Peyton Hillis Meet the Spread Offense

Peyton Hillis

Peyton Hillis was 6 feet 2 inches tall, 240 pounds heavy, running a 4.57 forty entering draft day in 2008. Many draftniks had Hillis as their top fullback, and they projected he would be taken somewhere around round 4. Just like many great players do, Hillis fell to the 7th round where Denver gladly decided to take him. Due to the erratic injuries all several of the running backs took this season, Hillis landed himself a starting job. This southern gentlemen was the first back to rush over 100 yards against the Jets monstrous defensive line, and averaged 5 yards a carry before his fantastic catch against Kansas City, which lead to an injury. Many believe, including myself, that if Hillis never suffered that injury Denver would have found themselves in the playoffs. This would most likely have kept Mike Shanahan and Jay Cutler in the Mile High city. However this is not the case. Now Denver fans are left to wonder what will happen in the wake of a completely new team. Lucky for Peyton Hillis, Josh McDaniels’ spread offense is a perfect fit. Need more proof? Match Peyton Hillis up against New England back Kevin Faulk.

Hillis vs Faulk

Statistically, Faulk was the better player in 2008. However, due to factors such as experience, injury, and a better suited system it is hard to truly rate the better. After watching the two highlight reels you see the similarities between the two backs. Hillis and Faulk both posses great catching skills for their position which makes them very dangerous in the spread offense. When players such as Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, and Brandon Stokley are covered Hillis in the screen is almost an instant first down. You will not find Peyton carrying the rock every down next season, but he will be used often enough to generate a lot dynamic plays. As you saw in the Faulk reel he has the capability to break one up the middle for a huge gain. You’ll see a huge hole on one of the plays, which Matt Prater could have ran through, but this is the style of the system. Denver’s offensive line is superior to New England’s, so look for this play to be more successful. Faulk was also put against defensive backs, something Hillis has shown skill at. This style of a back is the wildcard of this offense, when Hillis is in the backfield the defense will always have to be on edge because of his versatility. I believe Hillis to be the better player and he will flourish in this system.

What do you think Denver fans? Will Hillis have an amazing year next season? Will he be the Kevin Faulk of Denver?