Browns running back Peyton Hillis isn't letting the NFL lockout and his presence on the cover of Madden 2012 slow his preparations for the season. "You can never get complacent," Hillis said. "All of this has been exciting for my friends and family and the people of Conway. Things like this don't happen around here very often and the people are very proud of me. It just makes me want to work that much harder for them, for the Cleveland fans and the people I grew up with. It's truly a blessing."

Browns rookie wide receiver Greg Little was ticketed 93 times during his time at North Carolina. The University of North Carolina identified eight football players who accumulated 317 parking tickets that were uncovered in documents requested by media outlets covering the ongoing NCAA probe. Little was drafted in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Browns. He was suspended for his senior year at North Carolina due to NCAA benefits violations. He racked up 93 of those tickets on multiple vehicles with nine different license plates.

The Browns are interested enough in Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor to do their due diligence on him for the supplemental draft, according to a league source. Whether or not Cleveland submits a bid for Pryor remains to be seen. The Browns can't comment on Pryor because he hasn't yet officially entered the draft.

The Browns once considered hiring Jim Tressel to be their head coach when he was at his peak with Ohio State. The internal talks never got past the exploration stage. "There was talk about him," confirmed a source involved in Cleveland's inner circle at the time. A source close to Tressel said the Browns explored his interest through a third party, but Tressel "just wasn't ready" to try the NFL. The time frame is believed to be in late 2006.

The Texans may be looking to help find running back Steve Slaton a new home once the NFL lockout ends. Slaton was a third-round pick back in 2008 and Tony Grosi of The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote of his value this weekend. "Slaton was a third-round pick in 2008," Grossi wrote. "I would imagine you could get him for a fourth. I'd really examine his fumble problems first, though."

Tony Grossi of the Cleveland Plain Dealer confirmed in a Friday video that veteran quarterback Jake Delhomme's days with the Browns "are numbered." "I think he knows it, the team knows it," added Grossi, who predicted that the Browns' third-string quarterback would come from the "undrafted ranks" or "maybe a very low-profile veteran free agent."

Jake Delhomme is going to have to agree to a pay cut if he's going to remain a member of the Browns. Cleveland general manager Tom Heckert hinted as much in a recent interview. "Whenever the thing opens up, we'll sit down with Jake and talk to him and decide what's the best for him and for our organization," Heckert said.

The Browns and Dolphins won't be among the teams interested in wide receiver Plaxico Burress when the free agent market opens following the NFL's lockout. Browns coach Pat Shurmur told The Cleveland Plain Dealer that he feels his team is already set at the position. "I feel like we've got some veteran receivers," he said. "Although they're younger, they've played NFL seasons, so I'm looking forward to working with the guys that we have. I feel like we have a good team to start and move forward with, and that's the way we're gonna approach it." In addition, a source told The Miami Herald that the Dolphins are "absolutely not" interested in Burress.

Browns linebacker Matt Roth is acting like he's done with the franchise. Roth will be an unrestricted free agent when the NFL lockout ends. Cleveland is installing a 4-3 defensive scheme and he would prefer to remain a part of a 3-4 system. "Right now I kind of like the 3-4 [defensive system]," Roth said. "I feel the Browns are on the right track. But going into my seventh season, I want to play for a winner. I do feel the Browns are right there. They've done a good job. I'm not sure what's going to happen." Roth enjoyed playing for former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, who is now with the Cowboys.

Fullback Lawrence Vickers, who will be a free-agent once the league year begins again, doesn't understand Cleveland's decision to draft Owen Marecic of Stanford. The Browns drafted Marecic in the fourth round. "I was like, 'Wow,' but at the same time I laughed. I don't know what their plans are," Vickers said. He wasn't given a contract tender by the Browns before the lockout. "I'm not disappointed because I understand business totally," Vickers said. "In business, you've got to make decisions that are for the business. "If it is the end of me, kudos to Cleveland. I'm not angry. My own personal goal was to be in one spot for my whole career. I love Cleveland. I wanted to be like Kevin Mack, who spent his whole career there. "If it is my departure in Cleveland, I'm going out with a bang. The team is on the rise. "Am I mad at Tom or even Mike [Holmgren]? No. I'll see them. I'll shake their hands."