CLEVELAND, Ohio — Few things went right, obviously, for the 2011 Cleveland Browns during their 4-12 season.

Two rookie defensive linemen, however, did provide some optimism for the team’s future.

First-round draft pick Phil Taylor showed promise, playing alongside solid veteran Ahtyba Rubin.

Defensive end Jabaal Sheard, a second-round pick, was even better, emerging as one of the Browns’ few playmakers on either side of the ball.

Mike Wilkening of ProFootballWeekly.com writes the Browns rookie report, including:

DE Jabaal Sheard — Sheard finished his first NFL season in fine form, recording another sack and six tackles. Sheard led the Browns this season with 8½ sacks, the second-most by a Cleveland rookie since sacks became an official statistics. Like fellow rookie Phil Taylor, Sheard started all 16 games on the Cleveland defensive line.

DT Phil Taylor — The Browns’ first-round pick recorded 59 tackles and four sacks in 2011, showing considerable potential. He made two tackles in Week 17.

Plain Dealer and cleveland.com Browns coverage includes Tony Grossi’s story on Browns coach Pat Shurmur beginning his search for an offensive coordinator; video, by David I. Andersen, of Tony Grossi and Mary Kay Cabot discussing the offseason ahead for the Browns; a Starting Blocks poll asking what the most important offseason move for the Browns would be; “Bud Shaw’s Sports Spin;” and much more.

Goal to goal

The Browns’ problems lie with their offense. By Dave Hackenberg of the Toledo Blade.

The top job for Pat Shurmur is to bring back some hope for the team, writes Chad Conant for the Marion Star.

The Browns should keep Colt McCoy as their starting quarterback, Tom Misson writes for newsnet5.com.

Game-by-game review of the Browns’ season. A Bleacher Report slideshow.

Why the Browns shouldn’t pursue Peyton Manning. By Steve DiMatteo for the blog “Dawg Pound Daily.”

There’s not much to expect from a Mike Holmgren/Tom Heckert press conference, wriites Craig Lyndall for the blog “Waiting For Next Year.”

Browns players are still optimistic about the future, despite the 2011 win-loss record, writes Fred Greetham for Scout.com’s Orange and Brown Report.

Leave your comments on the news below.

Cleveland Browns’ fans, we have all been here before. We start the season off wholly optimistic and as the season goes on we slap a smile on our faces and continue to cheer on our team, but have that sinking feeling in our stomachs as that “losses” column grows. The Browns ended the 2011 season 4-12. Nothing really good can be said about this. We are Browns’ fans and the most passionate and loyal in the league, but it is truly impossible to find something great to say about this season.

So, what can the Browns do to make 2012 a great season? Which playing position needs the most improvement? The three positions that really need work are quarterback, wide receiver and right offensive tackle.

For the time being, we can put the right offensive tackle to the side and talk about quarterbacks and wide receivers. The Browns’ two main quarterbacks are Colt McCoy who is still battling the symptoms of a concussion, and Seneca Wallace.

Colt McCoy was the starting quarterback throughout most of the season and Seneca Wallace finished out the last three games after McCoy was injured. Neither had a stellar season. Wallace has far more experience, but went 0-3. McCoy went 4-9. Honestly, it doesn’t seem like we need another quarterback, but to simplify things for the quarterbacks that we have. Personally, I would like to see Wallace start and give him a receiver that can handle the ball.

This brings us to wide receiver. We have our main receivers as Josh Cribbs, Greg Little, Jordan Norwood and Mohamed Massaquoi. All of these guys are talented in their own right, but all have also missed some monumental passes this year that they simply should not have missed. You can have the best quarterback in the game, but if the wide receiver is missing his passes, he is going to be ineffective. So, it seems like the Browns need to work on the wide receiver position. It would be nice if they would get their hands on Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State. That would be a Browns’ fans’ dream. Even if they cannot, they need to work with their current players and get them into better shape for next season. These guys are in the NFL, so they obviously have talent, they just need to start showing it and bringing it to every game.

R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen is a lifelong Browns fan who grew up in a household of Browns’ fans. She was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and still lives there. Regardless of the trials and tribulations the Browns have been through, she remains loyal, albeit honest about her home team. Follow Rose on Twitter @Rose_Kitchen

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The Cleveland Browns are now the proud owners of a 4^th pick in the 2012 NFL draft. This gives the Browns a decent chance to pick up a good player in the draft. But, what do they go after? Fans are getting really tired of hearing, “there is always next year,” so the Browns really need to choose well so that 2012 can be “the year” for the Browns to at least make it to the postseason.

