I’m not sure if anyone has experienced as rapid of a rise, or as steep of a fall, as Peyton Hillis. The Cleveland Browns running back has gone from a 2010 season in which he experienced career-best numbers to a tumultuous 2011 season that saw him having a great deal of trouble just getting on the field.

Hillis spent the first two years of his career buried on the depth chart at running back with the Denver Broncos. He gained a total of 394 yards over his first two seasons in the NFL before he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. In a case of being the right player at the right time on the right team, Hillis had a breakout 2010 season. He gained 1,177 yards on the ground and ran for 11 touchdowns.

His tough, bruising running style made him a fan favorite in Cleveland quickly, and the fans awarded him a special honor as a result. When the makers of the Madden NFL video game put to the fans a vote on who they wanted as cover player, Browns fans rose to the occasion. In an upset over more accomplished players such as Michael Vick and Aaron Rodgers, Hillis was selected to be on the cover.

However, times would soon turn tough for Hillis. Coming off the 2011 NFL lockout, Hillis was entering the last year of his original rookie contract. Believing that he had earned a new, more lucrative, extension, Hillis entered into contentious negotiations with Browns management. While it’s not known what Hillis was eventually offered for an extension, he never accepted it. Eventually the Browns decided to end negotiations until the season was over.

Hillis’ 2011 season has been a largely forgettable one. Plagued by slowly healing injuries, Hillis has had trouble fitting into an offense that has completely changed since the Browns hired a new head coach earlier in the year. As a result, Hillis has played in only nine games this season, accumulating only 557 yards and three touchdowns.

Recently, in an interview, Hillis stated that he believes his poor 2011 performance is a result of the “Madden Curse,” a well-known supposed curse that befalls players who have graced the cover of the video game. Prior victims of the curse have included Michael Vick, Dorsey Levens, and Shaun Alexander.

It’s not surprising that Hillis would blame the video game curse rather than taking full responsibility for his poor play. Hillis has spent a lot of time in the locker room in the first half of the season talking to the press discussing how unhappy he was with his contract situation. It infuriated his teammates so much that they eventually forced a private meeting with him to attempt to straighten out his attitude.

Whether or not you believe in this curse in Hillis’ situation depends on how you view the player himself. Is he a victim of circumstance (the lockout), nagging injuries, and a change in the coaching staff and philosophy? Or did he let his 2010 success go to his head and, instead of focusing on his play, spend too much time in 2011 whining about his contract? Time will tell. Until then, I personally believe that Hillis was a curse unto himself.

Julie is a long-time NFL fan who does not believe in the Madden NFL curse. Success in football is sometimes a curse unto itself. In any case, she supports the Cleveland Browns’ decision to stop negotiating with this particular running back.

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Is it too early to say Seneca Wallace would make a perfect mentor for Robert Griffin III on the Cleveland Browns next season?

While Wallace was not perfect in the Browns’ 20-17 loss against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, December 18, he gave the fans a glimpse of what a confidently run west coast offense looks like.

He completed 18 of 31 passes for 226 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. What made the biggest difference was his ability to make strong throws that the receivers were not consistently dropping.

The highlight of the game for Cleveland was his 76-yard touchdown reception to Greg Little in the third quarter. Those are the big plays that have been absent from the Browns offense all season.

As for Little, he played the best game of his career catching the ball five times for 131 yards. The touchdown reception was only his second on the year. His ability to catch the ball was greatly improved. It was nice to see he may have recovered from his case of “Braylonitis.”

Speaking of recoveries, RB Payton Hillis appeared to have recovered from his case of the “Madden Curse” and returned to the old form we fans witnessed last year. He had a solid game carrying the ball 26 times for 99 yards. He found the end zone once during the game on a 1-yard touchdown run up the middle on the opening drive of the game.

Now that Hillis appears to have recovered from all that has plagued him this season, I begin to wonder if he will be around next season.

In regards to next season, the Browns are in a difficult position. With Wallace showing poise and leadership on the field despite the loss, I do question if injured quarterback Colt McCoy should continue to “develop” week after week next season or if he is better suited in a backup role.

While Wallace may not be the man to lead the team to the Promised Land, the team is in desperate need of a veteran quarterback while McCoy or possibly Griffin III transition into the professional game.

Even Aaron Rodgers, one of the best quarterbacks in the league, basically sat for his first three years in the league.

More Cleveland Browns Commentary from this Contributor:

The benefits of being a die-hard Cleveland Browns fan this season: A fan’s perspective

Cleveland Browns prepare for tough game against Baltimore Ravens: A fan’s view

Cleveland Browns release Pro Bowl veteran Pontbriand in favor of rookie Yount: A fan’s reaction

Fan’s look: Who is Peyton Hillis anyway?

