Ward, Tony Pashos, Kaluka Maiava and Chris Gocong all were limited on Wednesday with various injuries, though they did practice.

Peyton Hillis Injury Update: Not Practicing With Team, Working With Trainer On Wednesday

Scratch that earlier news that running back Peyton Hillis would be practicing on Wednesday. Well, the official news that Hillis would try to practice to some extent, and that's still in, but he's not going to be working out with the team at all, according to Mary Kay Cabot:

#browns rb Peyton Hillis (hamstring) not practicing with team today, working with trainer.    

His status for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans remains very much up in the air, but at least Hillis is doing something. If he doesn't join his teammates soon, he'll probably be ruled out of the game, but for now, working with the trainer is progress. He'll likely try to do some light running and work on getting that hamstring moving to see if it tightens up or anything of that nature.

On Wednesday of last week, Hillis practiced a little, maybe doing too much too soon and ended up dealing with tightness on Thursday that ultimately kept him out of the game against the 49ers.

Peyton Hillis Injury Update: Browns Running Back Reportedly Set To Practice Wednesday

There's some good news on the Peyton Hillis injury front. After missing the last couple games with a hamstring injury (and having his replacement, Montario Hardesty, injured against the 49ers this past Sunday), Hillis is getting ready to practice again, according to Mary Kay Cabot:

"We'll just  have to see how much he can do,'' said Shurmur. "He's been running around, but football stuff is different. I'm hopeful everybody's ready to play.''    

Hillis reportedly participated in the walk-through on Wednesday morning, and will do some work this afternoon. Shurmur had no official status for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans, though it was established that Hardesty was unlikely to play. Last Wednesday, Hillis was given the same duties: go through a walkthrough and practice a little bit, but on Thursday he had his hamstring tighten up and didn't practice the rest of the week, missing the game against the 49ers. Hopefully that won't happen again.

Browns Could Try Josh Cribbs At Running Back, Work Out Some Backs

The Cleveland Browns have a bad situation at the running back position right now. Running back Peyton Hillis has been on the mend dealing with a hamstring injury and now back up running back Montario Hardesty reportedly has a torn right calf muscle and will be out at least two weeks. Due to these injuries, the Browns have brought in a few running backs for a workout. One of the backs the Browns worked out has spent time on their practice squad, Thomas Clayton, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Clayton was active for the Browns for two games last season.

An interesting possibility for the Browns at running back is wide receiver/return man Josh Cribbs. Cribbs is kind of a utility man on the Browns, playing all over the offense. He's been an effective runner out of wildcat formations and it sounds like it's been considered in the past. "Josh can do a lot of things," said Browns head coach Pat Shurmur. "That'd be a good choice." Earlier in the season, Cribbs said not to rule him out of playing in the backfield.

I'm not sure how effective Cribbs would be running out of standard formations, but he's certainly big enough to take the pounding and isn't afraid to get hit. He knows how to hit running lanes, as evidenced by his return and yards after the catch ability. It's an interesting idea, especially given the added possibility of plays in receiving the ball out of the backfield on screens.

For more on the Cleveland Browns and their running back situation, visit SB Nation's Browns blog Dawgs by Nature.

Peyton Hillis Is A No Show For Halloween Event

Peyton Hillis Injury Makes Him Questionable For Sunday; Mohamed Massaquoi Is Out

The Cleveland Browns held their final practice of the week on Friday as the get set to face the San Francisco 49ers this weekend. The final injury report came out shortly thereafter, revealing some disappointing news for Peyton Hillis and Mohamed Massaquoi.

Hillis practiced on Wednesday with his hamstring injury before shutting it down on Thursday with hopes that it get better with a day of rest. It apparently did not, however, as the running back missed all of Friday’s practice and has been listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

Massaquoi’s news is a bit worse, however, as the wide receiver has been ruled out for the match-up with the 49ers. Concussions are nothing to mess around with so it’s good that he’s waiting until he’s 100 percent to return. The only other player definitively ruled out is defensive lineman Auston English, who first showed up on the injury report Friday with a knee injury.

