(Musket) shots fired.
Former NFL running back Corey Dillon went on the verbal warpath in an interview with The Athletic this week, furious at the lack of recognition for an accomplished professional career that has yet to yield a call from Canton.
Injuries limited Dillon to 10 NFL seasons, including the final three with the New England Patriots. Even with his time cut short, Dillon tallied 11,241 yards on the ground, which still stands as 20th-best in NFL history.
Frustrated at the lack of post-retirement accolades and honors, Dillon primarily centered his anger around his original employers, the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite standing as the franchise's all-time leading rusher, Dillon has yet to be placed in the Bengals' Ring of Honor alongside names like Ken Anderson, Anthony Muńoz, and Ken Riley.
But Dillon expressed some displeasure with the Patriots' apparent lack of gratitude, hinting he'd expand upon those feelings at a later date.
"Don’t make this a Cincinnati thing, because I’m about to get on the Pats’ a**, too. It’s coming," Dillon said. “I’m coming for it all. Give it to me while I’m breathing. If anybody wants to disagree, just go look at the f***ing numbers and have a Coke and smile."
Dillon came to the Patriots in 2004 after seven seasons with the Bengals. At that time, Dillon was the rare consistent silver lining of a floundering group in Cincinnati: over his tenure in a striped helmet (1997-2003), the Bengals' winning percentage of .304 was second-worst in the NFL, besting only the expansion Houston Texans. Dillon called 8,061 yards (fourth-best in the NFL) and reached the Pro Bowl three times. He also set the (since-broken) NFL single-game rushing record in a 2000 win over Denver.
Traded to New England, Dillon played a major role in the Patriots' third Super Bowl run: he ran for a career-best 1,635 yards (a New England single-season record) in his debut season and he tallied 106 total yards and the team's final touchdown in the Super Bowl XXXIX win over Philadelphia. The injuries loosened his grip on New England's top rushing duties and eventually ended his career but he still earned 25 touchdowns over his final two years.
Yet, Dillon has been a bit of an afterthought in the grand scheme of things, even with a packed professional resume. His rushing tally, for example, is sixth-best among those who have yet to receive a call from the Hall of Fame. The apparent lack of gratitude from another Ohio organization, however, sticks with him, calling the snub "near-criminal."
"It looks like they are glossing over me. For what reason? Because I left? That’s not a good enough reason," Dillon said. "This is no knock on whoever is getting in, who goes in, that’s not what it is about. It’s about what is your excuse going to be? I’m pretty sure they will put f***ing Jon Kitna in there before they put me. As a matter of fact, Scott Mitchell will end up in that motherf***er before I do."
Even with his Foxboro brevity, Dillon might have a case for more recognition at Patriots Place: with only three years under his belt, Dillon ranks eighth in all-time Patriots rushing yardage (3,180) and third in ground scores (37). But recent history is not on his side: each of 30 players currently inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame, played at least six seasons with the team.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
More Patriots coverage from Sports Illustrated here.
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