season, "Lillard's teammates had stopped blocking for him", according to Coyle. Toward the end of the season, he was benched by the Cardinals; it is unknown whether this was because of an injury or a suspension. Jack Chevigny, the Cardinals' coach, indicated that Lillard had occasionally failed to attend practice, and had arrived late at other times. The lack of playing time for Lillard was attributed to internal disputes caused by "lackluster effort and a prideful attitude"; the Chicago Defender offered a different explanation, accusing Chevigny of racism towards Lillard. He ended the season with 121 rushing yards in 52 attempts, and nine successful passes in 28 attempts. Lillard was primarily a backup in 1933, although he was one of the Cardinals' leading players when he received playing time. In the first game of the 1933 NFL season, against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he missed an extra point attempt that proved to be the margin separating the teams in a 14–13 Pirates' win. Lillard was subsequently ejected from the game, having been involved in a dispute with Pirates player Tony Holm. One week later, he threw a touchdown pass in a 7–6 loss to the Spartans, though he received criticism from local newspapers for a missed extra point attempt and a short punt that led to a Portsmouth score. In the Cardinals' third game of the season, against the Cincinnati Reds, Lillard kicked a fourth-quarter field goal to secure Chicago's lone win of the 1933 season. After the kick, Lillard was punched by Cincinnati guard Les Caywood; he responded with a punch to Caywood's head, and was thrown out of the game along with Caywood. He played a key role in the Cardinals' October 15, 1933 game against the Bears. In addition to converting a field goal attempt, he had 110 yards in punt returns, including a return of more than 50 yards in which he outran Bears star Red Grange for a touchdown. However, the Cardinals lost by a score of 12–9. In 1933, the Cardinals posted 52 points in 11 games; Lillard scored 19 himself and had two touchdown passes. He had 373 rushing yards from 119 attempts. The Chicago Defender called him "easily the best halfback in football". In addition, Lillard occasionally served as a quarterback for the Cardinals. Steven Ruiz of USA Today credited him as a starter at the position for the team in 1933. During