The Browns need a receiver. Holding the record for most drops will not get them far in 2012. Right now they need to do what needs to be done to get Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon.

In the 2011 season, the Browns’ best receiver – Greg Little – only had two touchdowns and caught 61 passes for 709 yards. So, while a lot of folks are yelling for a new quarterback, and I am not saying that we have awesome quarterbacks, it is evident that our receiving end is in desperate need of attention.

The Browns could go for quarterback Robert Griffin III and probably have a better chance at getting him with a number four pick. However, you can have the best quarterback in the game, but if your receivers cannot catch a ball, a great pass really means nothing.

We also have to look at the overall youth of the Browns’ team. This is a very young team, and in the 2011 season, they had a handful of rookie starters. This could have certainly had an impact on the game because so many guys are learning the NFL level of playing at one time. Do we really want another year of a rookie quarterback, regardless of how great he is on the college level?

“We don’t want to sit here and keep trying to grind with bringing in a young quarterback and having to go through those growing pains,” Seneca Wallace said. “You guys have been hard on us all season long and what we need is to win and win now.”

He isn’t wrong. The Browns need a winning 2012 season. No more of this “next year” stuff. They need players who will catch passes and make touchdowns.

R. Elizabeth C. Kitchen is a lifelong Browns fan who grew up in a household of Browns’ fans. She was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and still lives there. Regardless of the trials and tribulations the Browns have been through, she remains loyal, albeit honest about her home team. Follow Rose on Twitter @Rose_Kitchen

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

That’s all for today.

Berea — As he makes plans for his second season, Pat Shurmur’s next decision might shape his future as Browns coach.

Shurmur said he will launch a search for an offensive coordinator, a position he chose not to fill in his first season.

Doubling as his own coordinator in his rookie season as a head coach, Shurmur’s offense finished 29th in yards and 30th in scoring, and suffered some in-game brownouts that were explained as “communication” problems.

These included a fumbled handoff to tight end Alex Smith, who was rushed into the huddle as a replacement for fullback Owen Marecic at a critical point in a 6-3 loss to St. Louis, and botched clock management that cost the Browns at least a short field goal try at the end of the first half in a 20-14 loss in Baltimore.

Shurmur said he intended all along to hire a coordinator in his second season when he failed to find “the right guy” a year ago.

“We’re going to work quickly, but I’m not going to be hasty,” he said of the search. “I want to get the right guy. That’s a relationship that’s very, very important.”

Shurmur seems more inclined to give the right candidate play-calling responsibilities — something he would not do last year. He said, “That’s one of the details we’ll get worked out as we go through the process.”

A year ago, Shurmur interviewed at least three candidates for coordinator. Two took jobs elsewhere — Bill Musgrave with the Vikings and Mike McCoy re-signed with Denver under new coach John Fox. The third reported interviewee was Mark Whipple, who joined Shurmur’s staff as quarterbacks coach.

Shurmur said Tuesday the new coordinator “may come from the staff,” which points to Whipple as a contender.

Whipple was offensive coordinator at the University of Miami in 2009 and ’10. He previously worked one season in Philadelphia with Shurmur on Andy Reid’s staff and was quarterbacks coach for the Steelers from 2004 to ’06.

Other potential candidates could include Brad Childress, who worked with Shurmur in Philadelphia for six years, the last four as Reid’s offensive coordinator; and Mike Sherman, who was a Mike Holmgren assistant coach in Green Bay and his offensive coordinator one year in Seattle before returning to Green Bay as head coach. Sherman was fired as Texas A&M head coach last month and reportedly will receive NFL head coach interviews.

Shurmur said he would not identify candidates for the job. He said of Childress: “I know Brad very well. He and I worked together for a long time. I think he’s a terrific coach.”

Asked if the candidate has to have experience in the West Coast offense, Shurmur said: “I’m trying to find the best guy, so a guy who speaks our language . . . I think might have a little bit of a leg up.

“The coordinator role is like having another decision-maker amongst your staff that has the title of being able to say we’re going to do this or do that. I think it’s important that I get the right guy. His final role . . . there’s a lot of different models. There’s eight or nine teams where the head coach calls the plays, and they have a coordinator. And then there’s other teams that have a different [setup].

