August 29, 2024 • 37 mins
Tune-in as Matt Smith and Paul Perillo talk with former Patriots running back Corey Dillon. Hear Dillon’s first reaction to being traded to NE, the moment he knew the team was special, what were some of the nicknames he was given?, how much underrated talent was on the 2004 team and much more.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
It's type for another episode of Patch from the Past podcast.
Matt Smith, along with Paul Brillo, please to be joined
by number twenty eight. Do you believe that number twenty eight?
It is great to see Corey Dylon here. Corey, thanks
for joining us, man, thanks for having me. Really appreciate it.
It's great to see you. It's been a while. I
know you came back in December. I think last year.
You're here today, you're going into the Bengals Ring of
(00:31):
Honor or Hall of Fame. It seems like you're reconnecting
with the franchises that you played with, and that's got
to make you feel great.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, it's been a long time coming. I kind of
went off the reservation, so to say, for many years.
So just getting back and coming back around organizations, it's
a good feeling.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
So full disclosure, we did try to get you in
December too. That's one of our one of our few failures. Yes, yeah,
see right, Paul, we didn't get them the first time around.
But it is great. I would echo what Matt said.
You know, we're going to get into the two thousand
and four season, but that is a that is one
that I think has a special place in the heart
of a lot of people in this area that that
twenty four team was a special team and you know,
(01:17):
I'm really looking forward to getting some of your man.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
It was it was great to be a part of
that team. Man, there's so many Hall of Fame caliber
players on that team. It's it's it's crazy. That's that's
one of the favorite teams out of my whole career
I played for. And dude, I had a great time.
That was. That was one hell of a run.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
So let's get to it. You're at April, it's before
the draft, right. Were there conversations going on. Did you
think that that was a possibility or did it catch
you off guard?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Courty? No, Man, to be honest, I'm at home. I'm
thinking like worst case scenario type things. So I'm thinking, like, man,
I may have to sit out a year or whatever.
I think. I think the Raiders was real serious about
bringing me in, and and that was that was my
first first option, and that's what I was thinking, like, man,
(02:09):
I might be going to Oakland. So to actually get
the call from my agent was like and he told
me like this. He was just like, pack a back,
We're going to Boston. And and and I said for what,
you know, I'm like, for what we were going to
bost for. And he just told me, man, shut up,
just pack a back and meet me at the airport.
(02:29):
So actually coming down here and and meeting with Bill
and Scott Pioli, Man, we had a great conversation and
it was simple, man, It didn't take that long. It
was just like, hey, you know, what, do you think
you could play for us? I said absolutely. We shook
hands and that was that was it, and the rest
(02:50):
is history.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
So at the end in Cincinnati, you know, we we
you know, we're only watching from afar, you know, so
we're seeing the highlights where you know, we're hearing the
you know, chatter, and we were like, well, does this
guy really want to play? But it got to the
point where it was so bad for you with that
organization that you you felt strongly enough as you just
said that you you thought you might just sit out
(03:12):
rather than play for them again. It must have been
it must have felt like a rebirth to come here
and play for play for the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Dude. It was so refreshing, you know, just coming from
the situation I came in. We were at ends odds
ends about just what transpired that whole year. So, you
know what, I'm coming off an injury and and just
some of the stuff that was going on during that year,
I mean just compounded the situation. So actually to get
(03:42):
a fresh new start and actually come to an organization
that winning is everything, I embraced that. That's what I
wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Did you have any preconceived notions? I mean, it feels
like it's almost like a get out of jail free
card for you. Maybe you'd have accepted to go anyplace
hosted Bill, Yeah, but here you're coming to the defending
super Bowl champions. You don't know anything about the organization
other than they're the defending champs. What was your feeling coming.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
In, Ah, Man, that was a lot of anxiety, to
be honest with you, because you don't know what to expect.
They already got something in place and they're rolling. And
then you got this, You got this notion of like
what they really need me for? They just want the
Super Bowl, you know what I mean. So I think
I think some people think it's easy to be traded
(04:32):
to a super Bowl champion. Man, there's more pressure on
you to make your mark and to contribute to that,
to that team. So I mean I embraced that situation
as well. I just wanted to come in and, you
know what, do my part. And for the most part, man,
my teammates were great. They accepted me, the organization accepted me.
(04:55):
Bill let me do my theme, man, So it kind
of worked out.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
So that's interesting that you had something anxiety coming in. Interesting, right,
So what was you know, what you said that they
really accepted you. What was the moment that you sort
of felt accepted.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well, hey, some of these players already knew, right, so
that that kind of that kind of bridged the gap
of getting comfortable, meaning that.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
You could play like in two thousand and one, they
had to face him, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah. So I mean just breaking the eyes and getting
to know these guys, and I mean just coming here
doing training camp and us joking around and getting familiar
with each other, we kind of, you know, everybody was
just like, oh okay, so some of the things I
hear ain't what they are, you know what I mean?
So yeah, i mean I'm pretty sure coming in due
(05:49):
to the fact that less Cincinnati, they were like, can
we trust him? Can is he gonna be able to
fit any with us. Can he does? You know, Just
things like that of that nature and just coming in
and they seeing my personality like I'm just like them,
I think kind of broke the eyes and we started
we started yelling and they let me do my thing.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So there was an acclimation period, definitely training camp, preseason.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Maybe Okay, definitely, I mean, and then on top of that,
I'm pretty sure people was still thinking wondering if I
could play as well. So yeah, so it was it
was a lot of things going on, a lot of
things that have anxiety about, to be honest with you,
but just being me and my personality, nothing I couldn't handle.
And I think I came in and fit in with
(06:35):
the guys good.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
Was it really quick in training camp?
Speaker 3 (06:38):
I mean, obviously they were a good team, right, But
I always felt that that old four team was the
first one that was sort of there was There was
no asterisks, there was no yeah butts.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
They were just dominant.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
And was there a moment where you just sort of
felt like, Wow, this team can really be special.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I think I think when we went off to that
five oh start, man, I was just like, yeah, we're
pretty damn good. You know what I mean, and I don't.
Only only the way we lose is if we beat
ourselves type thing. And I kind of felt that, you know,
because we're dominant on defense and we got great players
(07:15):
on offense. So I really felt overall, only way we
losing if we beat our stuff and make mistakes. So
it during that whole season, I mean, everybody I like,
I like players holding players accountable offense and defense. That's
(07:35):
what we did all year man, so it it it
panned out and it kept us focus as just coming
in and you know the you know the famous quote,
just do your job, you know, and that's what we
did and and players held everybody accountable for just doing
(07:56):
your job. So and if you're off, you're not. You know,
other players consense that, you know what I mean. And
it's just the confidence another player will give you when
you may be struggling a little bit to go out
there and perform, man means everything that signs up a
good team.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
You come to New England at an interesting point in time.
