Dillon puts on a good Patriot act
FOXBORO, Mass. – Corey Dillon will stand there as long as you want to ask questions, or until a New England Patriots publicist steps in and ends the interview. Standing on the thick green grass of a Gillette Stadium practice field, surrounded by TV cameras, microphones and notepads after practice Friday morning, Dillon is on his best behavior, which he says is all you will see from him as a Patriot.
Dillon, who once held the single-game rushing record, already ranks 28th in rushing yardage in league history. He does acknowledge he had problems in seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, but blames them on the mounting frustration of never having played on a winning team.
The Patriots, winners of two of the last three Super Bowls, are the league’s big wheel, and to hear Dillon tell it, he will be thrilled just to be a spoke.
“Very scary (to opposing defenses),” Dillon of the Patriots offense. “I just think we’ve got a pretty great offense and we’re going to do some pretty great things. I’ve been running against eight- or nine-man lines for seven years. Seventy-five percent of my yards came from running through those formations. It ain’t that much pressure with me here. It gives me the luxury of relaxing. I don’t have to jump over a wall to get a yard. That’s a good feeling.”
Does he care if the balance of the offense prevents him from racking up yards?
“Not at all,” Dillon said. “I’ve been there, had seven years of that. It (a lesser role) is fine with me.”
Tell coach Bill Belichick that everything is fine with Dillon and the Patriots. The Patriots gave up only a second-round draft choice to land one of the league’s premier running backs, something they haven’t had since Curtis Martin bolted for the Jets after the 1997 season.
“I think he’s going to be a great addition,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “He runs well and catches well. I’d love to see what he can do with the ball after he catches it.”
For his part, Dillon says he loves coming to a team where everyone seems upbeat and excited about the new season, the kind of optimism that was rare on the Bengals. By the time coach Marvin Lewis arrived in Cincinnati a year ago and had some success – the Bengals finished 8-8 and were in the playoff hunt until the end – a bitter Dillon wanted out under any circumstances.
Now, he claims to be giddy at his good fortune of landing with the Patriots. He went so far as to label Belichick and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis geniuses and described the difference between the Bengals and Patriots coaching staffs as “night and day. … They (Patriots) have a great scheme. They know how to mix things up, switch around personnel and disguise certain plays, and it works.
“Charlie is a creator, he’s got a great mind. You’ve got to be smart to learn this system or you’re going to fail. I’m a quick learner, and things are pretty smooth, but when I leave here, my nose is in the playbook.”
That would seem a safe place to keep it. Although many of Dillon’s brushes with the law took place when he was a juvenile, after his rookie season in Cincinnati, he returned to his hometown of Seattle and was charged with negligent driving, driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. He pleaded guilty to negligent driving and received two years probation.
In Aug. 2000 in Seattle, Dillon was charged with fourth degree domestic assault, in connection with a fight he had with his wife. The assault charge was dropped 18 months later and Dillon paid $750 to a women’s shelter and underwent counseling.
The situation here is Dillon knows as good as he is, he has a reputation that is almost as hard to bring down as he is. His agent, Steve Feldman, has reminded him this fresh start is Dillon’s chance to show everyone the person and team player he really is.
Belichick, who, along with Scott Pioli, met with Dillon for several hours before the Patriots made the trade, says Dillon has had no problem fitting in.
“It’s not complicated,” Dillon said. “As long as you come to work and work hard, everybody’s cool.”