“The offensive coordinator is responsible for the offensive coaches. He’s mainly responsible for putting the plan together, directing the offense and doing a lot of things that I did as a head coach.

“The game-day thing, calling plays, that’s a fun thing for all of us to do. I want the best guy I can get. If he’s outstanding at calling plays . . . listen, I want to win games, so I’m going to get the guy that helps us win.”

The hire comes at a critical time in the franchise’s endless search for respectability. In their expansion era, the Browns have ranked 23rd or worst in offense in 12 of 13 seasons. They were eighth in 2007 under coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who is being mentioned as a head coach candidate in Jacksonville.

The Browns are contemplating a thorough upgrade on offense, which could include a new quarterback, new receivers and possibly a new running back.

Shurmur declined Tuesday to speculate on the future of quarterback Colt McCoy and again refused to say he wanted potential free agent Peyton Hillis to return as the feature running back.

As for any other changes to his coaching staff, Shurmur said he didn’t plan any “at this point.” He left open the door, pending coaches being made available by other teams.

The Browns had several breakdowns on special teams — yielding two kick returns for touchdowns and a touchdown on a fake punt, having two field goals blocked and having two critical long snaps go awry. But Shurmur defended special teams coordinator Chris Tabor.

“I think as players and coaches, we all need to improve. And I did see some improvement in areas that make me think we’re going to get better,” Shurmur said of the special teams.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

At his season-ending press conference, coach Pat Shurmur said he will hire an offensive coordinator. He said he’d consider also allowing the coordinator to call the plays, something Shurmur did last season.

It was a mistake for team President Mike Holmgren to allow Shurmur — a rookie head coach — to also serve as the team’s offensive coordinator and play caller. Yes, Holmgren always called his own plays when he coached. Some head coaches still do it, Shurmur estimated that it’s “eight or nine.” But there are 32 teams, so the vast majority don’t.

This season, Shurmur probably fell into the same trap that snares many who are newly promoted. He tried to do both his old job and his new job.

He had been an offensive coordinator for two years in St. Louis before being hired by the Browns. He came to a new team. A losing team thin on talent. A team with Colt McCoy, a quarterback with only eight pro starts. A team preparing to radically change its offense.

Furthermore, there were no off-season practices or chances for Shurmur to build relationships with the players because of the NFL lockout.

Shurmur explained that he “couldn’t find the right guy” to be the coordinator last season, so he took the job himself. But he also said he knew that he’d hire a coordinator for 2012.

It seemed a strange approach, but that was the decision.

After a 4-12 record with an offense that ranked 29th, Shurmur and the Browns have taken the first step toward facing reality. The offense was not about to improve simply because the strategy was changed. It takes more than the West Coast approach featuring quick, short and mid-range passes to even raise the offense to mediocrity.

Shurmur likes to call the plays and indicated he still may keep that duty.

But it was encouraging to hear him say: “I want to get the best guy I can. If he’s outstanding at calling plays, hey, I want to win games.”

Former Minnesota head coach Brad Childress has been mentioned for the job. Shurmur praised Childress, whom he has known for years. But he declined to say if Childress (or anyone else) is a candidate.

The best approach for Shurmur would be to follow the model he used to pick a defensive coordinator. He selected Dick Jauron, who had extensive experience as both a head coach and a defensive coordinator. It paid off quickly as the defense became the strength of the team.

The Browns have experienced growing pains with so many rookie offensive coordinators: Brian Daboll, Maurice Carthon, Terry Robiskie, Rob Chudzinski, Jeff Davidson and Bruce Arians became NFL offensive coordinators for the first time with the Browns.

All six of these men have been coordinators here since 2001.

Experience isn’t everything, but it does count for something.

You can expect the Browns to make significant changes to their offense in terms of new players at key positions — anything from quarterback to running back to wide receiver. A veteran coordinator is crucial at this stage of development.

Just look at what Jauron did for the Browns defense, whose ranking improved from No. 24 to No. 10 this season.

So it’s encouraging that Shurmur is serious about his search for an offensive coordinator, and he also should give the coordinator the play-calling duties.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Photo By Gene J. Puskar, File/APCleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy missed the final three games of the regular season with a concussion after a hit by Pittsburgh’s James Harrison on Dec. 8. The Browns finished 4-12 in 2011.

By TOM WITHERS

Associated Press

BEREA — The growing pains were agonizing, the mistakes numerous, the progress difficult to spot.