Everybody today knows how great Tom Brady was right in
two thousand and four, and I'm not taking anything away
from him. He was a two time Super Bowl winning
quarterback at the time, But he wasn't Tom Brady. What
did you see out of him, Corey at that point
(08:35):
in time as a player, you knew he was a
pretty good quarterback, but nobody in there wild the dreams
was ever going to think that what happened happened. What
did you see that you thought made him great?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Man? Just just being that ultimate competitor, and you could
see that. I can see that right off the bat.
I can see that. I knew it. Just how he prepares.
He was always first then last out and the way
he gathered all of us. There's not one player in
that locker room that wouldn't run through a brick wall
(09:07):
for Tom Brady. And that's what it's about. He controlled,
he had that, he had that control over the team
where hey, man, let's when he gets going with head
button people and screaming, let's go man, It's it's exciting
for your quarterback to see your quarterback to express those
(09:28):
kind of emotions and energy. Man, it fires everybody up.
So ultimate leader, ultimate competitor. And I seen it. I
seen it then I knew he was gonna be great
so and he proved it so easily. He proved it.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah, I know it sounds a little funny because they
went fourteen and two and three en route to the
Super Bowl, so it's not like, yes, they locked into it,
but it kind of got a lot of breaks in
O three and O four. I kind of looked at
it as you were the missing piece, like you were
that one ingredient that made them completely, as you said,
unbeatable unless you beat yourselves. Can you just remember that
(10:10):
year just being that league guy franchise record for rushing
yards I think over sixteen hundred rushing yards in four
just the dominant way that you guys went about it.
You could beat teams offensively, defensively, special teams. I used
to have a joke in the press box. I would decide,
like first drive of the game, whether or not you
guys showed up that day, and if the game was over,
(10:33):
and it was a game in Cleveland, I think Bethel
Johnson returned the opening. I looked at my boss and
I said, that's game.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, man, that that was the thing. Man.
We can win in so many ways. There's been times
like during that all four season where we start off
in five wides. We're not even running the ball, We'll
go a whole two series. We don't even run the ball.
(11:00):
And I just think that was the scheming of Charlie Wise.
He he was a genius in running that running that offense, man,
and dude, it was I felt like, you know what,
I was a closer, you know, and so in so
many ways, like in those grimy games, like you need
those tough yards, that's where I showed up and showed
(11:23):
up big. So yeah, we had a we had a
variety of ways of winning football games and just just
just knowing that, you know what, at the end of
these games like that late third quarters, in the fourth quarters,
I show up big and they gave me the ball,
(11:44):
they let they let me go and I and I
ran with it. What was the.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Nickname that Puski? I don't know if Bruski's the author
of the nickname. What's the nickname?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Clock killing? Yeah, yeah, so it's it's true. I used
to run a control, controlling on the ground, run out
that clock and there it is.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
And that was really what a way to play football too.
It was get a lead, you know, and then just
hammered home. Trust your defense. That's a pretty decent recipe
for success. Isn't it.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yeah? It worked it though, for it worked all the
way to Jacksonville.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Yes, Like honestly, for you did feel like a rebirth
of sorts, you know, to to just come and have
that much success, both individually and as a team.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
And maybe reaffirmed Corey what you were thinking when you
were in a different space, you know, with Cincinnati and
everything like that. I don't suss a.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Record for individual you know, single game rushing, like you
had a lot of individual accolades, but this, the team
success came with it.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
You know what what dawned on me? I didn't. I
didn't understand like like being at an other organization, you
would hear, you would hear like what other organizations do.
So I never I never knew what the Patriot Way was.
I didn't. I didn't. I didn't get that. I was like,
what is you know what I mean like, I don't know,
is that a code with what's going on? Like? And
(13:06):
you would hear that from from other places because I mean,
I grew up. I'm from Seattle, I know Lawyer mylloy
and I've been to Willie McGinnis and all these guys
before I got here. So me actually coming over and
like in the narrative out there before I even got here, Oh,
(13:29):
he'd never fit in. It's the patriotet. I was like,
I don't even know what the hell that is, to
be honest with you, But getting over here and seeing
it firsthand and figuring out what it is. It's just
a guy doing his job, you know what I mean,
going out there playing the right way.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
And I think Paul certainly in that era right around there,
Bill had a tremendous amount of success with picking the
right like not listening to the narrative, Oh, Corey Dillon's
gonna kill your team. You don't want to bring him
and he's a bad apple. You know that's gonna he's
a killer for your You know what, let me see
what I can do with Corey Dillon. Have a talk
with you, man to man, and as you said, let
(14:05):
me just do my job.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Right?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Is it when you look back at that, do you
think that that's part of Bill's genius?
Speaker 2 (14:11):
You know what? I think?
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Treating a player like.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
A player exactly exactly. Listen. One thing about Bill is, hey, man,
if you're out there, you're doing your job. He's not
gonna really, he ain't gonna mess with you. Only time
he's gonna deal with you is if you don't know
what you're doing. You know what I mean. And for
the most part, he let me come here and grow.
He didn't. Me and Bill had great conversations. You know,
(14:34):
I knew what I was doing, I knew my assignment,
and I prided myself on going out there and executing
that part of it. So it wasn't really nothing else
really to talk about other than xens and o's and
preparing me for the next situation. It was never no
negativity whatsoever. So and he's like that with every player.
(14:55):
As long as you're doing your job, he's not really good.
There's nothing to be said.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
So earlier you said something about that team being so
so talented. You realized the only way we're going to
screw this up is if we beat ourselves, right.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
Yeah, that late season game in.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Miami, oh wow, the Monday night you guys basically did exactly.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
I mean, I see, I see, I see my image
going on that trailer. Man, it is way quick. So yeah,
I remember that game, and and and and since our retirement,
there's always something with New England in Miami that goes wrong. Yeah,
(15:36):
weird games, weird games. Yeah, we're we're down there. I
don't know what what was we We were fourteen and.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
One, yeah, yep, thirteen and one. Yeah, we have one loss.
Yeah yeah, we were one loss, twelve thirteen whatever.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
And Monday night, Monday night, we're controlling the game. Everything
is going good. Man, it just weird stuff started happening. Man.
It just interception here, fumble here, and I'm just looking
like wow. But I tell you what, I tell you
what I think. Honestly, I don't like losing. I hate losing,
but I think we needed to lose that game to
(16:13):
reset and get back focused, because I mean, when you're
running through the season and you're thirteen and one or whatever,
you can get a little complacent, you know what I mean.
And I think Bill used that game, prime example, to
reset us, get us back where we need to be.
That following week.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Of practice was I can only imagine.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
I was just like, I don't want to lose again.
