Dillon was chillin’ after Super Bowl

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Corey Dillon sat behind a podium and tried to satisfy the pack of reporters. He struggled to come up with two dozen different ways to explain how happy he was. He didn’t really need to, though.

You could tell by looking at his wife, Desiree, who stood two feet away, smiling so intently that she didn’t even seem to blink. You could tell by looking at Dillon’s playful 6-year-old daughter, Cameron, who sat on his lap, all dolled up in her own No. 28 jersey.

“I don’t know how to act,” Dillon said. “I really don’t. It hasn’t hit me yet.”

Dillon completed his first season with the New England Patriots in spectacular fashion Sunday night, rushing for 75 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. He also had 31 yards receiving.

He was an important cog in the Patriots’ 24-21 victory against the Eagles, a piece of the puzzle that wasn’t around for the Pats’ previous Super Bowl wins.

In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Dillon charged toward the left side of the line, stampeding 2 yards across the goal line for the Patriots go-ahead touchdown. The score broke a 14-14 tie and gave the Pats a lead they’d never relinquish.

“I couldn’t have written a better script,” he said. “This is beautiful. This is awesome.”

Although the victory marked New England’s third championship in four years, it was Dillon’s first. After toiling in frustration with the Cincinnati Bengals — seven seasons, zero playoff appearances – he was traded to the Patriots before the 2004 season.

This season Dillon posted a career-best 1,635 yards, including 292 in three playoff games.

“He’s added a great element to this team,” quarterback Tom Brady said last week.

Dillon celebrated with his teammates following Sunday night’s victory. All week, New England players were almost mechanical in their demeanor. They’d been here before; they knew what to expect.

Not Dillon. He said he thought he’d never reach the championship. Dillon admitted he’d lost hope. It was buried somewhere near Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

He left the Bengals with a reputation as a selfish player, a guy who once said he’d rather flip hamburgers than play football in Cincinnati.

He didn’t need to buy a spatula, though. The Patriots gave up a second-round draft pick for Dillon in a trade that immediately reaped huge rewards for New England and Dillon.

Following Sunday’s win, he said there’s no need for him to utter a word like “vindication.”

“I knew what type of player I was, and I knew what type of person I was,” he said.

It’s a strange feeling going from a perennial loser to dynasty. Throughout the regular season, Dillon would often wake up wondering:

Is this a dream? Are we really winning all these games?

He’s finally realizing this isn’t all a dream. It only feels that way.