The list of players joining Hillis in the questionable column is troubling. A "questionable" status means the chances are 50-50 to play and key players Joe Haden, Benjamin Watson and Tony Pashos all fall under that column. Ray Ventrone, Kaluka Maiava and Shaun Lauvao are also questionable.

As far as good news is concerned, kicker Phil Dawson practiced in full on Friday and is probable this weekend along with linebacker Scott Fujita. Artis Hicks and Buster Skrine fall in the same boat.

Peyton Hillis Injury Update: Running Back Reportedly Not Practicing Again Friday

It seems the brief optimism on Wednesday that Browns running back Peyton Hillis would play is all but gone. Wednesday saw Hillis do a little bit of practicing and some running, but his hamstring tightened up and he missed practice on Thursday and was considered doubtful by many of the local beat writers. Now the news just gets worse for Browns fans, via Mary Kay Cabot:

#browns rb Peyton hillis not practicing again today. 

The first official injury report for the Browns' game against the San Francisco 49ers will come out today, and Hillis would seem likely to appear on it under either questionable or doubtful. If Hillis isn't good to go, Montario Hardesty is likely to get the start again, and he did fill in nicely for Hillis against the Seattle Sehawks, rushing for just under 100 yards on the day. Hardesty has been taking all of the first-team snaps in practice with Hillis' absence.

Cleveland Browns Injury Report Lists Peyton Hillis, Mohamed Massaquoi As Out

The Cleveland Browns injury report on Thursday was worse than the team's opening week report on Wednesday as the team continues to get ready for the San Francisco 49ers this weekend. As reported earlier Thursday morning, running back Peyton Hillis didn't partake in practice on Thursday after being limited the day before while Mohamed Massaquoi and Ben Watson both missed another day of practice.

As written earlier this morning, it's difficult to say exactly what caused Hillis to be downgraded overnight.

Peyton Hillis is still hopeful that he's ready to play when the Browns take on the 49ers on Sunday. He did practice with the team on Wednesday and was put through a higher workload than some believed he would be. Now it's looking like he either did too much, or he just isn't ready to do more regardless, as Tony Grossi is reporting on Twitter that Hillis isn't practicing with the team on Thursday.

Ray Ventrone was the only other player on Thursday that didn't practice while Scott Fujita was able to return to full practice after being limited on Wednesday.

Cleveland Browns Injury Report: Peyton Hillis, Joe Haden Limited In Practice

The Cleveland Browns first injury report of the week did not reveal any major differences from what was reported earlier Wednesday morning. Mohamed Massaquoi and Ben Watson did, in fact, miss practice while Peyton Hillis, Joe Haden and Scott Fujita were limited.

Massaquoi, Watson, Raymond Ventrone and Shawn Lauvao were the only four players that missed the morning's entire practice as the Browns worked to gear up for their game against the San Francisco 49ers. As SB Nation Cleveland colleague wrote earlier Wednesday, Massaquoi and Watson are obviously the most important.

The biggest news is that the two receiving targets, WR Mohamed Massaquoi and tight end Benjamin Watson, are sitting out of practice with concussions. Both of the receivers suffered concussions before the second half, near the end of the first half. Massaquoi was hurt going up for a pass over the middle, and it's still unclear when Watson suffered his injury, but they'll need to pass an exam before they can practice again, let alone play.

Hillis was able to practice despite his hamstring injury, Fujita was limited due to the concussion he suffered earlier in the season, Haden's knee injury didn't allow him to fully return to practice and kick Phil Dawson has a right thigh injury.

Both Artis Hicks and Buster Skrine well full participants in practice despite being listed on the injury report.

Peyton Hillis And Montario Hardesty May Split Cleveland Browns Carries Going Forward

Peyton Hillis is guaranteed to play in the Cleveland Browns upcoming game against the San Francisco 49ers considering he missed the team's victory over the Seattle Seahawks due to injury. That isn't a terribly huge blow as far as head coach Pat Shurmur is concerned, however, considering a solid performance put in by back-up Montario Hardesty on Sunday.

