The question of whether anyone can stop Peyton Hillis this season rests solely on a single aspect of football – can he continue to remain healthy for the entire season? So far in 2011 Hillis has had some minor health issues (strep throat) unrelated to play on the field that have caused him to miss a game, but other than that Hillis continues to perform as usual albeit in a weakened condition. As Hillis regains his strength he should be able to mimic or better his performance of 2010. Thus far this season Hillis is at about the same per game averages as last season, and since his contract is currently being negotiated Hillis certainly has the motivation necessary for a banner season.
In the off-season the Browns didn’t do a whole lot to upgrade their offense, so in essence that means that Peyton Hillis and Benjamin Watson will again be the only two viable options for a struggling offense. In truth not much has changed for Hillis or the Browns from last year. Opponents could not stop Peyton Hillis last year and it should be much the same this season – that is unless some unknown entity on the Browns bench can step forward to take touches away from Hillis.