FOXBORO – Every day, somewhere in Gillette Stadium, Corey Dillon finds a fellow Patriot and offers a hug or handshake.
The gestures come full of gratitude, part of a year-long “Thanks, guys” the star tailback wanted to give the franchise that yanked him from pigskin purgatory.
“Not a day goes by when I don’t grab one of those guys and say thank you,” Dillon said. “It’s probably a little annoying at this point. But I feel so fortunate to be on this team and experiencing this.”
In the coming week, more than any other this winter, Dillon can expect as much appreciation in return. In his first professional playoff game, the first-year Patriot carried 23 times for 144 yards, leading the Patriots to a 20-3 win over the Colts and booking them a spot in next week’s AFC Championship Game at Pittsburgh. He also caught five passes for 17 yards.
Dillon’s path to yesterday’s performance stretched 122 NFL regular-season games over eight seasons, seven spent frustrated in Cincinnati. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards six times and set or matched 18 team records in Bengals black and orange. But her never reached the playoffs.
New England, searching for an explosive tailback to complement a pass-happy offense, sent a second-round pick to the Bengals for Dillon in April. He spent the fall breaking Curtis Martin’s single-season franchise record with 1,635 yards and earning a major role in his postseason debut.
“He was hungry, excited for this game,” fullback Patrick Pass said. “And he’s made us so much better because we’re not one-dimensional like in the past.”
Yesterday showed Dillon’s value, and the Pats’ motives behind acquiring him. His 42-yard, second-quarter run, aided by blocks from right guard Stephen Neal and tight end Daniel Graham, set up an Adam Vinatieri field goal that gave the Pats a 6-0 cushion.
In the fourth, with New England looking for a knockout at the Indy 28 yard-line, he bolted up the middle, bounced off a bunch of bodies, then darted left and sprinted to the one. Tom Brady scored the game’s final points on the next snap.
Dillon’s late burst sparked chants of “Cor-ey! Cor-ey” from a sellout Gillette crowd and wowed his grateful teammates.
“I’m going to go get a Dillon jersey,” said linebacker Ted Johnson, comparing him to Earl Campbell. “He just pounds at you. You think there’s no gas left, and then he comes back the next play and puts another shoulder into you.”