By Jodie Valade, The Plain Dealer
CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Like an old-time villain, Peyton Hillis swaggered out of the locker room at Paul Brown Stadium adorned in head-to-toe black. Black shirt, black pants, black sports coat. On his feet, a pair of black-and-white cowboy boots.
It was the Peyton Hillis of old. 
The Hillis who shot to stardom last season with 1,177 rushing yards was known for his quirky training habits that included pulling pick-up trucks, his brute-force running style in piling up yards, and his penchant for cowboy boots with any type of off-field attire. The Arkansas native's Southern style paired with his thick accent was a constant reminder of his humble roots.
So it made sense that in his first game back since sitting out five with a hamstring injury, he'd try to recapture the Hillis of old.
The Madden NFL 12 cover boy has had a tumultuous season in his first year as a featured back. He missed five games and most of another with a pulled hamstring. He sat another game with strep throat, earning criticism for taking the medical advice of his agent. He traveled out of town mid-week to get married instead of receive treatment for his hamstring injury.
He had an intervention-type conversation with other Browns. And he's had contentious contract renegotiations with management while trying to manage his newfound celebrity status after appearing on the cover of the popular Madden video game.
All the while, he's more often worn flip-flops and sneakers instead of cowboy boots.
Sunday, in the 23-20 loss to the Bengals, Hillis had a chance to start all over again. It wasn't spectacular, but it was a start. He logged 65 yards on 19 carries after originally being ruled out earlier in the week.
Hillis said his recovery from the hamstring injury was aided by a plasma-rich platelet injection, a type of therapy that is thought to aid in muscle repair. He practiced Friday for the first time since he aggravated the hamstring injury in a practice three weeks ago, and passed his pre-game warmup test Sunday afternoon.
However, running mate Montario Hardesty did not. Hardesty felt pain in his torn calf muscle during warmups, so Hillis ended up shouldering the bulk of the load.
"I don't think it's a setback, it's just something I've got to work through," Hardesty said. "I just wasn't ready to go out there and go full, 100 percent on it."
After Chris Ogbonnaya was on the field for the first snap, Hillis slid into the role he held in his breakout season last year. He started slowly, but his presence was enough to keep Cincinnati off-balance enough that QB Colt McCoy had more room to throw.
"Especially early," McCoy said. "I felt like we were moving the ball at will, pretty much."
Hillis wasn't sure what to expect, but was encouraged as the game progressed. In the second quarter, Hillis had 29 yards on five carries, an average of 5.8 yards per carry. Throughout, the former college fullback displayed his blocking skills.
"It's tough when you don't know how things are going to go until you get in the rhythm of things," Hillis said. "Things started going well toward the middle of the game and toward the end. I expect big things. I expect to progress and I'm looking forward to next week."
It wasn't spectacular, but it was a start.
"He did surprisingly well as far as timing and making the right cuts," left tackle Joe Thomas said. "I think he'll be really happy watching the tape."
It's not exactly the cowboy boot-wearing Peyton Hillis of old, but it was a step toward recapturing it.
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/11/peyton_hillis_provides_some_gr.html
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