NFL Trade Rumors: Are We Making Too Much of Peyton Hillis' Illness?

Much has been made of Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis and his absence during the team's Week 3 matchup with the Miami Dolphins. The Madden 12 cover boy had been suffering through a brutal case of strep throat, and while he wasn't expected to play, he even left the stadium a few hours before the game kicked off.

Yesterday, Hillis claimed that he probably would have actually played in the Week 3 game had his agent not advised him against it. That caused a bit of a firestorm, with some speculating that the Arkansas product sat out the game because he is in the process of negotiating a new contract with the Browns and is dissatisfied with his current $600,000 deal.

Today, the Arkansas product has been doing damage control, claiming he was actually very sick and needed to rest, and that the decision to miss the game was his alone. 

While the admission about his agent will certainly not win him any friends, it's really hard to believe that Hillis would have missed a game simply because of his contract situation. I think this whole situation has been vastly overblown.

Hillis has always been a tough dude, and his bruising running style is a testament to that. He emerged from obscurity last season to rush for 1,177 yards and 11 touchdowns, while catching 61 passes for 477 yards and two more scores. He has gotten off to a disappointing start this year, rushing for just 197 yards and two touchdowns on 54 carries, while adding 15 receptions for 76 yards.

Despite his slow start to the year Hillis is clearly a big part of Cleveland's long-term plans. This whole illness business has been blown up and created an unnecessary controversy.