Broncos sign Peyton Hillis

[montrose]

http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=8138

Hillis Inked
By Jake Grilley
DenverBroncos.com

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.-- Another day closer to training camp and another member of the Broncos 2008 draft class has signed with the team.

Fullback Peyton Hillis, a seventh-round choice out of the University of Arkansas reached an agreement with the team on Thursday. Hillis joins Ryan Torain, Carlton Powell and Spencer Larsen, who all signed last week and Josh Barrett to agreed to terms in June.

Hillis totaled 2,624 career all-purpose yards and 23 touchdowns as a three-year starter at the University of Arkansas, where he also saw time as a halfback, wide receiver and special-teams returner.

The Razorbacks running game flourished under Hillis' blocking. Running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones each posted 1,000-yard rushing campaigns in 2006 and 2007.

He led Arkansas in both receptions (49) and receiving yards (537) as a senior in 2007, setting school single-season records for running backs in those categories. Hillis finished his career at Arkansas tied for seventh in school history in receptions (118), tied for ninth in touchdown receptions (11) and 15th in receiving yards (1,195), totals that all marked school records for running backs.

With the addition of Hillis, Denver has signed five out of its nine draft picks.

[rugbythug]

Only to cut him

[bronco militia]

http://www.iue.edu/blogs/barry/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/lombardi_trophy.jpg

[ICON]

Hillis , Torain, Powell , Larsen, Barrett all signed 5 down 3 to go! Come on Lichtensteigers ,Royal and Clady lets keep it moveing.


Go Bronco's

[Drek]

Be interesting to see if its for 3 or 4 years. The other rookie signings specifically mentioned 4 years, this one doesn't, so I'm guessing its only 3. Explains why Hillis didn't sign with the rest.

Oh and Kaylore, you were right, he did sign within two days after your thread.

[Paladin]

Hillis , Torain, Powell , Larsen, Barrett all signed 5 down 2 to go! Come on Royal and Clady lets keep it moveing.


Go Bronco's

You are leaving out Jack M. F. Williams. Don't you want him on the team? He is better than Hixson and Tedi combined.....

[bronco militia]

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/225383/

[socalorado]

You are leaving out Jack M. F. Williams. Don't you want him on the team? He is better than Hixson and Tedi combined.....

Jack Mother F***in WIlliams will mother f***in sign, when he mother f***in damn well feels like it!
Got it!?!?

[BMF Bronco]

Bronco Mother ****ing Milita making the news!

[ICON]

Jack Mother ****in WIlliams will mother ****in sign, when he mother ****in damn well feels like it!
Got it!?!?LOL

[Kaylore]

Only to cut him

What moron would think that?

[Kaylore]

Oh and Kaylore, you were right, he did sign within two days after your thread.

:haw!:

[bronco militia]

Bronco Mother ****ing Milita making the news!

I want Mel Kipers' job

;D

[bronco militia]

:haw!:

Ha!

[BroncoBuff]

You are leaving out Jack M. F. Williams. Don't you want him on the team? He is better than Hixson and Tedi combined.....
That's true. Once Williams took me and some friends out for a drink, but we couldn't find a bar. Finally Williams sat us down in a vacant lot and said, 'here we are. ' We sat there for almost a year, and sure enough someone constructs a bar around us. The day they opened we ordered a shot, drank it, and then burned the place to the ground. As we left, Williams yelled over his shoulder toward the roar of the flames, "Always leave things the way you found em!"

[bronco militia]

Bronco Mother ****ing Milita making the news!

and Junkie

[Broncocase]

Hillis will be the FB the Broncos have been needing for a damn decade, or at least has the talent to be. He's tough and a hard worker. Word has always been that he's not the brightest bulb in the shed.

[LonghornBronco]

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/Sports/225383/

An excerpt from the quoted link;

"Many Houston Nutt critics want to believe the former UA coach did not give him a good review to NFL scouts, that Hillis' honesty had rubbed Nutt the wrong way".

:spit:

[fdf]

An excerpt from the quoted link;

"Many Houston Nutt critics want to believe the former UA coach did not give him a good review to NFL scouts, that Hillis' honesty had rubbed Nutt the wrong way".

:spit:

Coupled with the quote about whichever team he was playing for, some of the material in this column (which clearly takes Hillis' side) make me suspect Hillis may not stay here very long. By the time you are in a big program like Arkansas, you need to know to keep your mouth shut in front of a microphone. Peyton is not the center of the universe. He sounds a little unclear on that topic.

Hope he grows out of it because he's a talented guy that'll have a good career. I'm rooting for him.

[Popcorn Sutton]

An excerpt from the quoted link;

"Many Houston Nutt critics want to believe the former UA coach did not give him a good review to NFL scouts, that Hillis' honesty had rubbed Nutt the wrong way".