Cleveland Browns’ fans deserve better: A fan’s take

Sources:

All data provided by NFL.com

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Browns fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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“Browns offense is (pick one) putrid, abysmal, needles-to-eyeballs-bad. But trail only 10-0 at half,” Tweeted Cleveland Browns beat writer Tony Grossi after the first 30 minutes of Sunday’s game. Unfortunately for Cleveland fans, things didn’t get much better during the second half of play.

The Baltimore Ravens played ugly, ugly football, and still managed to defeat the Browns 24-10 on Sunday. A game recap and box score can be found here.

The game was over: When Baltimore RB Ray Rice(notes), who ran all over the Browns in both halves, answered a Phil Dawson(notes) field goal with a much more significant play. A plethora of Baltimore miscues coupled with a Dawson field goal had the Browns trailing the Ravens just 10-3 with under six minutes remaining in the third quarter. On the first play following the Browns kickoff, Rice sped down the field for 67 yards, a run that landed the Ravens down at the Cleveland six-yard line. That one play eliminated any momentum and confidence the Browns may have had following the field goal, and also resulted in the nail-in-the-coffin score.

The difference: There’s obviously not just one thing that separates these Ravens from these Browns. An inability to find the end zone has crippled Cleveland throughout the 2011 season, and it did so again on Sunday. A 52-yard completion to running back Peyton Hillis(notes) took the Browns inside the Baltimore six-yard line halfway through the third. Cleveland couldn’t come up with a game-changing play, however, as two Colt McCoy(notes) incomplete passes forced the Browns to settle for three.

The Ravens found themselves in a similar situation on the very next drive following Rice’s jaunt down the field. Baltimore needed only two plays to score six, a touchdown that put the Ravens up 17-3. In just a few minutes of play, we saw why the Ravens are a team that’s finishing the season with a winning record, and why the Browns are, well, the Browns.

Poor Colt: Every week, I feel as if I’m defending quarterback Colt McCoy to Cleveland fans demanding more from the young QB. The interception he threw at the end of the first half, one that resulted in three Baltimore points, was a horrendous pick, as bad a pass as he’ll throw all season long. Can you really blame him for trying to make that throw? His wide receivers and tight ends again hung him out to dry with numerous drops and by running incorrect routes. Any quarterback, especially one that has won at every level, is going to be at least a bit frustrated when dealing with such setbacks.

I’m not suggesting McCoy is definitely “the guy.” Anybody who claims that McCoy isn’t, however, is making quite the statement about those playing alongside the current Cleveland QB. Outside of top tier quarterbacks such as Tom Brady(notes), Aaron Rodgers(notes) and (maybe) Drew Brees(notes), I’m not sure there’s a QB in the league that could consistently win games with this particular offense.

Browns MVP: Rookie defensive end Jabaal Sheard(notes) continues to impress. He now has a sack and forced fumble in three straight games. The Cleveland pass defense seems to have a solid foundation. If the offense looked half as good as the team’s defense, Browns games wouldn’t be so painful to watch.

Overall: Just another completely missable game played by the 2011 Cleveland Browns. Thursday night’s game in Pittsburgh could be even uglier. All I want for Christmas is one more Browns win this season.

Even Santa can only do so much.

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It must be tough to live being amazingly good at one thing and horrendously bad at another. Think Joe Paterno and his power to inspire blind loyalty countered by his inability to do anything to make him worthy of it.

The Cleveland Browns defense has this problem as a unit. It is ranked first in the NFL against the pass, giving up just 165.2 yards per game, but is 30th against the run, allowing opponents to rush for 144 yards a game.

This was driven home last week when the Texans finished with 261 rushing yards while downing the Browns, 30-12. As if that doesn’t look bad enough, Houston even had two 100-yard rushers as Arian Foster ran for 124 yards and Ben Tate went for 115.

That came a week after Frank Gore ripped Cleveland for 134. And know how awful Chris Johnson has been? You remember him, the guy who made his owners nervous as he held out for a better contract in the preseason, pushed them to jubilance when he signed in time to play the first game and since then has driven them wild by only rushing for 366 yards in eight games this year? Well he got 101 of them against the Browns.

On the whole, Cleveland has allowed its opponent’s leading rusher to go for at least 90 yards in six of its eight games this year, and has allowed its foes to go over 100 yards as a team seven times (see chart).

Those two instances when a leading rusher hasn’t gone over 90 against the Browns might not even count, seeing as they came against Indianapolis and Seattle, teams that are a combined 2-15. Since I am one for piling on, the Colts’ Joseph Addai still put up his second-best total of the season as the team went for more than 100 and the Seahawks rushing game was giving a go of it without top back Marshawn Lynch.

So yes, this is something that I think should be taken advantage of.

