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broncofaninfla
08-27-2009, 09:12 AM
To shore up kickoff return, Hillis receives plenty of reps

By Jeff Legwold
The Denver Post
Posted: 08/27/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT




True to his word, Broncos coach Josh McDaniels has looked at some additional kickoff returners this week.
Running back Peyton Hillis has spent plenty of time fielding kickoffs in practice. Hillis returned punts and kickoffs as a college player at Arkansas.
Rookie wide receiver Kenny McKinley bobbled a kickoff and fumbled another Saturday at Seattle. Rookie cornerback Alphonso Smith also bobbled a kickoff in the game.

BigDaddyBronco
08-27-2009, 09:13 AM
I love to see Hillis get a lot of touches. Hopefully he stays in one piece.

claymore
08-27-2009, 09:16 AM
I love to see Hillis get a lot of touches. Hopefully he stays in one piece.

JMCD is going to use this kid up.

nbenallo33
08-27-2009, 09:18 AM
Hillis would be great to see returning kicks..
aslong as he stays healthy

BigDaddyBronco
08-27-2009, 09:18 AM
JMCD is going to use this kid up.

Without Moreno and Marshall on the field he kind of has to. I don't see us getting by with Jordan and Gaffney being our playmakers.

Maybe by the time the season starts these guys will be back and contributing. :ihopespringiseternal:

NightTrainLayne
08-27-2009, 09:26 AM
Without Moreno and Marshall on the field he kind of has to. I don't see us getting by with Jordan and Gaffney being our playmakers.

Maybe by the time the season starts these guys will be back and contributing. :ihopespringiseternal:

Back in the good ole days of the late nineties, folks complained forever that Shanny was going to use TD up. Shanny basically replied, "That's what you have to do. You have to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of your stars because you only have a limited time to capitalize on their talent, especially at RB."

A season later TD was pretty much lost for good.

I think Shanny was right. May as well use them up and get every ounce of production you can out of them.

TXBRONC
08-27-2009, 09:29 AM
Hillis with full head of steam would be quite painful for coverage units. :eek:

That being said I'm not sure they would want he doing that full time along with all his other duties on offense.

BigDaddyBronco
08-27-2009, 09:30 AM
Back in the good ole days of the late nineties, folks complained forever that Shanny was going to use TD up. Shanny basically replied, "That's what you have to do. You have to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of your stars because you only have a limited time to capitalize on their talent, especially at RB."

A season later TD was pretty much lost for good.

I think Shanny was right. May as well use them up and get every ounce of production you can out of them.
I would agree if there was a chance of making the playoffs or going even further. Otherwise I would try and prolong these guys until you had all of the pieces to make a run.

It's a hard call. I agree with Shanny during our SB runs, the year Elway retired I might have brought in someone to share the load, but they were going to ride TD to the playoffs again, right.

dogfish
08-27-2009, 09:54 AM
this kid is as versatile as they come-- what an asset. . . .


his new nickname is "the swiss army knife". . . .

Day1BroncoFan
08-27-2009, 10:03 AM
this kid is as versatile as they come-- what an asset. . . .


his new nickname is "the swiss army knife". . . .

Can we shorten that to "the sak", maybe not. Never mind.

G_Money
08-27-2009, 10:03 AM
I think he's the redneck army knife. The Swiss like their stuff to be tiny and precision-oriented.

I don't think Hillis has a toothpick and a magnifying glass.

He's more of the chainsaw and personal nuclear device sort of player.

~G

NightTrainLayne
08-27-2009, 10:06 AM
I think he's the redneck army knife. The Swiss like their stuff to be tiny and precision-oriented.

I don't think Hillis has a toothpick and a magnifying glass.

He's more of the chainsaw and personal nuclear device sort of player.

~G

I was thinking along these same lines. Hill-billy Rednecks in Arkansas have multi-purpose tools. . .but theirs are not to be used for sewing on buttons. More like the John Rambo killing/gutting/filleting/start a fire/saw down a tree and build a house/open a beer kind of knife.

broncofaninfla
08-27-2009, 10:15 AM
I just hope the kid doesn't get hurt. I think he is more of an asset on offense.

When is Denver going to have a quality kick returner? Rick Upchurch is the last guy I can remember us having that was worth a d*mn.

Poet
08-27-2009, 10:16 AM
Back in the good ole days of the late nineties, folks complained forever that Shanny was going to use TD up. Shanny basically replied, "That's what you have to do. You have to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of your stars because you only have a limited time to capitalize on their talent, especially at RB."

A season later TD was pretty much lost for good.

I think Shanny was right. May as well use them up and get every ounce of production you can out of them.

I disagree. Yes, the injury that got TD could have happened at any point in time. That being said, if that type of injury doesn't happen then you can sacrfice a lot of good years of production for short team success.