You know, that part of itself us. It got us
set up for the playoff run.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
I think Paul a lot of fans will look back
and I don't know how much argument there is as
to what the best Patriots team of all time is
I certainly like what would be the ill fortune? That's
my vote, right, But if you think about that in
the year and Corey, what did this happen? On the
other side of the ball, Law goes down, you know,
Asante goes down, Troy Brown is playing defensive back earth
when Moreland. You know, guys are just coming out of nowhere,
(17:09):
but they're making plays and they're being put in a
position where maybe they're not getting exposed or anything like that,
and the team is coming around you to try to
cover up some of those places. That was a pretty
remarkable part of that team with some of the difficulties
that you had from a personnel standpoint.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
I mean, and that's that's just the brilliance of the
players we had. We're you know, could switch. Who Who
would ever thought Troy Brown can get over there and
play corner, right, you know what I mean? Who would
think of that? What coach would think of you know what, Troy,
we need you at corner this week, and had a
confidence of putting them in there and letting him play corner.
(17:51):
I think I think overall what was real underrated is
we had a lot of good players. Verse of tile players.
I think that's what Bill likes. Players that are versatile
and can do many things. And it's that's kind of
a genius move. We're gonna just take Troy Bown and
(18:13):
make him play corner and then for the most part,
Troy went out there and held his own so and
that shows what kind of player he is, you know
what I mean. So, And but I think I think
that team and like, if you start going through this,
this whole walk of dynasty, I think some of those players.
(18:35):
I think that that All four team is underrated because
people didn't know the caliber of players we had. I did.
I knew. I worked with him every day.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Right, So Corey Dillon's in All Pro. Okay, and you
were in the Pro Bowl that year and All Pro.
Everybody knows who Corey Dillon is. Here's a guy who
I think grows under the radar for a lot that
really emerge that year, and that's David Gibbons. Like who's
David give you know, right, and who's David Givens. David
Gibbons was a hell of a player in that system,
wasn't he Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Absolutely? I Mean he stepped up big when when Branch
went down so and and that's what I'm saying there
was we had so many talented players on that squad,
Like when somebody get hurt, somebody'll step back up and
and and and feel that voided till they get back.
I think I think that's that's how we survived, and
(19:31):
that's where our confidence grew as a team that no
matter what happens, we're gonna have. The next guy's gonna
step up and we're gonna keep rolling.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
You get you get into the playoffs that year first
game is what I think is probably one of your highlights.
You know, the game against the Colts here and the
terrible weather. You get the great.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Images of you with all the mud and stuff all, you.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Know, before we had the you know, the field turf
put in or still natural grass. Then was that your
first ever playoff game? Did you have a playoff apparent?
Speaker 2 (20:05):
First ever playoff game?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Yeah, and you know, I think the Colts are still
chasing you. It had to be really satisfying.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Oh wow, yeah it was, man, it was. It was
a cold one. I think it was some snow flurries here.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Right at the beginning, just to get Manning off his game.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Yeah, just look and you know what I'm from. I'm
from Seattle, Man, I'm used to those snowy, cold, muddy games.
So I knew it was I knew it was gonna be.
You know, we gotta do some running. We're gonna be
on the ground this game. We're gonna do a lot
of running. So dude, it was after the first initial hit, man,
(20:44):
I just settled in and started doing my job. Man,
And it turned out. I don't know if it was
like what forty four ground something like that.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Should have had. I mean, were that I mean, were
you on the dives of the pilot.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
You know what? Officials came back the following year, I said,
you know what, this was actually a touchdown. Yeah, so
I I wish I wish they would have called it,
called it right the first time. But you know what,
we end up winning the game, So that's all that matters.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
That image of you diving for the pounds.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
You have kids, Yeah, they see you see that one.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Look at d Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
My daughter is always like, Dad, you didn't play. You
weren't good. I'm like, you better check this out, come
back and watch some film.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
Divisional round.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
And then the next game, Corey, you know that was
that that Indie game is hard fought. The defense really
shut Manny down. You're going into Pittsburgh where you got
thumped in the regular season, you know, and what was
the confidence level of going back in there and say,
you know what did go down in the Pittsburgh game.
I went down in the first so that was a
(21:51):
little bit of a what was your confidence level like
going into Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I think I missed that Pittsburgh game too with a
ham Street in the regular season, so I didn't play
that game as well. And they rumped us pretty good
up there, and I know, I got some friends up there,
Joey Porter and all that, and they was talking cash,
you know what, they were talking cash, And you know
(22:18):
what our attitude was like, Man, let's let's beat them down.
Let's beat them down. Let's go out there and jump
on them early and let them know we're back. We're
we fully loaded, everybody everybody's up, We're not at a disadvantage,
and let's go show them what we got. And we
jumped out on them quick and they couldn't recover.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Was that the mindset going in, like you knew that
you were missing some pieces the first time around, and
you were fully confided because they were fifteen and one.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Listen, Petersburg was pretty good.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
Too, right, pretty now.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Willie used to tell everybody that no one thought you
guys could win, even though you were favored on the road. Again,
the fifteen to one team, which told everybody just how
good people thought that two thousand and four pages.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Well, I think I think that I think people recognized
from the regular season we have people missing and and
us fully loaded. We match up very well with them,
and it was just a it was just a war
of will at that point. Don't get me wrong. Pittsburgh
had a stack one hell of a football team, you know,
(23:27):
but we had players too, so and that was and
that was the thing. Man, oh man, Let's see let's
see who who who? Who weakends first? And I think
we jumped out them real good. And by the by
the third quarterman, that game was, that game was out
of control. It was it was pretty much in the bag.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
And what was going through your mind then, like is
there can't be many better feelings in watching a place
empty out. You're beating them really good, as you said, right,
and you're going to.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
The Super Bowl. My first initial feeling is they used
to they used to kick my butt when I played
for Cincinnati, so now hey payback. I got you. I
got you. So that was my that was my first thought.
Second thought is, man, we just whipped you on the
biggest stage in the AFC Championship game. After all that
(24:22):
was said, all that was done in the regular season,
all the talking. We kind of killed that noise too,
and then we're off to the super Bowl. It gets
no better than that. It gets no better than going
up to Hinesfield, beating them on their own turn and
earning the birth at birth to the super Bowl, super
(24:45):
Bowl thirty nine.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
And what do you remember about you know that that period,
heading into Jacksonville and getting ready to take on the Eagles.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I just couldn't believe I'm there, you know what I mean,
a glans It back on where I was last year
at that time to where I was then, unbelievable, unbelievable.
I mean, yeah, I mean I put into work, I
put in the work. But even though when you do
put into work, some people still don't don't get to
(25:17):
experience what I was experienced at that moment. So it
was a blessing, man, It was a blessing, and it
just reversed back to that handshake between Bill and me
and Scopioli, Like that's the only That's what it goes
back to. You think you could play for us? Yes?