The Cleveland Browns had another one of those seasons.

Losing, though, has its rewards in the NFL, which compensates its worst teams with high draft picks to help them get better. After going 4-12, the Browns, with one of the league’s youngest rosters, will have the No. 4 overall selection in April and Cleveland fans are already frothing at the chance to bring in a college star like Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III to be their savior.

As he packed his bags for the offseason Monday, Browns cornerback Sheldon Brown issued a warning to that line of thinking.

“My thing is, if you’re dependent on a draft pick to come in here and change your life, then you’re kidding yourself,” he said. “This game is too hard.”

It certainly has been for the Browns, who haven’t made the playoff since 2002. They’ve lost at least 11 games in each of the past four seasons and a minimum of 10 in eight of the past nine. Green Bay (15) won more games this season than the Browns (14) have won in the past three seasons — combined.

And consider this stat: The defending Super Bowl champion Packers outscored the Browns 560-218.

So while some think Griffin, the Heisman Trophy winner, is the answer to all of Cleveland’s prayers, Brown believes the Browns already have the players they need to win consistently.

“The guys here have to step their game up to another level because they’re experienced,” he said. “Most rookies get hurt because they get tired and they don’t understand the speed and the strength of this game at the professional level. So I’m never sold on high draft picks.”

It was a turbulent first season in Cleveland for coach Pat Shurmur, who because of the NFL lockout didn’t have an offseason to install his new West Coast offense or get to know his team on the field. He made his share of mistakes, but Brown, who was previously with Shurmur in Philadelphia, is confident Browns president Mike Holmgren hired the right coach.

Shurmur has his detractors, but there’s no denying that the Browns, who went 0-6 in the rugged AFC North, played hard for him.

“He did a tremendous job,” Brown said. “Everybody thinks it’s an easy job, everybody wants to sit in a room and say, ‘I can do this better, I can do that better.’ He dealt with the situations to the best of my knowledge, the best he could, and he kept this football team fighting. And for me, that’s how I judge a head coach.

“If a football team goes out there and competes week in and week out, through thick and through thin — and it was very thick this year — but we didn’t quit. So that tells me that the leader is in place.”

Shurmur will discuss his rollercoaster rookie year Tuesday, and Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert are scheduled to meet the media Thursday, when they’re sure to be grilled about the team’s tricky quarterback situation.

Colt McCoy made 13 starts this season, but missed his final three games with a concussion. The Browns have a better sense of what McCoy is, and there’s a strong argument to be made for sticking with him in 2012 after investing so much time into his development.

But if the Browns — particularly Holmgren — don’t think McCoy can take them to a Super Bowl, they may look for a starting QB in free agency, a trade or the draft. With Stanford’s Andrew Luck expected to go No. 1 overall to Indianapolis, the next best choice could be Griffin, who resurrected Baylor and would be counted on to do the same with the Browns.

Brown, for one, isn’t counting on Griffin to ride in to the rescue.

“I’m definitely not, and if you are, you’re crazy,” he said.

Crazy would describe Cleveland’s wild season, which included costly injuries, endless drama around running back Peyton Hillis, dropped passes, and tough losses. The Browns lost six games by seven points or less, dropping their final three by a total of 13 points.

But close doesn’t put anything in the win column, and kicker Phil Dawson, whose 13th season with the Browns may have been his best, said the near misses can only help if players learned something from them.

“We were in a lot of games. It’s death by inches, though,” said Dawson. “Are we that close, or is that just the nature of the league? It depends on your personality, how you’re going to view that. In my little world, if my plant foot misses the spot by a quarter-inch, I miss the kick.

“That will probably tell you how I look at it. Everybody looks at themselves critically and figure out how they can improve. If we do that, now these close games are coming out in our favor. Hopefully that’s the way guys respond to it.”

Brown, too, thinks the Browns are nearing legitimacy.

“We’re very close,” said the 10-year veteran. “It’s one or two plays each game. You just have to find the playmakers and they just have to understand the sense of urgency and make the play.”

That sounds like a broken record, but Brown said he hasn’t felt this way before — not with the Browns.

“I didn’t tell you this last year,” he said. “I thought we were way off last year.”

The Browns put their franchise tag on Dawson this season and may do so again. The 36-year-old said he had a positive exit interview with team management and was encouraged by Heckert’s recent comments that the team would like to have him back. It would be hard to imagine the Browns not re-signing him.