Shurmur was asked about Hardesty's situation going forward after Sunday's win, specifically regarding Hillis's return. Not surprisingly, Shurmur had good things to say about his back-up.

 "Well he has no choice right now.  He played like a starting running back and he battled.  He wasn't perfect," Shurmur said during the post-game press conference.  I'm sure he's going to be sore tomorrow, but yes, I think for the time being he's earned the right to carry the football and we're going to welcome Peyton back when he's healthy and hopefully we can keep building on that."

That probably isn't an answer Hillis was hoping for considering he's still looking for a new contract, but Hardesty's play does warrant him at least being somewhat involved in the team's offense.

Browns RB Peyton Hillis out against Seahawks

Jason LaCanfora of NFL Network is reporting that Cleveland Browns starting running back Peyton Hillis won’t play today against the Seattle Seahawks.

Hillis suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter last week against the Oakland Raiders.

The status of cornerback Joe Haden is still listed as questionable.

Peyton Hillis Injury Update: Cleveland Browns Running Back Questionable Vs. Seahawks

The Cleveland Browns final injury report of the week came out on Friday afternoon with few surprises for those who read the reports coming out of Friday morning's practice. Of note, though, are status updates for Peyton Hillis, Joe Haden and Scott Fujita regarding Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Hillis has been dealing with a hamstring injury as of late, even missing a portion of last week's game after originally tweaking it in the third quarter. The Browns' star running back didn't practice at all this week, but he's listed as questionable for this weekend's game and will probably end up being a game-time decision.

While Hillis at least has a chance to play, Fujita has been ruled out for this weekend's game. Fujita suffered a concussion against the Oakland Raiders and was sent home by Cleveland head coach Pat Shurmur earlier in the week. The news on Haden is a bit better as he was able to participate in some of Friday's practice after being held out Wednesday and Thursday with a knee injury.

Joe Haden Returning To Practice For Browns, Peyton Hillis Misses Another

We have no official gameday status for anybody, but Scott Petrak is reporting that Cleveland Browns cornerback Joe Haden has returned to practice with the team. Coach Pat Shurmur is supposed to update their status following practice, but it's significant for Haden, the team's number one corner and former first-round pick. He hasn't practiced or played since Oct. 2 in a loss to the Tennessee Titans, but reportedly lined up with the first team and looked good doing it.

Also of note was the fact that star running back Peyton Hillis missed another practice with a hamstring injury. There's no updates on his status or if he got to doing the running in the pool on Thursday, and he'll likely remain questionable for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Scott Fujita also did not practice, after being sent home on Wednesday and Thursday with post-concussion symptoms (which simply means "with a concussion") and the deadline for him to pass his post-concussion exam is fast-approaching. According to the report, Art Hicks and rookie cornerback Buster Skrine also returned to practice, but Ray Ventrone missed his third straight day.

Peyton Hillis Sits Out Practice Again, According To Report

According to Cleveland.com, Browns running back Peyton Hillis will once again sit out practice on Thursday with a hamstring injury. On Wednesday, Hillis was supposed to do "something," which we now know was going to be some light running, but he wasn't ready. According to the report, Hillis is set to do some running in the pool on Thursday, and remains day-to-day in regards to his status for Sunday's matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.

In a bit of good news, cornerback Joe Haden did some light running again on Thursday, and though his status hasn't been elevated and he has yet to do a full practice, head coach Pat Shurmur did say that his feeling was that Haden, along with fellow defensive back Buster Skrine, would play on Sunday.

Linebacker Scott Fujita was once again sent home due to his concussion symptoms, and now it appears that it might be more serious than previously though. We thought Fujita had injured himself in the fourth quarter when he left the game, but he might have done so in the first quarter and continued to play with the injury:

Defensive coordinator Dick Jauron said he thinks Fujita suffered the concussion early in the Raiders game when he had some helmet-to-helmet contact. He remained in the game until the fourth quarter    

That would seem to make it more unlikely that Fujita plays on Sunday. A concussion is bad enough, but more contact immediately after it for another two quarters can only make things worse. Fujita would need to pass a concussion test to make sure he's back at his normal baseline before being cleared to play.