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Indeed, sort of comfortable circle in that quarry, you know. Yeah,
there's people doubt their doubters, right, people questioning you could
it happen? Not only did it happen, but you end
the year with Lombardi Trophy in your hand. That's got
to be pretty satisfying.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Oh man, what a feeling? What what a feeling? I
mean if you it's just coming back full circle like
from the year before to the end. And believe me,
there's there's a there's gonna be a lot of nace
hears for the rest of your life, you know what
I mean, that's that's just natural. But to but to
(26:19):
go through what I went through and then the very
next year be holding up the trophy says says it all.
You know, I think that kind of killed a lot
of misconception out there about who I am and what
I can do.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
So now moving forward, you you know, you start the
old five season looking, you know, to win three in
a row for a three peat obviously hasn't been done.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
Yeah, Kansas City is going to try to do it
this year.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
It ain't gonna happen. Why Why Because it's never happened.
It's never happened. I don't everybody's shooting for you.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Did you sense did you get that? Did you get
a sense that you're getting everybody's best shot?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
In absolutely? Absolutely? I think the four we were getting
everybody's best shot. Honestly, everybody's best shot. And I think
I think the consensus around the the league and to
most like you know what, we're tired of seeing them
(27:26):
win anyway. So I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure teams
are are gearing up. They're gonna give Kansas City all
they can handle. I don't, I don't seem I don't
see them three pete at all?
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Where did you see the pressures? Besides getting everybody's best
shot to four was magical. Nothing went wrong that year,
and so you can't just roll the balls back out
again in five. You got to, like Bill used to say,
it's a new year, you got to put in the
work and everything like that. Where did you see that
thing went wrong?
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Five? I mean there was a lot of injuries. I
mean I missed games that that that that year. So yeah,
I mean you gotta have you gotta have some luck
to to complete the mission of winning a Super Bowl
man and that and and number one, staying healthy is
is key. Uh, I don't I wasn't healthy. A lot
(28:24):
of other players that were down. So we kind of
we kind of struggled that year. We we still we
still made it to the playoffs. I think we went
up to Denver. We lost to Denver, which I thought
we had that we we would have seen Pittsburgh again,
and oh what a feeling that would have been. That
(28:44):
would have been another good one. And I think I
don't know, I think Pittsburgh did they win it that year? Yes?
Oh yeah, we Honestly, I'm sitting here, I'm thinking, damn,
I could be have have to two rings man, to
be honest with you, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
So you know, just from Afar, I would say, you
guys look like you're a little lot of gas. That
too in Denver, you know, a tough place to play,
no mile high. And I think all the sort of
attrition of the long playoff runs, Yeah, I think caught
up to you. But you want to say you could
have had two Let's fast forward to six and you
got a twenty one to three lead late in the.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
Second quarter of the AFC Championship game.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Yeah, man, could it?
Speaker 4 (29:28):
I think we might have ruined it for him.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Yeah, that was a different year though. Core They drafted
back in the first round. Yeah, what you're thinking when
you saw that happen?
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Nothing like? Okay? I mean, you still got to come
in here and play, like you know what I mean, Like,
just because you were drafted doesn't mean it doesn't mean anything.
A great player told me this. It doesn't matter what
round you're drafted. It matters what you do when you
get there. That's a great boomer of science. So you
(29:59):
gotta still come in here and play. And then at
the at the end of the day, what's the worst
thing going to happen? Somebody get cut? I mean, I'm
not getting cut, So I'm not worried about that aspect
of it. So what it boiled down, it too was
and you know what, Hey, we're gonna mix it up.
Hey we split carries, and that's fine with me. I
never griped about that whatsoever. I kind of thought of
(30:22):
it as hell, I need a break too sometimes that
part as well, that part as well, I never took
it as a as a negative. So and then on
top of that, man, we embrace guys that's coming in
here that can help you win. Who doesn't want that.
So I never looked at it in a negative light.
I looked at it as a another teammate here to
(30:45):
help us win. And like you said, man, we get
up there, we get up there to Andy Man and
and I'm thinking, man, we're going back. And then I
don't know what happened, man, that big head Fela with
the word and pulled a number on us.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Man, And that didn't mean to gloss over one of
the more underrated playoff victories of the dynasty.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
And that's the week before in San Diego.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Oh man, I think I think Ladani is still mad
about that. When you're question, we weren't supposed to win
that game at all, and I think they were the
favorites to win it all.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
They were fortune too.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Yeah yeah. So and actually going up to San Diego
and playing one hell of a team, man, that team
was good on defense, good on offense, and were we
were in a slug fest all four quarters. And the
actually go up there and come out with the win
was was special. That was that was a good win
(31:47):
for us. Uh.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
I don't want to trivialize it, because I think when
you say that you're a part of a trivia question,
it trivializes the accomplishment. But I do Paul had mentioned
this earlier. I don't know how many Patriots fans right
off the top of the head go, oh, single season
record rushing record, Corey Dillon, sixteen hundred yards. That's a
hell of an accomplishment and one you must be very
proud of to see that record still stands today.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
I'm proud, man, I'm just I'm just proud to be
a part of the history here. Man, That's what I'm
proud of. Yeah. I always got the attitude of records
are meant to be broken, which they they are. Some
young step will come along in here and it clips that.
(32:30):
But you know what, I'm an chaerish it since I
got it now, you know. So it was great, man.
It's a reflection on that year who I played with,
the people who was around the organization, and to cap
that that great season of rushing off with a super Bowl. Man,
(32:51):
that's that's everything. That's something I never forget, never forget.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
Yeah, as those six you know, obviously a very disappointing.
We just talked about it, very disappointing, and you sort.
Speaker 4 (33:00):
Of have an.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
Idea in your mind of what the future was going
to hold for you.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, man, I I just had enough, I
think at that point, you know, like, yeah, I'm getting older.
I was like thirty two, man, I was, I was.
I was in my late early thirties. I mean, and
I'm thinking, man, I already gave you so much to
this game. I mean, and in my mind, what more
(33:28):
can I do or what more do I want to do?
You know? And at that time, some of the older
guys that hang around, you know, catch bad, bad injuries,
you know, so and the style of football I like
to play, Yeah, that was coming. That was coming. So
(33:50):
I just thought to myself, like, man, this might be
the best time to shut it down and go figure
out something else to do with your life.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Which is what what are you work to these days?
Speaker 2 (33:59):
I think?
Speaker 1 (34:00):
ANSWERED want to.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Know, Man, I'm trying to fix this hook I got
in golf with the driver. Hey, I get a hold
of it. I mean, for the most part, I'm putting
it out there three hundred plus, But sometimes I have
these these snap hooks. So that's that's the thing on
(34:23):
my agenda lately. It's fixing that hook. Yeah. And then
other than that, man, I'm just I'm just living the
easy life, man, and just get my kids through through
school and things that just a normal, normal life.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
That's the way it should be, man, Yeah, that's the
way it should be.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Right.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
And then to be able to come back here, you know,
I know you're going to be out and fans are
going to see your practice, but I think people are
going to kind of do a double take, Paul, you know,
because unlike a guy like maybe Teddy Troy still on
the staff, you know, Willie's been around.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
Guys are in the media.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
The guys are in the media, and I think people go,
Holy Strong, that's clock killing Corey. Y, that's here in
front of us. That's gonna be a big deal for
I think for fans around here.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Corey. Well, like I said, I've been on the ground
for a decade and people haven't really seen me. So yeah, man,
it's it's gonna be good. It's gonna be good to
see some familiar faces. I ain't seen it in a
long time. So yeah, man, I'm glad to be back.
