Monday, October 29, 2001
Dillon: Knows how to carry load
By Paul Daugherty
The Cincinnati Enquirer
PONTIAC, Mich. — Corey Dillon does a lot of it himself. What he hides behind his stiff-arms, his angry running style and his fullback's frame is an artist's ability to improvise.
There was nothing there. First down, 4-yard line, first play of the game. The Bengals are smack against their goal line. They're already getting pounded by waves of Silverdome lungs just tuning up. The hometown Lions were winless, but they knew they could win this one. So did their fans.
Dillon got the call. Eleven Lions clogged the center of the line as soon as Richie Braham snapped the ball. For an instant, it looked like second-and-10.
Dillon saw the clog. Then he saw something else: The crease on the left side of the Bengals' line. This is the vision the best backs have, the peripheral sense that allows them to hit the empty spots no one else can see.
Dillon cut back; he's one of the best in the NFL at that. Left guard Matt O'Dwyer shoved Detroit's Tracy Scroggins from Dillon's view, like a backhoe moving dirt. Darnay Scott, coming down the line from the left, side-crashed the safety: Bumper cars at the amusement park.
As right tackle Willie Anderson described it (as only a lineman can), “The whole left side of the lined caved their guys down and finished them.”
Still a heavy hitter
Dillon is lighter and quicker this year than he has ever been. The loss of five pounds hasn't stopped him from pounding people. Only now, he can dance some, too, when he has to: Dillonator Lite.
Dillon hit the hole, popped past the safety and saw nothing but field.
It was a 96-yard touchdown, longest in Bengals history. But was it any better than the four carries Dillon had in the 13-play second quarter drive? That ended in Dillon's 8-yard TD catch from Jon Kitna.
Going 96 yards is permanent footage for the highlight archive. But was it any more significant than the five carries for 21 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run Dillon had in Cincinnati's other 13-play march? All that fourth-quarter drive did was save the year, at least the playoff-hopeful portion of it. At 4-3, the Bengals can still dream.
Backbone of team
The Bengals dodged the dreadful Lions 31-27 because they applied beastly pressure to Lions quarterback Charlie Batch and played inspired defense when they had to. But they would not have won without Dillon. “He's our back,” Braham said. Braham meant running back. But Dillon is also the Bengals' spine.
He does a lot of it himself. He doesn't get arm-tackled. He doesn't give up on the play. “I'm 70 percent second effort,” Dillon said. “Since Pop Warner, coaches instilled in me, "Keep your legs moving, keep your eyes open, keep your head up.'”
When all else breaks down, Dillon is there to settle the chaos. Just as he did in the fourth quarter, after Cincinnati had fallen behind. Two yards, six yards, eight. Each run a little chip off the Lions' will.
“That's what I'm here to do,” Dillon said. “I'm a big believer in earning my paycheck.”
Five years and $27 million never looked like a better investment.
Contact Paul Daugherty at 768-8454; fax: 768-8550; e-mail: pdaugherty@enquirer.com.
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Dillon: Knows how to carry load