Dawson has served his time — hard time — in Cleveland. The Browns have gone 68-141 during his tenure, and Dawson would hate not to be here when things finally get turned around. After waiting so long, he would hate to miss out on the good times.

“I don’t want to be Moses,” he said. “I don’t want to lead the people right to the edge and not get to go in. There’s going to be so many things, I can’t prioritize them at this point. We just lost to the Steelers 20 hours ago and that still hurts. I need to get home and eat a burrito.”

Hopefully, it will go down easier than this season.

Gotta run!.

By Tom Withers,

Associated Press

9:18 PM Monday, January 2, 2012

BEREA — The growing pains were agonizing, the mistakes numerous, the progress difficult to spot.

The Cleveland Browns had another one of those seasons.

Losing, though, has its rewards in the NFL, which compensates its worst teams with high draft picks to help them get better. After going 4-12, the Browns, with one of the league’s youngest rosters, will have the No. 4 overall selection in April and Cleveland fans are already frothing at the chance to bring in a college star like Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III to be their savior.

As he packed his bags for the offseason Monday, Browns cornerback Sheldon Brown issued a warning to that line of thinking.

“My thing is, if you’re dependent on a draft pick to come in here and change your life, then you’re kidding yourself,” he said. “This game is too hard.”

It certainly has been for the Browns, who haven’t made the playoff since 2002. They’ve lost at least 11 games in each of the past four seasons and a minimum of 10 in eight of the past nine. Green Bay (15) won more games this season than the Browns (14) have won in the past three seasons — combined.

And consider this stat: The defending Super Bowl champion Packers outscored the Browns 560-218.

It was a turbulent first season in Cleveland for coach Pat Shurmur, who because of the NFL lockout didn’t have an offseason to install his new West Coast offense or get to know his team on the field. He made his share of mistakes, but Brown, who was previously with Shurmur in Philadelphia, is confident Browns president Mike Holmgren hired the right coach.

Shurmur has his detractors, but there’s no denying the Browns, who went 0-6 in the rugged AFC North, played hard for him.

Shurmur will discuss his rollercoaster rookie year today, and Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert are scheduled to meet the media Thursday, when they’re sure to be grilled about the team’s quarterback situation.

Colt McCoy made 13 starts this season, but missed his final three games with a concussion. The Browns have a better sense of what McCoy is, and there’s a strong argument to be made for sticking with him in 2012 after investing so much time into his development. But if the Browns — particularly Holmgren — don’t think McCoy can take them to a Super Bowl, they may look for a starting QB in free agency, a trade or the draft.

Cleveland’s wild season included costly injuries, endless drama around running back Peyton Hillis, dropped passes, and tough losses. The Browns lost six games by seven points or less, dropping their final three by a total of 13 points.

Gotta run!.

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Cold. Windy. Miserable. That about sums up my experience at the Cleveland Browns game on Sunday, January 1. In addition to a good dose of Cleveland winter, the Browns unfortunately fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers by the score of 13-9.

Coming into the game I honesty was not expecting much. A win against the Steelers would be a fantastic way to end a mildly disappointing season while a loss would guarantee a better draft pick. (Am I really justifying a loss here?)

I was looking for a competitive football game, and based upon the final score it would appear the win could have gone either way. When taking a look at the final stats, the Steelers played poorly but the Browns were simply awful.

Quarterback Seneca Wallace completed just 16 of 41 attempts for a total of 177 yards on the day. He threw no touchdowns and was picked off once.

On the other hand, Joshua Cribbs had a career game netting seven receptions for 91 yards. Unfortunately, that was the lone bright spot for the Browns. For one of the only players that is passionate and wants to be on the field as much as possible, embraces and interacts with the fans, and genuinely loves Cleveland, he deserved all of his success in the game. I just wish it were enough to contribute to a win. One guy cannot do it all.

Peyton Hillis, who may have played his last game in Cleveland, carried the ball 10 times for 30 yards.

For the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger was only marginally better than Wallace going 23 for 40 for 221 yards. His decision to play with a lingering sprained ankle did not make much sense, especially with the playoffs right around the corner.

Isaac Redman racked up 92 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. As the only touchdown of the game, it broke up the field goal battle between Phil Dawson and Shaun Suisham.

Dawson was 3-3 on the day hitting from 26 yards, 45 yards, and 49 yards on the day. Suisham was 1-1 in extra points and 3-2 in field goals hitting from 19 yards and 29 yards.