Speaker 4 (35:24):
How much do you still follow the week?
Speaker 2 (35:27):
I do. I keep I keep track. I keep track, man,
every time every time the passes on, I'm watching. So
I'm on it. I'm on it. You know, I'm just
a fan now, I'm a fanboy. Now I could just
sit back from the from the living room and still
try to call out play. Hey. Wow, I'm glad you
(35:50):
guys brought that up because I was just doing I
was just doing some media things with Cincinnati as well,
and like I told him, man that that that week,
I'm sitting at one now out smart you know. Hey,
I'm gonna I'm gonna. I'm gonna see both from organizations
play and then the best team win. That's all I
could do. No words, no comment, is no nothing real quick.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
We'll let you go.
Speaker 3 (36:13):
Just the way the game is played now as a
bruising running back does that that bumm you out at
all the way that's kind of all spread and it's.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
A lot of passing that which I don't. It ain't.
It ain't no power football no more. It's it's more
passing and I don't And to be honest with you,
I don't like how the running back position been devalued.
So it kind of sucks kind of watching watching all
these things by committee, you know, but that's where that's
(36:42):
where we're at. So I gotta I'm I'm still a
football player and fan and love the game, so gotta
watch it, Gotta love it and hopefully hopefully power football
come back and stuff.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
He says the way the games change that records are
going to be made to be broken.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
I don't think so with that running back by committee.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
Sixteen sixteen hundred yards, it's going to be tough to
get when you're when you're sharing.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
Those Yeah, yes, I really think so. But I said
that records they go find that one stud running back
that's God, that's gonna be that throwback and he and he,
he's gonna be able to get it done. Yeah, by
if you're doing it by committee, it will never happen, right,
Coret appreciate the time in great Thank you, thank you,
(37:28):
great seeing you guys as well. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 5 (37:30):
Thank you for downloading this podcast. Subscribe on the Apple,
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Please rate and review us. Listener comments and ratings help
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form on news and more podcasts
It's type for another episode of Patch from the Past podcast.
Matt Smith, along with Paul Brillo, please to be joined
by number twenty eight. Do you believe that number twenty eight?
It is great to see Corey Dylon here. Corey, thanks
for joining us, man, thanks for having me. Really appreciate it.
It's great to see you. It's been a while. I
know you came back in December. I think last year.
You're here today, you're going into the Bengals Ring of
(00:31):
Honor or Hall of Fame. It seems like you're reconnecting
with the franchises that you played with, and that's got
to make you feel great.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, it's been a long time coming. I kind of
went off the reservation, so to say, for many years.
So just getting back and coming back around organizations, it's
a good feeling.
Speaker 3 (00:54):
So full disclosure, we did try to get you in
December too. That's one of our one of our few failures. Yes, yeah,
see right, Paul, we didn't get them the first time around.
But it is great. I would echo what Matt said.
You know, we're going to get into the two thousand
and four season, but that is a that is one
that I think has a special place in the heart
of a lot of people in this area that that
twenty four team was a special team and you know,
(01:17):
I'm really looking forward to getting some of your man.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
It was it was great to be a part of
that team. Man, there's so many Hall of Fame caliber
players on that team. It's it's it's crazy. That's that's
one of the favorite teams out of my whole career
I played for. And dude, I had a great time.
That was. That was one hell of a run.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
So let's get to it. You're at April, it's before
the draft, right. Were there conversations going on. Did you
think that that was a possibility or did it catch
you off guard?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Courty? No, Man, to be honest, I'm at home. I'm
thinking like worst case scenario type things. So I'm thinking, like, man,
I may have to sit out a year or whatever.
I think. I think the Raiders was real serious about
bringing me in, and and that was that was my
first first option, and that's what I was thinking, like, man,
(02:09):
I might be going to Oakland. So to actually get
the call from my agent was like and he told
me like this. He was just like, pack a back,
We're going to Boston. And and and I said for what,
you know, I'm like, for what we were going to
bost for. And he just told me, man, shut up,
just pack a back and meet me at the airport.
(02:29):
So actually coming down here and and meeting with Bill
and Scott Pioli, Man, we had a great conversation and
it was simple, man, It didn't take that long. It
was just like, hey, you know, what, do you think
you could play for us? I said absolutely. We shook
hands and that was that was it, and the rest
(02:50):
is history.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
So at the end in Cincinnati, you know, we we
you know, we're only watching from afar, you know, so
we're seeing the highlights where you know, we're hearing the
you know, chatter, and we were like, well, does this
guy really want to play? But it got to the
point where it was so bad for you with that
organization that you you felt strongly enough as you just
said that you you thought you might just sit out
(03:12):
rather than play for them again. It must have been
it must have felt like a rebirth to come here
and play for play for the Patriots.
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Dude. It was so refreshing, you know, just coming from
the situation I came in. We were at ends odds
ends about just what transpired that whole year. So, you
know what, I'm coming off an injury and and just
some of the stuff that was going on during that year,
I mean just compounded the situation. So actually to get
(03:42):
a fresh new start and actually come to an organization
that winning is everything, I embraced that. That's what I
wanted to do.
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Did you have any preconceived notions? I mean, it feels
like it's almost like a get out of jail free
card for you. Maybe you'd have accepted to go anyplace
hosted Bill, Yeah, but here you're coming to the defending
super Bowl champions. You don't know anything about the organization
other than they're the defending champs. What was your feeling coming.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
In, Ah, Man, that was a lot of anxiety, to
be honest with you, because you don't know what to expect.
They already got something in place and they're rolling. And
then you got this, You got this notion of like
what they really need me for? They just want the
Super Bowl, you know what I mean. So I think
I think some people think it's easy to be traded
(04:32):
to a super Bowl champion. Man, there's more pressure on
you to make your mark and to contribute to that,
to that team. So I mean I embraced that situation
as well. I just wanted to come in and, you
know what, do my part. And for the most part, man,
my teammates were great. They accepted me, the organization accepted me.
(04:55):
Bill let me do my theme, man, So it kind
of worked out.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
So that's interesting that you had something anxiety coming in. Interesting, right,
So what was you know, what you said that they
really accepted you. What was the moment that you sort
of felt accepted.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Well, hey, some of these players already knew, right, so
that that kind of that kind of bridged the gap
of getting comfortable, meaning that.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
You could play like in two thousand and one, they
had to face him, you know.