First up for this is St. Louis’ Steven Jackson, who is already on a good personal streak, running up 289 yards over the last two weeks. Since the Rams’ passing game has had a tough time getting going this season (202.8 yards per game) and the Browns are good at shutting that down, Jackson should see a heavy workload this week.

Thing don’t ease up much from there for Cleveland, as it then faces Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew, Cincinnati’s Cedric Benson (who has already put up 121 years against the Browns this season) and Baltimore’s Ray Rice, so the weakness will continue to be exploited.

Exploited? Place your own Penn State joke here as a callback to complete this subject. That way, I won’t face a Mike McQueary banishment as punishment for trying it myself.

Random thoughts

Some random fantasy musings occupying my mind:

•Suddenly, Carson Palmer doesn’t seem like such a washed-up, has-been, former-star quarterback after throwing only one interception Thursday in a win over the Chargers. He had begun his triumphant return with two three-INT performances. He also had a pair of TDs and 299 yards Thursday, so maybe there is something to be said for trading one group of thugs for a new gang. And next up for him and the Raiders are the Vikings, who are ranked 30th in the NFL against the pass, allowing 273.6 yards per game. Dare I say he even seems like a good start next week?

•Speaking of taking advantage of the Vikings, the Packers get to do it today. Is there a place above elite status for Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings?

•The Giants’ Victor Cruz is making a run to join this season’s top fantasy sleeper club. After getting just two catches for 17 yards in the first two weeks, he has since gone over 90 receiving yards in five of six games. And now New York’s top two wide receivers, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks, are game-time decisions on whether they can go today against San Francisco. Cruz looks set to put up another 90-plus-yard outing.

•One of those moments that make you hate being a fantasy owner: I lost my matchup last week when the Bears kicked their last field goal on the final scoring play of the NFL week. As of yesterday morning, the tears on my pillow are finally dry. So bring on today.

Playing a running back against the Browns defense has proven a good fantasy strategy this season. Cleveland’s stats against the run this season and how many yards they have given up to their opponent’s leading rusher:

Josh Bousquet can be contacted at tgfantasy@gmail.com.

John Gaudiosi, On Sunday October 23, 2011, 10:42 am EDT

When it comes to sports curses, aside from the Chicago Cubs, there’s no more active superstition than the Madden curse. Since 1999, almost every year something bad has happened to the cover athlete of Electronic Arts’ bestselling Madden NFL franchise. Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis is the latest victim of this curse.

Hillis is the first Madden cover athlete who was voted in by fans through an ESPN cross-promotion with EA Sports. Last year, the running back rushed for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns. He came out of nowhere to beat Aaron Rodgers and other NFL superstars. This year, Hillis has been plagued by injuries and surrounded by trade rumors. The running back took flack for sitting out a game for strep throat. And now he’s out with a hamstring injury.

Hillis has also been in the middle of a contract dispute with the Browns. The team offered him a contract extension earlier this year, but Hillis, taking the advice of his agent, walked away. Now with the injuries, conspiracy theorists are having a field day with all of this drama. It’s likely that Hillis will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season, which is shaping up to be a very long one for the Browns (2-3) and their star running back.

After the lockout ended, Hillis told me he was excited to play football again and humbled by the fans selecting him to be on the cover of the new game. He seemed genuine in the interview, but that was before things went bad.

The Madden curse has even spread to runner-up cover athlete Michael Vick, who was already on the cover of Madden NFL 04. The convicted dog killer was part of the so-called Philadelphia Eagles “dream team,” only to get injured in multiple games with a concussion and broken hand. Vick also took a lot of heat from NFL legends and the media for complaining about NFL officiating after getting pummeled by opposing teams’ defenses every game. The dream team is off to a pathetic 2-4 start, as a result.

None of this has had any negative impact on the actual videogame. The new game sold 1.4 million copies in its first week after launching August 30^th and has topped global sales of 2 million to date, according to VGChartz.com.

New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees was able to escape the curse last year, playing all season long without any injuries. Perhaps it was the local voodoo combating the videogame curse. Or maybe that was the curse rising in the playoffs to see the Saints lose pathetically to the lowly Seattle Seahawks.

In 2009, EA put two players on the cover of Madden – Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu and Arizona Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald. Polamalu only played five games due to a knee injury, while Fitzgerald escaped the curse with a Pro Bowl season.

In 2008, quarterback Brett Favre was on the cover of the 20^th Anniversary Madden Edition. After coming back from retirement, Favre feuded with the Packers, was traded to the Jets and played horrible losing four of the last five games.

In 2007, quarterback Vince Young managed to play through the season with only one game missed. But after that first playoff appearance, things went downhill for the quarterback.

In 2006, Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander fractured his foot and missed six games.

In 2005, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb suffered a sports hernia in his first game and missed seven games. That year also marked the public feud with Terrell Owens.