When all was said and done, the Browns fell yet again and finished the season with a 4-12 record. But in true Cleveland style—Just wait until next year!

More Cleveland Browns Commentary from this Contributor:

The Cleveland Browns’ experience: A fan’s take

Cleveland Browns lose to Cardinals in OT, QB debate begins: A fan’s reaction

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

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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Read More: Troy Polamalu (SS – PIT), Seneca Wallace (QB – CLE), Phil Dawson (K – CLE), Isaac Redman (RB – PIT), Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers scored 13-straght points and maintain a 13-9 lead over the Cleveland Browns heading into the fourth quarter.

Pittsburgh opened the half taking the ball down to the the Cleveland 11-yard line before having to settle for a Sean Suisham field goal and then finally cracked the end zone for the first time when Isaac Redman ran the ball seven yards for six. The play capped a seven-play drive as the Steelers took advantage of good field position after Troy Polamalu intercepted a Seneca Wallace pass.

Seneca Wallace bounced back and moved the Browns into the red zone on their next drive by throwing to Josh Cribbs and then running the ball himself for 20 yards. But after taking a sack on third and long, the Browns settled for a 49-yard field goal by Phil Dawson.

Redman has handled the running back duties admirably for the Steelers, putting up 70 yards on 17 carries. Wallace leads the Browns with 44 yards rushing but has completed just 7 of 20 passes for 102 yards.

For more on the Cleveland Browns, go to Dawgs by Nature. You can also head over to SB Nation’s main NFL hub at SBNation.com/NFL.

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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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What do you guys think about this.

BEREA, Ohio — Forget everything Peyton Hillis has said and done this season. Well, most of it, at least. He’d appreciate if you didn’t remember the public missteps he had with Browns management about his contract renegotiations, the medical advice he took from his agent to skip a game when he was sick, and the closed-door meeting he had with teammates who reached out to the foundering running back.

And please, most of all, don’t recall the many times Hillis proclaimed he doesn’t believe in the Madden Curse.

Because he does.

“No doubt about it,” Hillis finally admitted Thursday. “Things haven’t worked to my favor this year. There’s a few things that happened that made me believe in curses. Ain’t no doubt about it.”

Blame the first 14 or so weeks of this season on Hillis’ picture on the cover of the “Madden NFL 12″ video game. He finally feels healthy after a nagging hamstring injury knocked him out for five games at midseason, and it showed in his season-high 112 yards rushing Sunday in Baltimore.

He finally feels happy, an attitude that manifested in his cheerful, “Howdy!” to media in the locker room Thursday — and in his declaration that he hopes this isn’t his final game with the Browns because he wants to prove last season’s 1,177 yards weren’t a fluke.

“I really enjoyed my time playing in a Browns uniform, and I hope I can continue to be here,” Hillis said. “I know these past couple games and this game, I’ll play my hardest. I’m going to play my best, and people are going to see that I’ve still got it and I want to be here.”

Hillis is performing not only for the fans he likened to a “second family,” but for Browns management, who appear uncertain on whether they want the running back to return. Head coach Pat Shurmur declined to say Thursday whether the Browns intend to re-sign the soon-to-be free-agent Hillis. On three separate occasions, Shurmur was asked about the possibility of Hillis’ return — including point blank whether he wants Hillis back — and each time Shurmur said that the decision will require off-season evaluation.

“I think, as we look at our roster and we look at building our team . . . we’ve got to consider everything,” Shurmur said. “One thing you’ve seen about Peyton is that, in the last month or so, he’s gotten himself healthy and he’s performed well. I think that’s the Peyton everyone was used to seeing a year ago.”

Last week’s 4.7 yards per carry against the Ravens was the highest mark for Hillis this season, surpassing last season’s 4.4 yards per carry. He’s averaged 105.5 yards per game the past two contests, bouncing back from just 25 yards in the most recent meeting against Pittsburgh, when he was also battling a hip injury.

“I just feel people can see, when I’m 100 percent, I am running hard,” Hillis said. “I can do pretty good. That’s what I want people to see. . . . I want people to see that I’m not a one-hit wonder.”

Madden Curse or not, Hillis said this season has been a learning experience, but he believes “there’s no such thing as accidents. . . . This is the way it’s supposed to be.”