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Yeah. So I mean just breaking the eyes and getting
to know these guys, and I mean just coming here
doing training camp and us joking around and getting familiar
with each other, we kind of, you know, everybody was
just like, oh okay, so some of the things I
hear ain't what they are, you know what I mean?
So yeah, i mean I'm pretty sure coming in due
(05:49):
to the fact that less Cincinnati, they were like, can
we trust him? Can is he gonna be able to
fit any with us. Can he does? You know, Just
things like that of that nature and just coming in
and they seeing my personality like I'm just like them,
I think kind of broke the eyes and we started
we started yelling and they let me do my thing.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
So there was an acclimation period, definitely training camp, preseason.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Maybe Okay, definitely, I mean, and then on top of that,
I'm pretty sure people was still thinking wondering if I
could play as well. So yeah, so it was it
was a lot of things going on, a lot of
things that have anxiety about, to be honest with you,
but just being me and my personality, nothing I couldn't handle.
And I think I came in and fit in with
(06:35):
the guys good.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
Was it really quick in training camp?
Speaker 3 (06:38):
I mean, obviously they were a good team, right, But
I always felt that that old four team was the
first one that was sort of there was There was
no asterisks, there was no yeah butts.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
They were just dominant.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
And was there a moment where you just sort of
felt like, Wow, this team can really be special.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I think I think when we went off to that
five oh start, man, I was just like, yeah, we're
pretty damn good. You know what I mean, and I don't.
Only only the way we lose is if we beat
ourselves type thing. And I kind of felt that, you know,
because we're dominant on defense and we got great players
(07:15):
on offense. So I really felt overall, only way we
losing if we beat our stuff and make mistakes. So
it during that whole season, I mean, everybody I like,
I like players holding players accountable offense and defense. That's
(07:35):
what we did all year man, so it it it
panned out and it kept us focus as just coming
in and you know the you know the famous quote,
just do your job, you know, and that's what we
did and and players held everybody accountable for just doing
(07:56):
your job. So and if you're off, you're not. You know,
other players consense that, you know what I mean. And
it's just the confidence another player will give you when
you may be struggling a little bit to go out
there and perform, man means everything that signs up a
good team.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
You come to New England at an interesting point in time.
Everybody today knows how great Tom Brady was right in
two thousand and four, and I'm not taking anything away
from him. He was a two time Super Bowl winning
quarterback at the time, But he wasn't Tom Brady. What
did you see out of him, Corey at that point
(08:35):
in time as a player, you knew he was a
pretty good quarterback, but nobody in there wild the dreams
was ever going to think that what happened happened. What
did you see that you thought made him great?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Man? Just just being that ultimate competitor, and you could
see that. I can see that right off the bat.
I can see that. I knew it. Just how he prepares.
He was always first then last out and the way
he gathered all of us. There's not one player in
that locker room that wouldn't run through a brick wall
(09:07):
for Tom Brady. And that's what it's about. He controlled,
he had that, he had that control over the team
where hey, man, let's when he gets going with head
button people and screaming, let's go man, It's it's exciting
for your quarterback to see your quarterback to express those
(09:28):
kind of emotions and energy. Man, it fires everybody up.
So ultimate leader, ultimate competitor. And I seen it. I
seen it then I knew he was gonna be great
so and he proved it so easily. He proved it.
Speaker 3 (09:45):
Yeah, I know it sounds a little funny because they
went fourteen and two and three en route to the
Super Bowl, so it's not like, yes, they locked into it,
but it kind of got a lot of breaks in
O three and O four. I kind of looked at
it as you were the missing piece, like you were
that one ingredient that made them completely, as you said,
unbeatable unless you beat yourselves. Can you just remember that
(10:10):
year just being that league guy franchise record for rushing
yards I think over sixteen hundred rushing yards in four
just the dominant way that you guys went about it.
You could beat teams offensively, defensively, special teams. I used
to have a joke in the press box. I would decide,
like first drive of the game, whether or not you
guys showed up that day, and if the game was over,
(10:33):
and it was a game in Cleveland, I think Bethel
Johnson returned the opening. I looked at my boss and
I said, that's game.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, man, that that was the thing. Man.
We can win in so many ways. There's been times
like during that all four season where we start off
in five wides. We're not even running the ball, We'll
go a whole two series. We don't even run the ball.
(11:00):
And I just think that was the scheming of Charlie Wise.
He he was a genius in running that running that offense, man,
and dude, it was I felt like, you know what,
I was a closer, you know, and so in so
many ways, like in those grimy games, like you need
those tough yards, that's where I showed up and showed
(11:23):
up big. So yeah, we had a we had a
variety of ways of winning football games and just just
just knowing that, you know what, at the end of
these games like that late third quarters, in the fourth quarters,
I show up big and they gave me the ball,
(11:44):
they let they let me go and I and I
ran with it. What was the.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Nickname that Puski? I don't know if Bruski's the author
of the nickname. What's the nickname?
Speaker 2 (11:52):
Clock killing? Yeah, yeah, so it's it's true. I used
to run a control, controlling on the ground, run out
that clock and there it is.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
And that was really what a way to play football too.
It was get a lead, you know, and then just
hammered home. Trust your defense. That's a pretty decent recipe
for success. Isn't it.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Yeah? It worked it though, for it worked all the
way to Jacksonville.
Speaker 3 (12:21):
Yes, Like honestly, for you did feel like a rebirth
of sorts, you know, to to just come and have
that much success, both individually and as a team.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
And maybe reaffirmed Corey what you were thinking when you
were in a different space, you know, with Cincinnati and
everything like that. I don't suss a.
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Record for individual you know, single game rushing, like you
had a lot of individual accolades, but this, the team
success came with it.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
You know what what dawned on me? I didn't. I
didn't understand like like being at an other organization, you
would hear, you would hear like what other organizations do.
So I never I never knew what the Patriot Way was.
I didn't. I didn't. I didn't get that. I was like,
what is you know what I mean like, I don't know,
is that a code with what's going on? Like? And
(13:06):
you would hear that from from other places because I mean,
I grew up. I'm from Seattle, I know Lawyer mylloy
and I've been to Willie McGinnis and all these guys
before I got here. So me actually coming over and
like in the narrative out there before I even got here, Oh,
(13:29):
he'd never fit in. It's the patriotet. I was like,
I don't even know what the hell that is, to
be honest with you, But getting over here and seeing
it firsthand and figuring out what it is. It's just
a guy doing his job, you know what I mean,
going out there playing the right way.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
And I think Paul certainly in that era right around there,
Bill had a tremendous amount of success with picking the
right like not listening to the narrative, Oh, Corey Dillon's
gonna kill your team. You don't want to bring him
and he's a bad apple. You know that's gonna he's
a killer for your You know what, let me see
what I can do with Corey Dillon. Have a talk
with you, man to man, and as you said, let
(14:05):
me just do my job.