TD was enough of a beast that he had a LOT to give. If that injury didn't happen then he was goign to kill teams for years.

NightTrainLayne
08-27-2009, 10:19 AM
I disagree. Yes, the injury that got TD could have happened at any point in time. That being said, if that type of injury doesn't happen then you can sacrfice a lot of good years of production for short team success.

TD was enough of a beast that he had a LOT to give. If that injury didn't happen then he was goign to kill teams for years.

I completely understand both sides of the argument, and let's face it TD wasn't returning kicks.

But at the same time, I understand that in the NFL there is no time to waste, and no way to really "save up" production to use next season. .. there's no guarantees. Might as well get every ounce you can while you have it.

Day1BroncoFan
08-27-2009, 10:22 AM
All you have is now. Win this game then worry about the next.

claymore
08-27-2009, 10:40 AM
Back in the good ole days of the late nineties, folks complained forever that Shanny was going to use TD up. Shanny basically replied, "That's what you have to do. You have to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of your stars because you only have a limited time to capitalize on their talent, especially at RB."

A season later TD was pretty much lost for good.

I think Shanny was right. May as well use them up and get every ounce of production you can out of them.

I would rather have a great fullback for 10 years than an ok kick returner, pretty good RB for 3-4.

CoachChaz
08-27-2009, 11:40 AM
McD is an ass for not using Hillis and his versatility enough

McD is an ass for using Hillis too much/in the wrong places.


Can we pick one side of the McD hatred and stick with it?

Requiem / The Dagda
08-27-2009, 11:49 AM
I kind of enjoy seeing the double standards, Coach.

honz
08-27-2009, 11:56 AM
McD is an ass for not using Hillis and his versatility enough

McD is an ass for using Hillis too much/in the wrong places.


Can we pick one side of the McD hatred and stick with it?

Winnar.

shank
08-27-2009, 12:47 PM
if i could have a promise that hillis would stay healthy, i would want him out there on defense too.

i remember really enjoying watching reuben droughns return kicks because of how much power he used, rather than dancing around until getting tackled. hillis is a stronger runner than droughns, so it could be very fun to watch him in this role.

stay healthy, though, peyton. :salute:

broncohead
08-27-2009, 12:59 PM
McD is an ass for not using Hillis and his versatility enough

McD is an ass for using Hillis too much/in the wrong places.


Can we pick one side of the McD hatred and stick with it?

Hillis isn't the only 1 under utalized on offense. Schef is anonther player that can really help in the passing game.

T.K.O.
08-27-2009, 01:30 PM
the entire team is a "work in progress"
thats what the off & pre-seasons are for...discovering where to best use players,finding strengths and weaknesses in the whole team.
its absurd to say anyone is over or under used at this point.
man some people would complain if mcD let hillis rush for 5 td's saying he could have been hurt or why doesnt he let some rookies get more experience.
it is obvious that some people will bash mcD for any reason (even if they have to make the reasons up)all because they cant let go of the FACT that their wonderboy wanted the F out of town and caught the 1st train to chicago!
give it a rest ...really.
give the new regime and players a chance to play before calling them the worst team in history and incapable of doing anything right!
and clay your sig is making my computer slow down whenever i pass one of your posts...is it just mine?

Ravage!!!
08-27-2009, 01:33 PM
Hillis with full head of steam would be quite painful for coverage units. :eek:

That being said I'm not sure they would want he doing that full time along with all his other duties on offense.

I just can't imagine having a full head of steam running AT him, and feeling like I'm going to win that battle. I would be scared...to where my bowels emptied down the field...

Ravage!!!
08-27-2009, 01:34 PM
McD is an ass

McD is an ass


Can we pick one side of the McD hatred and stick with it?


THere you go.. I think you did it!! :beer:

Requiem / The Dagda
08-27-2009, 02:09 PM
I hope Peyton can do well and stay healthy. I don't want him to become the next message board Quentin Griffin.

Poet
08-27-2009, 02:14 PM
I completely understand both sides of the argument, and let's face it TD wasn't returning kicks.

But at the same time, I understand that in the NFL there is no time to waste, and no way to really "save up" production to use next season. .. there's no guarantees. Might as well get every ounce you can while you have it.

That is true. But I just look at what Tennessee did to Eddie George (who was a freak and could have been a HOFer) and what Larry Johnson became. Now, in Johnson's case, his attitude hurt, but he had elite talent. He could have been a football god. That 400 carry season crushed him.

I don't think you "save up" carries or anything, but when you have a franchise player you need to keep the franchise around them. I'm not saying this guy is a franchise player, but look at Minnesota. You know they are going to manage what AP does because when you get a player who plays like that you want him around for as long as possible.

Dortoh
08-27-2009, 02:15 PM
Why not put Champ back there then?

claymore
08-27-2009, 02:17 PM
Hillis isn't the only 1 under utalized on offense. Schef is anonther player that can really help in the passing game.