:spit:

Peyton: It's time to stop rubbing your nuts and start playing some pro football. :welcome:

[no-pseudo-fan]

Is there a wrong way to rub a nut?

[Kaylore]

Is there a wrong way to rub a nut?

With burlap.

[Broncojef]

Nice to have a true Fullback on the roster for once. With all the studs he has blocked for in college I'm hoping his learning curve is better than most rookies. He's one guy I am looking forwad to checking out in training camp.

[DukeWoody]

Be interesting to see if its for 3 or 4 years. The other rookie signings specifically mentioned 4 years, this one doesn't, so I'm guessing its only 3. Explains why Hillis didn't sign with the rest.

Oh and Kaylore, you were right, he did sign within two days after your thread.

http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_9902874

Hillis a done deal.

The Broncos have signed fullback Peyton Hillis, the team's seventh-round draft pick from Arkansas.

Hillis accepted a four-year contract that includes a signing bonus of about $49,800.

Hillis, 6-feet-2 and 250 pounds, was a three-year starter at Arkansas. In 2007, he blocked for two 1,000-yard rushers, first-round picks Darren McFadden — a two-time Heisman Trophy runner-up — and Felix Jones.

McFadden, the No. 4 overall pick, signed a deal with Oakland worth approximately $60 million over six years.

Hillis gained 2,264 all- purpose yards and scored 23 touchdowns in his career with the Razorbacks, and set school records for running backs with 118 catches, 1,195 receiving yards and 11 touchdown receptions.

The Broncos have signed five of their nine draft picks.




He signed on for the standard 4 year rook deal..

[Atlas]

Nice to have a true Fullback on the roster for once. With all the studs he has blocked for in college I'm hoping his learning curve is better than most rookies. He's one guy I am looking forwad to checking out in training camp.

He is a true FB but he isn't the blocking machine Owen Schmitt is. But hey what do you expect in your 7th rounder.

[Broncojef]

He is a true FB but he isn't the blocking machine Owen Schmitt is. But hey what do you expect in your 7th rounder.

Actually I was pissed Shanny didn't go after Owen. I didn't watch the latter part of the draft but was happy later when my buddies informed me we had taken Hillis. I was just worried we'd see another year of Cecil. For a seventh rounder he fills a true need on this team and has a real possibility to contribute IMO.

[Drek]

He signed on for the standard 4 year rook deal..

I wouldn't call it standard, 3 years is standard hence the whole RFA system, but for the Broncos they're apparently willing to give out extra cash up front to get that 4th year.

[alkemical]

and Junkie

Dude... I know THEY are watching me know... lol

[montrose]

He is a true FB but he isn't the blocking machine Owen Schmitt is. But hey what do you expect in your 7th rounder.

While Hillis isn't the blocker Schmitt is (although physicality was the 1st thing Shanny mentioned when asked about Hillis at his post-draft presser), Hillis brings a pass-catching element to the position we haven't had in years - which speaks volumes to the stupidity of moving RB's like Cecil Sapp and Mike Bell to FB. If you're going to play a RB at FB, and have a less-effective blocker - he better be able to catch passes out of the backfield.

[bronco militia]

Dude... I know THEY are watching me know... lol

we errrrrrrrr

um, they never stopped

;D

[Kaylore]

Actually I was pissed Shanny didn't go after Owen. I didn't watch the latter part of the draft but was happy later when my buddies informed me we had taken Hillis. I was just worried we'd see another year of Cecil. For a seventh rounder he fills a true need on this team and has a real possibility to contribute IMO.

Yeah if Hillis can be who we think he can, then he makes more sense for this system and what Shanahan likes to do with his backs - particularly in the passing game. The boy can run hard too, so the fullback handoff we've seen lately is going to stay.

[socalorado]

Yeah if Hillis can be who we think he can, then he makes more sense for this system and what Shanahan likes to do with his backs - particularly in the passing game. The boy can run hard too, so the fullback handoff we've seen lately is going to stay.


In his career at Arkansas, he rushed for 960 yards (4. 7 average per carry ) and scored 12 touchdowns, six as a freshman before Darren McFadden and Felix Jones arrived on campus.

He caught 118 passes for 1, 197 yards and 11 touchdowns, returned 12 kickoffs for 213 yards (17. 8 average ) and 25 punts for 257 yards (10. 3 ).

In his final regular-season game, he lit up eventual national champion LSU for 151 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns.

Some thought that might jump him up to the third round because he showed his versatility.

Hillis is a guy who in the NFL can play fullback, H-back, tailback and return kicks or punts (as a Razorback he also saw action at tight end and wide receiver ).

For his 6-1, 240-pound muscled frame, he has good speed and great hands.




However, it would be ridiculous for anyone, especially Nutt, to say Hillis would not play with pain.

His playing hurt is well-documented.