Speaker 2 (14:07):
Right?
Speaker 1 (14:07):
Is it when you look back at that, do you
think that that's part of Bill's genius?
Speaker 2 (14:11):
You know what? I think?
Speaker 1 (14:12):
Treating a player like.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
A player exactly exactly. Listen. One thing about Bill is, hey, man,
if you're out there, you're doing your job. He's not
gonna really, he ain't gonna mess with you. Only time
he's gonna deal with you is if you don't know
what you're doing. You know what I mean. And for
the most part, he let me come here and grow.
He didn't. Me and Bill had great conversations. You know,
(14:34):
I knew what I was doing, I knew my assignment,
and I prided myself on going out there and executing
that part of it. So it wasn't really nothing else
really to talk about other than xens and o's and
preparing me for the next situation. It was never no
negativity whatsoever. So and he's like that with every player.
(14:55):
As long as you're doing your job, he's not really good.
There's nothing to be said.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
So earlier you said something about that team being so
so talented. You realized the only way we're going to
screw this up is if we beat ourselves, right.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
Yeah, that late season game in.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Miami, oh wow, the Monday night you guys basically did exactly.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
I mean, I see, I see, I see my image
going on that trailer. Man, it is way quick. So yeah,
I remember that game, and and and and since our retirement,
there's always something with New England in Miami that goes wrong. Yeah,
(15:36):
weird games, weird games. Yeah, we're we're down there. I
don't know what what was we We were fourteen and.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
One, yeah, yep, thirteen and one. Yeah, we have one loss.
Yeah yeah, we were one loss, twelve thirteen whatever.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
And Monday night, Monday night, we're controlling the game. Everything
is going good. Man, it just weird stuff started happening. Man.
It just interception here, fumble here, and I'm just looking
like wow. But I tell you what, I tell you
what I think. Honestly, I don't like losing. I hate losing,
but I think we needed to lose that game to
(16:13):
reset and get back focused, because I mean, when you're
running through the season and you're thirteen and one or whatever,
you can get a little complacent, you know what I mean.
And I think Bill used that game, prime example, to
reset us, get us back where we need to be.
That following week.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Of practice was I can only imagine.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
I was just like, I don't want to lose again.
You know, that part of itself us. It got us
set up for the playoff run.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
I think Paul a lot of fans will look back
and I don't know how much argument there is as
to what the best Patriots team of all time is
I certainly like what would be the ill fortune? That's
my vote, right, But if you think about that in
the year and Corey, what did this happen? On the
other side of the ball, Law goes down, you know,
Asante goes down, Troy Brown is playing defensive back earth
when Moreland. You know, guys are just coming out of nowhere,
(17:09):
but they're making plays and they're being put in a
position where maybe they're not getting exposed or anything like that,
and the team is coming around you to try to
cover up some of those places. That was a pretty
remarkable part of that team with some of the difficulties
that you had from a personnel standpoint.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
I mean, and that's that's just the brilliance of the
players we had. We're you know, could switch. Who Who
would ever thought Troy Brown can get over there and
play corner, right, you know what I mean? Who would
think of that? What coach would think of you know what, Troy,
we need you at corner this week, and had a
confidence of putting them in there and letting him play corner.
(17:51):
I think I think overall what was real underrated is
we had a lot of good players. Verse of tile players.
I think that's what Bill likes. Players that are versatile
and can do many things. And it's that's kind of
a genius move. We're gonna just take Troy Bown and
(18:13):
make him play corner and then for the most part,
Troy went out there and held his own so and
that shows what kind of player he is, you know
what I mean. So, And but I think I think
that team and like, if you start going through this,
this whole walk of dynasty, I think some of those players.
(18:35):
I think that that All four team is underrated because
people didn't know the caliber of players we had. I did.
I knew. I worked with him every day.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Right, So Corey Dillon's in All Pro. Okay, and you
were in the Pro Bowl that year and All Pro.
Everybody knows who Corey Dillon is. Here's a guy who
I think grows under the radar for a lot that
really emerge that year, and that's David Gibbons. Like who's
David give you know, right, and who's David Givens. David
Gibbons was a hell of a player in that system,
wasn't he Absolutely?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Absolutely? I Mean he stepped up big when when Branch
went down so and and that's what I'm saying there
was we had so many talented players on that squad,
Like when somebody get hurt, somebody'll step back up and
and and and feel that voided till they get back.
I think I think that's that's how we survived, and
(19:31):
that's where our confidence grew as a team that no
matter what happens, we're gonna have. The next guy's gonna
step up and we're gonna keep rolling.
Speaker 3 (19:41):
You get you get into the playoffs that year first
game is what I think is probably one of your highlights.
You know, the game against the Colts here and the
terrible weather. You get the great.
Speaker 4 (19:54):
Images of you with all the mud and stuff all, you.
Speaker 3 (19:57):
Know, before we had the you know, the field turf
put in or still natural grass. Then was that your
first ever playoff game? Did you have a playoff apparent?
Speaker 2 (20:05):
First ever playoff game?
Speaker 3 (20:07):
Yeah, and you know, I think the Colts are still
chasing you. It had to be really satisfying.
Speaker 2 (20:12):
Oh wow, yeah it was, man, it was. It was
a cold one. I think it was some snow flurries here.
Speaker 1 (20:20):
Right at the beginning, just to get Manning off his game.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
Yeah, just look and you know what I'm from. I'm
from Seattle, Man, I'm used to those snowy, cold, muddy games.
So I knew it was I knew it was gonna be.
You know, we gotta do some running. We're gonna be
on the ground this game. We're gonna do a lot
of running. So dude, it was after the first initial hit, man,
(20:44):
I just settled in and started doing my job. Man,
And it turned out. I don't know if it was
like what forty four ground something like that.
Speaker 1 (20:51):
Should have had. I mean, were that I mean, were
you on the dives of the pilot.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
You know what? Officials came back the following year, I said,
you know what, this was actually a touchdown. Yeah, so
I I wish I wish they would have called it,
called it right the first time. But you know what,
we end up winning the game, So that's all that matters.
Speaker 1 (21:13):
That image of you diving for the pounds.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
You have kids, Yeah, they see you see that one.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
Look at d Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:20):
My daughter is always like, Dad, you didn't play. You
weren't good. I'm like, you better check this out, come
back and watch some film.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
Divisional round.
Speaker 2 (21:28):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
And then the next game, Corey, you know that was
that that Indie game is hard fought. The defense really
shut Manny down. You're going into Pittsburgh where you got
thumped in the regular season, you know, and what was
the confidence level of going back in there and say,
you know what did go down in the Pittsburgh game.
I went down in the first so that was a
(21:51):
little bit of a what was your confidence level like
going into Pittsburgh.
