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BEREA, Ohio (AP) #8212;Peyton Hillis(notes) is finally putting the focus on football #8212;and only football.After a drama-filled start to this season, Cleveland #8217;s running back, whosecontract situation, strep throat sickness that cost him to miss one game and ahamstring injury that sidelined him last week have blanketed the Browns forweeks, said after returning to practice on Wednesday that football club he #8217;s not going todiscuss his future with the team again this season. #8220;I would rather not talk about a contract the rest of the year, #8221; Hillissaid. #8220;There #8217;s no sense in it. It #8217;s in the past and I want to move forward fromhere on out. I #8217;ve got to play and that #8217;s the bottom line. #8221; Hillis practiced for the first time since hurting his hamstring football club in the firsthalf of Cleveland #8217;s loss at Oakland on Oct. 16. The injury was the latestchapter in what has been a weekly soap opera surrounding the tough-nosed back,who rushed for nearly 1,200 yards last season and wound up on the cover of theMadden video game.Wearing an orange Browns baseball cap, Hillis stood near the center ofCleveland #8217;s locker room as he has all season and fielded q football club uestions. This time,however, there was no talk about his hopes to sign a long-term deal with theBrowns. Last week, team president Mike Holmgren said the sides decided to putnegotiations on hold and #8220;let Peyton play, let the dust settle a little bit andsee what happens. #8221;That #8217;s fine with Hillis. #8220;We #8217;ve got to move forward from this because you don #8217;t need anydistrac football club tions, #8221; he said. #8220;I #8217;m not going to be a distraction. I #8217;m going to helpthis team win as much as I possibly can and do what I can. #8221;Hillis was limited during practice as the Browns (3-3) began installingtheir gameplan for Sunday #8217;s matchup with the San Francisco 49ers (5-1). Hillis,whose hamstring was heavily wrapped, didn #8217;t appear to have any problems running football club or cutting during the portion of the workout open to media members.In last week #8217;s win over Seattle, Montario Hardesty(notes) replaced Hillis andrushed for 95 yards on 33 carries, the kind of workload Hillis would like toget. Browns coach Pat Shurmur made it clear that if Hillis is healthy and canplay, he will start. #8220;He #8217;s our starting halfback and if he #8217;s able to go, he #821 football club 7;ll be the starter, #8221;Shurmur said.Hillis said it was tough to stand in street clothes on the sideline lastweek and watch the Browns run the ball 44 times. #8220;It kills you every time you #8217;re not out there, #8221; he said. #8220;But it was good tosee the guys run the ball pretty well and get the offense back and the chemistryback. #8221;Hillis has been inactive twice this season #8212 football club ;and the Browns are 2-0 withouthim.He sat out Cleveland #8217;s game on Sept. 25 against Miami with strep throat andflu-like symptoms, following the advice of his agent, Kennard McGuire. Thatdecision led to suspicions Hillis didn #8217;t play because of his contract, a chargehe strongly denied. Then, he got hurt against the Raiders and the Browns #8217;complicated the situation by initially report football club ing Hillis wasn #8217;t hurt and wasbeing kept out by Shurmur.It wasn #8217;t Hillis #8217; intent to cause a distraction, but that #8217;s what hashappened #8212;at least outside Cleveland #8217;s locker room.Linebacker Scott Fujita(notes) said the Hillis hubbub hasn #8217;t bothered the Browns.. #8220;It #8217;s not talked about in here at all, #8221; he said. #8220;I hear about it a lot whenI football club leave the building, there #8217;s a buzz. But if we win a couple games, and he comesout and has a good game and gets healthy, it will put all that stuff to bed. #8221;Shurmur has faith Hillis, who has rushed for 211 yards on 60 carries, canput the drama behind him and still have a productive season. #8220;I #8217;m very confident and we #8217;re looking forward to him performing on Sundayand havin football club g a good game, #8221; he said. #8220;I #8217;ve told this to players in the past thatyour next great performance is right on the horizon and we #8217;re hoping for himit #8217;s Sunday. #8221;Hillis, too, believes better days are ahead. He #8217;s got 10 games left to showthat last season was no fluke and prove to the Browns #8212;or the rest of theleague #8212;he #8217;s worthy of a big contract football club . #8220;There #8217;s a lot of time, #8221; he said. #8220;That #8217;s on me and getting healthy andproducing. I put that on myself. #8221;Hillis, who can become a free agent when the season ends, could have chosennot to talk about his contract this season. But he didn #8217;t. Perhaps because ofhis popularity with Browns fans, he decided to negotiate through the media, astrategy that may have b football club ackfired and cost him some respect.But Hillis insists he wouldn #8217;t do things any differently. #8220;I #8217;m not the kind of guy that looks back and regrets things, #8221; he said. #8220;Nomatter what happens, you have to keep a positive mindset and here on out, nomatter if it #8217;s good or it #8217;s bad, you just take it and roll with the punches. #8221;Notes: Fujita practiced for the f football club irst time since suffering a concussionagainst the Raiders. He sat out last week #8217;s game, and praised the Browns #8217;medical staff for the way they handled his head injury. #8220;We were smart aboutit, #8221; said Fujita, who has sustained past concussions. #8220;I feel fine. #8221; #8230; WRMohamed Massaquoi(notes) and TE Ben Watson have not been cleared to practice aftersustaining concu football club ssions Sunday. Both took part in team meetings and watchedpractice. Shurmur has not ruled them out for this week. #8230; K Phil Dawson(notes) wasalso an observer as he recovers from a thigh bruise. Special teams coach ChrisTabor is confident Dawson will play against the 49ers. #8230; Starting RG ShawnLauvao(notes), who hyperextended his knee against Seattle, was limited in practice. Follow Ya football club hoo! Sports' NFL coverage on Twitter. Updated 8 hours, 1 minute ago football club
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