Cleveland Browns Injury Report: Peyton Hillis Not Involved In Team Drills, Scott Fujita Sent Home

The Cleveland Browns find themselves in a precarious position with starting running back Peyton Hillis questionable after a hamstring injury and starting linebacker Scott Fujita sent home from practice with a concussion. For more on the injuries, the upcoming game against Seattle, and just the Browns in general, head on over to Dawgs By Nature.

Peyton Hillis MRI Confirms Injured Hamstring

Madden Cursed or not, MRI results on Sept. 17 confirmed that Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis has an injured hamstring, but coach Pat Shurmer has not ruled Hillis out of the team's Week 7 game against the Seahawks.

Hillis is nursing a strained left hamstring, an injury Browns coach Pat Shurmur said happened on a carry in the first quarter of Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Raiders. An MRI taken Monday confirmed Hillis' injury, and Shurmur said it's too early to say he'll miss this week's game against Seattle.

"Those injuries can take a couple of days or they can take however long," Shurmur said. "But it's a hamstring injury."

While the latest trade rumors indicate that Hillis will not be dealt before Tuesday's Oct. 18 trade deadline, Hillis' season continues to take odd and unfortunate turns. After running for a cool 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, Hillis has gained just 211 yards and two touchdowns on a career-low 3.5 yards per carry this year as the Browns have stumbled to a 2-3 start.

Peyton Hillis And His Struggles A Sign Of The 'Madden Curse'?

Browns' Running Back Peyton Hillis Has MRI Scheduled

The Cleveland Browns suffered a listless 24-17 loss tot he Oakland Raiders on Sunday, but they may have suffered an even bigger loss on Monday morning. Running back Peyton Hillis suffered an apparent injury on Sunday and now has an MRI scheduled according to SBNation’s Dawgs By Nature:

"Coaches decision" technically covers injury situations, but I would say that in general, "coaches decision" in sports refers to a non-injury related decision. Shortly after that, Cabot and the rest of the media announced that it was due to a hamstring injury. Hillis did re-enter the game in the fourth quarter, but he explained why everything happened the way it did on Sunday:

(On when the injury happened): "It was my second run when I went outside and one of the defensive backs pushed me out of bounds and I overextended," he said. "I tried to play there a couple of series afterward the best I could."

(Shurmur did not go against his word): "That's nobody's fault," said Hillis, referring to Shurmur not being able to give Hillis the bulk of the carries due to his injury. "You pull a hamstring, you try to go out there and do your best. It's nobody's fault. It's just unfortunate, disappointing."

(On why he went in to block late in the game): "I felt it was a critical part in the game," said Hillis. "I didn't want to leave Montario hanging out there, so I felt if I could go in there and do a little pass protection, do what I could do to help the team win...it probably wasn't the smartest thing to do," he said. "But I wanted to help the team win. I was anxious to get out there and help. It was a critical point, we were just two possessions down and if we got that touchdown -- you saw how things worked out with the onside kick and stuff, we knew it was within reach."

Peyton Hillis sits out third quarter, Raiders surge ahead 24-7 heading into fourth

The third quarter was an embarrassing one for the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders used a 35-yard fake field goal from Shane Lechler to Kevin Boss to take a commanding 24-7 lead after the three quarters in Oakland.

The Browns were without running back Peyton Hillis the entire quarter. Word came through late in the third quarter that Hillis had tweaked his hamstring and his return is questionable.

Hillis’ replacement, Montario Hardesty, has largely been ineffective all game. He dropped another pass in the third quarter. It was Hardesty’s sixth pass drop in two games.

The troubles with the passing game don’t simply lie with Hardesty. Quarterback Colt McCoy has thrown several errant passes on the game. For the day, he’s just nine of 24 for 103 yards.