“It’s kind of funny how things worked out, but at the end of the day, I’m really happy with where I’m at,” Hillis said. “I’m a truly happy person. When I look back on this 15, 20 years from now, I’m probably going to just laugh.”

More than proving he can battle back from the Madden Curse, however, Hillis wants to use Sunday’s game against the Steelers to show his appreciation for Browns fans who have continued to support him through his trying season.

“I’d love to come back here,” Hillis said. “I’m a Cleveland Brown at heart. Ever since I’ve been here, I fell in love with the fans and the city and the people who live here. They’ve been nothing but 100 percent supportive. They’re everything. When I talk to them, it’s good to have a second-family backing like that. All I can do is go out there and do my best, and we’ll see what happens.”

Jauron back? Browns defensive coordinator Dick Jauron has already been a head coach in the NFL, but when asked Thursday whether he would like to return next season in his current position, he didn’t hesitate.

“I would love to do this again,” Jauron said. “Absolutely. I would obviously like to win a lot more games. To be in the NFL is an unbelievable honor and treat. . . . I really like it [being in Cleveland]. I like the old rivalries, I like the history. I’ve really enjoyed it. This is a great place to work.”

The Browns’ defense is 10th in the NFL, yielding an average of 330.5 yards per game.

Hardesty healthy but sitting: Last Sunday, for the first time in a long time, Montario Hardesty felt fully healthy. But the running back didn’t have a single carry.

Shurmur said Hillis’ resurgence is to blame.

“As we’ve always talked about, if Peyton Hillis is healthy, he’s our starting running back,” Shurmur said. “I think, at this point, Montario’s coming back from an injury he had that limited him for quite a while. There’s no real reason.”

For his part, Hardesty said he’s ready to play when needed, and he has made sure his coach knows he’s healthy.

“He knows I want to play. He knows I’m 100 percent,” Hardesty said.

Quick hits: Quinton Spears returned to practice on a limited basis Thursday after suffering a concussion against the Ravens. . . . Quarterback Colt McCoy (concussion), receiver Jordan Norwood (concussion) and offensive lineman Tony Pashos (stomach illness) missed practice Thursday. . . . Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (knee) hasn’t practiced this week. . . . Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (ankle) participated fully in practice for Pittsburgh each of the past two days. . . . Linebacker James Harrison participated fully in practice after missing Wednesday with a neck injury.

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CLEVELAND — Joe Thomas never has missed a snap — or a Pro Bowl — with the Browns.

Cleveland’s steady left offensive tackle was selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team for the fifth consecutive year Tuesday, joining Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown as the only players in team history to be selected in each of their first five seasons. Brown made it nine years in a row.

“It’s a tremendous honor,” Thomas said. “It’s a big-time dream and it’s kind of hard to believe. It’s a true honor and it will never get old.”

Cincinnati’s top draft pick this season, receiver A.J. Green, also made the team.

The Browns selected Thomas with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 draft. They put him in the starting lineup in the opener as a rookie that season, and Thomas has not missed a play since, quite an accomplishment considering the number of injuries the Browns have sustained in that period.

“I try not to think about it too much,” Thomas said of his durability. “Crazy things can happen. I pride myself as a guy who is out there for every play.”

This selection was a little different for Thomas. It was his first season without dependable left guard Eric Steinbach at his right side. Steinbach was lost for the year when he underwent back surgery in training camp, forcing the Browns to start rookie Jason Pinkston in his spot.

“It was a fun challenge for us,” said Thomas, who praised Pinkston. “It’s been a great year being in there with him.”

Only Brown, Lou Groza (nine), Leroy Kelly (six), Gene Hickerson (six) and Dick Shafrath (six) have made more Pro Bowls than Thomas in team history. Thomas and former Miami lineman Richmond Webb are the only NFL offensive linemen to make the Pro Bowl in each of their first five seasons since 1970.

Thomas was the only Browns player selected to the team that will face the NFC’s stars Jan. 29 in Honolulu.

Green, selected by Bengals with the fourth pick in this year’s draft, is the first Cincinnati player to be voted in for the game since 2007. He also is the first rookie receiver voted to the game since Arizona’s Anquan Boldin in 2003 and the first Bengals rookie at any position since receiver Cris Collinsworth in 1981.

Green, a 6-foot-4, 211-pounder from Georgia, broke Collinsworth’s rookie record for yards in a season with 1,031 and needs just three catches to break the receptions mark. Collinsworth had 65 catches for 1,009 yards in his rookie season.

