LITTLE ROCK — Return not sweet for Hillis
In his return to Cleveland, Kansas City Chiefs running back and former Arkansas Razorback Peyton Hillis was booed every time he touched the ball.
Browns fans at one point chanted an obscenity at him.
The rude reception given to Hillis on his return to Cleveland didn’t catch him by surprise.
“I was prepared for it,” said Hillis, who had 11 rushing yards on five carries. “I didn’t know how bad it would be.
“It comes with the territory. It’s something you have to face up to. It was disheartening to hear it. I respect the fans. The Browns have good fans.”
Things didn’t go better on Sunday for any of the other former Browns now with the Chiefs in a 30-7 defeat. Romeo Crennel, Cleveland’s head coach from2005 through 2008, couldn’t find a way to make his current team competitive.
Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who held the same position in Cleveland in 2009 and 2010, couldn’t guide the Chiefs to any points after they scored a touchdown on their first possession.
Quarterback Brady Quinn, Cleveland’s first round draft pick in 2007, completed fewer than half of his passes, was sacked five times and threw an interception.
Hillis perhaps had the toughest day of all. He struggled through injuries last season, when he was in the final year of his contract with the Browns.
But Cleveland tackle Joe Thomas last week publicly questioned whether Hillis was indeed injured or just taking it out on the Browns when they wouldn’t give him a contract extension. He also said Hillis was “toxic” to the Cleveland roster and the Browns were happy to see him move on.
Hillis responded by comparing Thomas to a “crazy ex-girlfriend.” That guaranteed he would get a rude welcome Sunday.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less,” Hillis said.
“I respect the fans. They would do this for anybody who left. They’re a good team and they’re getting better. They have something to look forward to.
“It was good to be back in the town of Cleveland.
It was good to be back out on the field and in this atmosphere again.”
Jacobs frustrated
San Francisco 49ers running back Brandon Jacobs is becoming even more frustrated with his limited role for San Francisco.
Jacobs on Saturday said via Instagram that he is “on this team rotting away” while referring to his first season with the Niners as his “worst” yet during an eight year career that included seven with the New York Giants.
In recent days, he posted a series of photos of himself playing for the Giants - and even a picture of his two Super Bowl championship rings, side by side.
“I am on this team rotting away so why would I wanna put any pics up of anything that say niners,” Jacobs said.
“This is by far the worst year I ever had, I’ll tell you like I told plenty others.”
Jacobs, 30, has five carries for 7 yards while being active for only two games with the NFC West-leading 49ers (9-3-1), who beat the Miami Dolphins 27-13 on Sunday.
Jacobs - inactive again with rookie LaMichael James active for the first time - has repeatedly referred any questions about his playing time to Coach Jim Harbaugh.
After Sunday’s game, Harbaugh only said, “I have no comment for that.”
Bad Cards
Arizona Cardinals Coach Ken Whisenhunt started with an apology and later asked a reporter if he could play quarterback.
Arizona’s season that was already spiraling finally hit bottom Sunday.
The Cardinals committed eight turnovers, saw Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch run for three touchdowns and were handed the worst shutout loss in franchise history, a 58-0 rout by the Seahawks.
If there wasn’t heated debate about the direction of the Cardinals before, it’s likely to pick up after this lackluster effort.
“I apologize to our fans and everyone associated with our organization. That was embarrassing,” Whisenhunt said. “We owe it to them, our fans, our supporters to give them a better product than we did today and going forward that’s what we’ve got to do, we’ve got to work to get better than that.”
The Seahawks (8-5) scored nearly every way possible, turning their first home game in about a month into a rout.
It was an effortless performance by the Cardinals (4-9), who have lost nine consecutive, the longest slide for the franchise since 1944. The Cardinals gained 154 yards and had almost as many turnovers as first downs (10).
Sports, Pages 18 on 12/10/2012