The New England Patriots have had some great running backs wear the Flying Elvis over the past 20 years, but Corey Dillon has been the best of them.
New England traded a second-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals for Dillon in 2004 after he had already made three Pro Bowls and rushed for more than 8,000 yards in his first seven seasons in the league.
While some doubted the former Washington Husky’s ability to fit into the Patriots’ locker room, Dillon was exceptional. In his first season with the team, he rushed for a career-high 1,635 yards (a franchise record to this day) and 12 touchdowns on 4.7 yards per attempt en route to a Super Bowl victory.
In 2005, Dillon struggled with injuries, but still managed to rush for 733 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games.
Heading into the 2006 season, Dillon’s final with the team and in the league, New England used its first-round draft pick on Minnesota running back Laurence Maroney, who was supposed to replace the veteran. However, Dillon, who was still a productive back in his 30s, was not upset by the team’s decision.
“OK, you still have to come out here and play. You know what I mean,” Dillon said on a recent episode of “Caresses of the past” podcast. “Just because you got drafted doesn’t mean anything. A great player told me this: ‘It doesn’t matter what round you got drafted in. It’s what you do when you get here.’ That was the great Boomer Esiason. You still have to come out here and play. At the end of the day, what’s the worst thing that can happen? Someone gets cut? I don’t get cut, so I don’t worry about that aspect.
“So basically, we’re going to mix it up. We’re splitting races, and I’m fine with that. I never complained about it. I thought I needed a break sometimes, too. I never took it as a negative thing. Plus, we welcome guys who come in here and can help us win. Who doesn’t want that? I never looked at it as a negative thing. I looked at it as another teammate who helps us win.”
Dillon rushed for 812 yards and 13 touchdowns on 4.1 yards per carry while Maroney rushed for 745 yards and six touchdowns on 4.3 yards per carry. New England released Dillon the following offseason, and Maroney rushed for just 1,685 yards and 15 more touchdowns over his final three seasons with the team.
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