Green had 63 catches this season with seven touchdowns. He had four 100-yard games this season and leads all rookies in receptions and receiving yards, and is tied in touchdowns with Baltimore’s Torrey Smith.

Cleveland linebacker D’Qwell Jackson was selected a first alternate, and Josh Cribbs was selected as a second alternative as a kick returner and third alternate as a special teamer.

First alternates for the Bengals are quarterback Andy Dalton, defensive tackle Geno Atkins and kicker Mike Nugent. Offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth is a second alternate and tight end Jermaine Gresham is a third alternate.

Thomas felt Jackson, Cribbs, defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin and Alex Mack all warranted consideration.

“I definitely think we have a number of guys who deserve to be out there with me,” said Thomas, who signed a seven-year contract extension worth $84 million in August.

Jackson could be up for NFL Comeback Player of the Year. After missing most of the past two seasons with torn chest muscles, Jackson has been an inside force for the Browns this season. He’s second in the league with 145 tackles, has recorded a career-high 3 1/2 sacks and has forced three fumbles.

Jackson can become a free agent after the season, but general manager Tom Heckert recently said the Browns don’t intend to let the 28-year-old get away and would like to sign him to a long-term contract.

Cribbs had an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown last week against Baltimore. It was his 11th career score on a punt or kickoff return, and his first since 2009. Although the rules changes on kickoffs have limited Cribbs’ chances, he still has managed to be one of the league’s top returners. He also has excelled on coverage teams.

The Browns went 10-6 in Thomas’ first season and just missed the playoffs, But they’ve been annual losers since, going 4-12, 5-11 and 5-11. They’ll take a 4-11 mark into Sunday’s season finale against Pittsburgh. Despite another dreadful season, Thomas thinks the Browns are on the cusp of a turnaround.

“I definitely think we have it headed in the right direction,” he said. “It’s not going to be long before we start winning.”

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By MIKE KEATING

The Review

CANTON TWP. — A former Cleveland Browns quarterback shared his thoughts on the current signal caller when he addressed the Pro Football Hall of Fame Club at its weekly luncheon Monday afternoon.

Before he suffered a concussion against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which forced him to miss the next two games, Colt McCoy was the daily focal point of attention by Cleveland sportstalk shows. Many of the hosts and the callers believe McCoy, who is in his second year with the Browns, isn’t the long-term solution.

Mike Pagel, a pregame analyst on the Browns radio network, is unsure, offering several reasons.

“I think it takes 3-5 years for a young quarterback to understand the game,” Pagel explained. “He’s playing with a bunch of young receivers in a complicated offense, guys who have to make adjustments on the fly. He’s also had to deal with the Peyton Hillis (strep throat and hamstring) issue.

There also are two rookie guards, two tight ends (Benjamin Watson and Alex Smith) are beat up, and he also has a third-year starting center (Alex Mack).”

Pagel, 51, who was the understudy to Cleveland starting quarterback Bernie Kosar from 1986 to 1990, says first-year head coach Pat Shurmur was delivered an unfair hand before his first Cleveland training camp, although he held him accountable for one decision.

“Two things went against him,” Pagel opined. “The NFL lockout killed the organization, because you have a new head coach with a new coaching staff who hasn’t worked together starting late. However, I thought he made a mistake trying to be both head coach and offensive coordinator. Head coach and offensive coordinator are two full-time jobs.”

When queried on the forthcoming NFL College Player Draft, Pagel offered his wish list for General Manager Tom Heckert.

“The Browns need another defensive end, a playmaking outside linebacker, another cover cornerback, four wide receivers and a running back,” he smiled. “I wouldn’t draft a running back in the first round, because I think you can find a good one later, unless you get a chance to draft a ‘can’t miss prospect.’ My guess is they will focus on the defense first and beef it up, drafting another defensive end and a playmaking outside linebacker.”

Since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1999, the Browns sport an odious won-loss record. With one regular-season game remaining against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Browns are only 68-140. They have only posted two winning seasons in 13 years. This year’s team is 4-11, producing its 11th season of double-digit losses.

With five head coaches and four general managers, there has been no continuity with the expansion Browns. There also has been no philosophy, a topic Pagel expanded.

“There is no Cleveland Browns way of playing football,” he stated. “They have never had a method or set direction on how to play. They don’t have the right mentality on winning. They hope to win; they don’t know how to win.”

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.