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Week 14. If there’s one player in the NFL who circled this date when the schedules were released last spring you can bet your bottom dollar it was Corey Dillon. The Patriots’ star running back will get a shot at his old team, the Cincinnati Bengals, this weekend at Gilette Stadium.
Dillon rushed for 1,000-plus yards each of his six years in the league before enduring an injury plagued 2003 that was marred by conflicts with first-year Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis. Cincinnati dealt the three-time Pro Bowler for a second round pick on April 19, ironically a Revolutionary War holiday in Massachusetts known as Patriots’ Day.
Dillon’s time as a Patriot has definitely been cause for celebration. He’s averaging over 100 yards per game and is well on his way to breaking New England’s franchise rushing record. The league’s all-time leading rusher who hasn’t appeared in a play-off game has been a model citizen in the locker room and is downright giddy to be playing for a team that’s 11-1 after spending nearly a decade with the cellar-dwelling “Bungles.”
To be fair, the Dillon deal has worked out for both teams. Cincinnati used their pick on safety Madieu Williams-a candidate for defensive rookie of the year. Dillon’s replacement at running back, former Auburn Tiger Rudi Johnson has 1105 yards on the ground, though his 4.1 yards per carry average pales in comparison to Dillon’s 4.8.
The Bengals are 6-6 and coming off first year quarterback Carson Palmer’s coming out party. In a stunning upset at Baltimore, the former Heisman Trophy winner dominated the vaunted Raven defense to the tune of 382 yards and three touchdowns, overcoming a 17 point deficit along the way. Suddenly with slim play-off hopes, Cincinnati is playing with confidence and like there’s no tomorrow – two elements that make them a very dangerous team.
Bengal Chad Johnson, who leads the AFC in receiving yards, is one of the league’s more vocal deep threats. The Pats don’t expect starting corners Ty Poole and Ty Law back for another couple of weeks, so Johnson vs. the team’s reserve defensive backs should be an interesting match-up.
Still, they have a bottom of the barrel run defense that’s seldom stopped anybody this season – something that doesn’t bode well against the rush-happy Patriots. Add to the mix Dillon, who has a bone to pick with the Cincinnati front office and coaching staff and the Bengals should be in for a long day stopping the run.
There’s nothing like good old fashion payback in the form of a smash mouth running game. Dillon once held the NFL’s all-time single-game rushing record, 278 yards against the Broncos in 2000. If he’s healthy and as motivated to play against his old mates as he appears to be, Dillon just might make a run at reclaiming it.
Bangor Daily News