He suffered a severe thigh bruise his junior season that developed into a career-threatening calcium deposit because he refused to sit out. When he finally was forced to sit, the Razorbacks did not win another game that season.

As a freshman, he played with a broken bone in his back.

Hillis is tougher than a claw hammer on a pecan.

http://www.nwarktimes.com/adg/Sports/225383/print/

[alkemical]

we errrrrrrrr

um, they never stopped

;D

hahaha!

[Steve Sewell]

Jack Mother ****in WIlliams will mother ****in sign, when he mother ****in damn well feels like it!
Got it!?!?

This seems to be an inside joke...can someone fill me in?

[Atlas]

While Hillis isn't the blocker Schmitt is (although physicality was the 1st thing Shanny mentioned when asked about Hillis at his post-draft presser), Hillis brings a pass-catching element to the position we haven't had in years - which speaks volumes to the stupidity of moving RB's like Cecil Sapp and Mike Bell to FB. If you're going to play a RB at FB, and have a less-effective blocker - he better be able to catch passes out of the backfield.

That is true. He is much mor eof an offensive threat than Schmitt but Shanny never has really utilized the FB as much of a weapon.

[Kaylore]

That is true. He is much mor eof an offensive threat than Schmitt but Shanny never has really utilized the FB as much of a weapon.

I don't think that's true. Shanahan likes to find things that guys do well and put it in his offense. We've never had a good receiving full back. Once Sapp showed what a bulldozer he was on short yardage, you started seeing the fullback hand off a lot the last few years. So I'm inclined to think this has more to do with him not using it because it wasn't there than any bias against doing so.

[Atlas]

I don't think that's true. Shanahan likes to find things that guys do well and put it in his offense. We've never had a good receiving full back. Once Sapp showed what a bulldozer he was on short yardage, you started seeing the fullback hand off a lot the last few years. So I'm inclined to think this has more to do with him not using it because it wasn't there than any bias against doing so.

Mike Anderson, Cecil Sapp, Mike Bell, Kyle Johnson could have all been used more effectively as weapons if Shanny wanted to. It's just not a big part of his offense. The 2 TEs are more in his comfort zone.

[UltimateHoboW/Shotgun]

With Owen I think everybody here remembers Griffith's great blocks he made in the playoffs and SB. But if anybody has watched "America's Game" with the first SB Howard said that the Broncos were looking for a FB that could block and but could also be a threat out of the backfield. We've had ok blocking but how has been a solid FB catching out of the backfield. Johnson?

[bowtown]

I don't think that's true. Shanahan likes to find things that guys do well and put it in his offense. We've never had a good receiving full back. Once Sapp showed what a bulldozer he was on short yardage, you started seeing the fullback hand off a lot the last few years. So I'm inclined to think this has more to do with him not using it because it wasn't there than any bias against doing so.

Receiving was about the only thing Kyle Johnson was good at.

[Pat Bowlen]

This seems to be an inside joke...can someone fill me in?
It would be easier to explain if we could post his complete middle name.

[telluride]

I don't think that's true. Shanahan likes to find things that guys do well and put it in his offense. We've never had a good receiving full back. Once Sapp showed what a bulldozer he was on short yardage, you started seeing the fullback hand off a lot the last few years. So I'm inclined to think this has more to do with him not using it because it wasn't there than any bias against doing so.

Just watch the SB replays and you'll see how good a weapon Howard Griffith was. That's the sort of FB we need: blocker, runner, receiver. Selfless and smart, as well.

[Kaylore]

Just watch the SB replays and you'll see how good a weapon Howard Griffith was. That's the sort of FB we need: blocker, runner, receiver. Selfless and smart, as well.

Griffith wasn't a great receiver. The dump-off he caught in the SB and the one-handed grab in Pitt weren't his usual stuff.

[Atlas]

Griffith wasn't a great receiver. The dump-off he caught in the SB and the one-handed grab in Pitt weren't his usual stuff.

Plus he was not a runner either. He would carry the ball about 5 times a year.

[UltimateHoboW/Shotgun]

Just watch the SB replays and you'll see how good a weapon Howard Griffith was. That's the sort of FB we need: blocker, runner, receiver. Selfless and smart, as well.

I don't know about that one. Hopefully enough to get him on the field and play.

[Kaylore]

Plus he was not a runner either. He would carry the ball about 5 times a year.

Exactly. Griffith was a great blocker in both run blocking and pass-pro. I'm not sure where people are getting that he was some kind large Reggie Bush from.

[Arkie]

In his career at Arkansas, he rushed for 960 yards (4. 7 average per carry ) and scored 12 touchdowns, six as a freshman before Darren McFadden and Felix Jones arrived on campus.


Cedric Cobbs was in the top 10 of the Heisman race at the time of his injury thanks in part to the freshman Hillis who stepped in and didn't miss a beat. Hillis could have averaged 10-12 TDs or more a year if called upon.