Madden 35 Cover.

[jasonluckydog]

NFL star gets intervention-style meeting

Hillis slowly losing support in Browns locker room

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-silver_peyton_hillis_hamstring_contract_browns110411

BEREA, Ohio – The Cleveland Browns’ team charter had taxied onto the Hopkins International Airport runway last Friday when a flight attendant pulled a small piece of paper out of a white paper bag and made an announcement: “And the winner is … Number 40.”

Browns running back Peyton Hillis has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury.

(AP)

Peyton Hillis(notes), the team’s injured and beleaguered halfback, had won the game of “Hot 20,” a lottery-like parlaying of players’ per-diem allocations.

“Congratulations, Peyton,” a Browns veteran yelled from the back of the plane as Hillis strode forward to collect his winnings. “You finally got paid!”

The comment, and a slew of similarly sarcastic jeers from other Cleveland players, drew laughs from aisle to aisle. However, as Hillis counted his bag of petty cash and the Browns took off for San Francisco, where two days later they would lose to the 49ers to drop to 3-4, strains of distrust and dysfunction were swirling through the pressurized air.

By Wednesday, a group of about eight Browns veterans had summoned Hillis into a meeting room for an intervention-style, air-clearing session designed to restore his focus. After a breakout season in 2010 that vaulted him to national prominence, including a spot on the “Madden NFL ’12” cover, the 25-year-old back’s consuming desire for a new contract has become a locker room distraction that numerous teammates regard as an impediment to cohesion and collective success.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” says one Browns veteran. “Last year, Peyton was such a positive, inspirational force on our team – but now he’s like a different guy. It’s like he’s in a funk that he can’t get out of, and it’s killing us, because we really need him. And we’ve told him that. But we’re at the point where we just don’t know what to do.”

[TheGreatestOfAllTimeCam]

Cam Newton will be the man to break the Madden cover curse. Remember where you heard it.

[scarface]

Just heard Peyton Hillis re-injured his hamstring, and will be doubtful this week. Of course no one believes there's an actual curse with Madden, but Hillis may go down as it's worse victim.

of course we believe in the curse.

[PanthersPhan18]

Peyton Manning, Jamaal Charles, Andre Johnson, etc. were not in the madden cover. Injuries happen. Oh well, can't change one's belief. :)

[the butch]

if anyone was going to break the curse, it would be cam

[Marguide]

Anyone that seriously buys into the idea of a Madden curse needs to know that their credibility regarding pretty much everything flies right out the window.

Come on. You guys are smarter than that.

[Grammer]

Anyone that seriously buys into the idea of a Madden curse needs to know that their credibility regarding pretty much everything flies right out the window.

Come on. You guys are smarter than that.

I believe it, but I never had credibility to begin with. :o