The WR's are under utilized. :baghead:

Tned-Mobile
08-27-2009, 02:27 PM
Return stats at Arkansas. Not awesome, but I didn't watch enough games to know what kind of overall unit the Razorbacks had.



year team g pr yds td fc lng kr yds td fc lng
2004 ark 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 128 0 0 30
2005 ark 0 25 165 0 9 27 3 65 0 0 23
2006 ark 0 13 92 0 5 27 1 18 0 0 18
2007 ark 0 5 0 0 4 0 1 2 0 0 2

Tned-Mobile
08-27-2009, 02:29 PM
P.S. When Denver drafted Hillis, I was talking to a friend that is a Razorback nut and he was pissed off at the UofA coach, saying that he was an excellent RB, but when they drafted Jones and McFadden, he through him into PR duty and wound up spending a couple years dinged up.

At the time, he was telling me (shortly after the draft) that if the Broncos let him carry the ball, they were going to have themselves a good running back, not just a blocking FB. Looks like he was right.

honz
08-27-2009, 02:36 PM
I figured I'd actually make a legit post after a run of 36 straight sarcastic posts...

I'm not entirely fond of having a guy like Hillis returning kickoffs because with his running style he is bound to take a vicious hit every once in a while. I just hope he is smart about choosing his battles if he ends up returning kicks often. No need to get yourself killed for an extra 2 yards on a kickoff return, ya know?

honz
08-27-2009, 02:36 PM
I figured I'd actually make a legit post after a run of 36 straight sarcastic posts...

I'm not entirely fond of having a guy like Hillis returning kickoffs because with his running style he is bound to take a vicious hit every once in a while. I just hope he is smart about choosing his battles if he ends up returning kicks often. No need to get yourself killed for an extra 2 yards on a kickoff return, ya know?

honz
08-27-2009, 02:38 PM
LOL...I try to make a productive/useful post and I get rewarded with a double post. I fail at life. :tear:

Grover
08-27-2009, 03:29 PM
Hmmmmmm, I just searched and found out that Chad Jackson had 6 Kickoff returns in his years with New England for a combined 106 yards. 17.67 average.

And Jrwiz posted Hillis' college record which was 213 yards total on 12 returns. That''s a 17.75 yard average.

If Chad isn't getting any work on punt and kickoff returns, then it's an indication (IMHO) that he's not in the favorite 53 at this time.

Gimpygod
08-27-2009, 03:44 PM
McD is an ass for not using Hillis and his versatility enough

McD is an ass for using Hillis too much/in the wrong places.


Can we pick one side of the McD hatred and stick with it?

There is absolutely no contradiction or double standard in saying Payton should be utilized more in the Offensive scheme but not be subjected to unnecessary punishment as cannon fodder on special teams.

Poet
08-27-2009, 03:46 PM
There is absolutely no contradiction or double standard in saying Payton should be utilized more in the Offensive scheme but not be subjected to unnecessary punishment as cannon fodder on special teams.

When did Hillis become a superstar and get too good for Special Teams?

I don't mean to be an ass, but you guys drafted Moreno for a reason. Hillis seems to be a good player and all but damn.

Gimpygod
08-27-2009, 03:53 PM
When did Hillis become a superstar and get too good for Special Teams?

I don't mean to be an ass, but you guys drafted Moreno for a reason. Hillis seems to be a good player and all but damn.

How many six-foot tall 250 pound kick returner's have you seen? I don't mind him blocking and tackling the guys are going to go straight for his knees unless they are mental. So, I'm not saying he's too good for special-teams per se but definitely too valuable to use as a toy or experimental kick returner.

T.K.O.
08-27-2009, 04:26 PM
When did Hillis become a superstar and get too good for Special Teams?

I don't mean to be an ass, but you guys drafted Moreno for a reason. Hillis seems to be a good player and all but damn.

and moreno is already hurt...so even more reason to keep hillis healthy as long as possible.
that being said we cant "baby" anyone on the team.they just have to dish the punishment instead of taking it !:salute:

GEM
08-27-2009, 05:01 PM
How many six-foot tall 250 pound kick returner's have you seen? I don't mind him blocking and tackling the guys are going to go straight for his knees unless they are mental. So, I'm not saying he's too good for special-teams per se but definitely too valuable to use as a toy or experimental kick returner.

Kind of like Elam on that trick play a couple seasons ago. :laugh:

dogfish
08-27-2009, 06:39 PM
chuck norris has to get permission from peyton hillis before kicking someone's ass. . . .

Tned
08-27-2009, 06:47 PM
chuck norris has to get permission from peyton hillis before kicking someone's ass. . . .

He will single handedly win me that keeper league. Write it down...

TXBRONC
08-27-2009, 06:54 PM
He will single handedly win me that keeper league. Write it down...

Championship. :D