the article I want to read in on the patriots website here is another one i found
FOXBOROUGH, MASS. - At the end of a recent minicamp practice, New England Patriots running back Corey Dillon approached a reporter and pulled out a biography of his NFL accomplishments.
AP photo
New England's Corey Dillon has averaged 1,158 yards per season, ninth among players who have played more than 100 games.
He handed it to the reporter, saying, "Let's have you read this so I'm properly introduced and everyone can see who I am. Then I'll take questions from there."
"OK," the reporter answered. "Born, 10/24/74. That makes you ... "
"31. And I'm very proud of that."
"Dillon enters the 2006 season having gained 10,429 yards in his first nine NFL seasons," the reporter read on. "His yardage total ranks 17th in NFL history."
"That's just one (line)," Dillon said. "There's 10 or 12 other ... "
"Over his nine-year career, Dillon has averaged 1,158 yards per season, a mark that ranks ninth among players who have been in more than 100 NFL games."
"Interesting," Dillon said. "Would you like to read on? Why don't you read this one right here? ..."
"In 2004, Dillon set career highs in rushing yards, 1,635; 100-yard games, nine; and touchdowns, 12, despite missing a game due to injury."
Looking up, the reporter asked Dillon, "Did you think people had forgotten all this stuff?"
"Sometimes," Dillon sighed. "Sometimes."
He's funny, open, sarcastic, surly and engaging. Yet, part of what makes the running back so intriguing is that he doesn't talk every day.
He's a walking conflict. He wants to be left alone. He wants to be treated with respect. He wants people to understand he's a regular guy. He doesn't care what anyone thinks.
The man has Hall of Fame numbers and bags of chips on both shoulders. He hadn't talked to the media since a profanity-laced upbraiding near the end of the 2005 season. The reason for his ire? Speculation that his poor 2005 was tied to age rather than injury. He continues to simmer about that.
When the Patriots drafted Minnesota running back Laurence Maroney in the first round of the draft, it was seen as a direct challenge to Dillon's job security.
"Fighting for a job?" he said when asked about his hold on the No. 1 spot. "I've been in this league 10 years. And it's an honor to be in this league 10 years. There's not too many players who can say, 'Hey, I've been a running back in the National Football League for 10 years. And pretty damn good.'
"You guys want to bring up age, OK, 31. Though I'd appreciate it if you guys ain't gonna give me a gift, don't bring it up. Ain't too many people have been where (I've gone). I'm proud about it. It's an honor and a privilege."
And he said he can help ease the rookie's transition.
"Why not?" Dillon asked. "What kind of person would I be? ... I have all this knowledge and experience in this league. (What kind of person would I be) if I didn't share it? I'd be a (jerk) and I don't want to be a (jerk)."
Dillon praised Coach Bill Belichick for keeping him in the loop before Maroney was selected.
But still ...
"I feel real disrespected," Dillon said. "I feel (I'm treated as if) I have accomplished zero, not even a grain of salt in this league. And that's terrible for a guy of my status. Hey, I don't care. I sleep real good at night. I know who I am. Maybe other people can't gauge who I am."
Why does he believe this is the way it is?
"I don't know," he said. "I don't get it. It's been this way since '97, since I started. I don't expect nothing different. I don't expect no love story from somebody, no family bio. I don't care about that. I've been dealing with it for 10 years. What's not to understand about me. I come to work. I do what needs to be done, and I go home."
Last year, when he went home, he went home sore. The high ankle sprain he suffered in the season's third game at Atlanta saw to that.
"It wasn't good. I dealt with injury the whole year," he said. "But that's last year. I'm healthy. I'm ready. This is the best I've felt at this point in time in the past three years."
IT WAS A FUMBLE!!!
To soon?