Speaker 2 (21:54):
I think I missed that Pittsburgh game too with a
ham Street in the regular season, so I didn't play
that game as well. And they rumped us pretty good
up there, and I know, I got some friends up there,
Joey Porter and all that, and they was talking cash,
you know what, they were talking cash, And you know
(22:18):
what our attitude was like, Man, let's let's beat them down.
Let's beat them down. Let's go out there and jump
on them early and let them know we're back. We're
we fully loaded, everybody everybody's up, We're not at a disadvantage,
and let's go show them what we got. And we
jumped out on them quick and they couldn't recover.
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Was that the mindset going in, like you knew that
you were missing some pieces the first time around, and
you were fully confided because they were fifteen and one.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
Listen, Petersburg was pretty good.
Speaker 4 (22:52):
Too, right, pretty now.
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Willie used to tell everybody that no one thought you
guys could win, even though you were favored on the road. Again,
the fifteen to one team, which told everybody just how
good people thought that two thousand and four pages.
Speaker 2 (23:05):
Well, I think I think that I think people recognized
from the regular season we have people missing and and
us fully loaded. We match up very well with them,
and it was just a it was just a war
of will at that point. Don't get me wrong. Pittsburgh
had a stack one hell of a football team, you know,
(23:27):
but we had players too, so and that was and
that was the thing. Man, oh man, Let's see let's
see who who who? Who weakends first? And I think
we jumped out them real good. And by the by
the third quarterman, that game was, that game was out
of control. It was it was pretty much in the bag.
Speaker 1 (23:48):
And what was going through your mind then, like is
there can't be many better feelings in watching a place
empty out. You're beating them really good, as you said, right,
and you're going to.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
The Super Bowl. My first initial feeling is they used
to they used to kick my butt when I played
for Cincinnati, so now hey payback. I got you. I
got you. So that was my that was my first thought.
Second thought is, man, we just whipped you on the
biggest stage in the AFC Championship game. After all that
(24:22):
was said, all that was done in the regular season,
all the talking. We kind of killed that noise too,
and then we're off to the super Bowl. It gets
no better than that. It gets no better than going
up to Hinesfield, beating them on their own turn and
earning the birth at birth to the super Bowl, super
(24:45):
Bowl thirty nine.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
And what do you remember about you know that that period,
heading into Jacksonville and getting ready to take on the Eagles.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
I just couldn't believe I'm there, you know what I mean,
a glans It back on where I was last year
at that time to where I was then, unbelievable, unbelievable.
I mean, yeah, I mean I put into work, I
put in the work. But even though when you do
put into work, some people still don't don't get to
(25:17):
experience what I was experienced at that moment. So it
was a blessing, man, It was a blessing, and it
just reversed back to that handshake between Bill and me
and Scopioli, Like that's the only That's what it goes
back to. You think you could play for us? Yes?
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Indeed, sort of comfortable circle in that quarry, you know. Yeah,
there's people doubt their doubters, right, people questioning you could
it happen? Not only did it happen, but you end
the year with Lombardi Trophy in your hand. That's got
to be pretty satisfying.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
Oh man, what a feeling? What what a feeling? I
mean if you it's just coming back full circle like
from the year before to the end. And believe me,
there's there's a there's gonna be a lot of nace
hears for the rest of your life, you know what
I mean, that's that's just natural. But to but to
(26:19):
go through what I went through and then the very
next year be holding up the trophy says says it all.
You know, I think that kind of killed a lot
of misconception out there about who I am and what
I can do.
Speaker 3 (26:37):
So now moving forward, you you know, you start the
old five season looking, you know, to win three in
a row for a three peat obviously hasn't been done.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
Yeah, Kansas City is going to try to do it
this year.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
It ain't gonna happen. Why Why Because it's never happened.
It's never happened. I don't everybody's shooting for you.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
Did you sense did you get that? Did you get
a sense that you're getting everybody's best shot?
Speaker 2 (27:03):
In absolutely? Absolutely? I think the four we were getting
everybody's best shot. Honestly, everybody's best shot. And I think
I think the consensus around the the league and to
most like you know what, we're tired of seeing them
(27:26):
win anyway. So I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure teams
are are gearing up. They're gonna give Kansas City all
they can handle. I don't, I don't seem I don't
see them three pete at all?
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Where did you see the pressures? Besides getting everybody's best
shot to four was magical. Nothing went wrong that year,
and so you can't just roll the balls back out
again in five. You got to, like Bill used to say,
it's a new year, you got to put in the
work and everything like that. Where did you see that
thing went wrong?
Speaker 2 (28:01):
Five? I mean there was a lot of injuries. I
mean I missed games that that that that year. So yeah,
I mean you gotta have you gotta have some luck
to to complete the mission of winning a Super Bowl
man and that and and number one, staying healthy is
is key. Uh, I don't I wasn't healthy. A lot
(28:24):
of other players that were down. So we kind of
we kind of struggled that year. We we still we
still made it to the playoffs. I think we went
up to Denver. We lost to Denver, which I thought
we had that we we would have seen Pittsburgh again,
and oh what a feeling that would have been. That
(28:44):
would have been another good one. And I think I
don't know, I think Pittsburgh did they win it that year? Yes?
Oh yeah, we Honestly, I'm sitting here, I'm thinking, damn,
I could be have have to two rings man, to
be honest with you, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (29:03):
So you know, just from Afar, I would say, you
guys look like you're a little lot of gas. That
too in Denver, you know, a tough place to play,
no mile high. And I think all the sort of
attrition of the long playoff runs, Yeah, I think caught
up to you. But you want to say you could
have had two Let's fast forward to six and you
got a twenty one to three lead late in the.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
Second quarter of the AFC Championship game.
Speaker 2 (29:26):
Yeah, man, could it?
Speaker 4 (29:28):
I think we might have ruined it for him.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Yeah, that was a different year though. Core They drafted
back in the first round. Yeah, what you're thinking when
you saw that happen?
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Nothing like? Okay? I mean, you still got to come
in here and play, like you know what I mean, Like,
just because you were drafted doesn't mean it doesn't mean anything.
A great player told me this. It doesn't matter what
round you're drafted. It matters what you do when you
get there. That's a great boomer of science. So you
(29:59):
gotta still come in here and play. And then at
the at the end of the day, what's the worst
thing going to happen? Somebody get cut? I mean, I'm
not getting cut, So I'm not worried about that aspect
of it. So what it boiled down, it too was
and you know what, Hey, we're gonna mix it up.
Hey we split carries, and that's fine with me. I
never griped about that whatsoever. I kind of thought of
(30:22):
it as hell, I need a break too sometimes that
part as well, that part as well, I never took
it as a as a negative. So and then on
top of that, man, we embrace guys that's coming in
here that can help you win. Who doesn't want that.
So I never looked at it in a negative light.
I looked at it as a another teammate here to
(30:45):
help us win. And like you said, man, we get
up there, we get up there to Andy Man and
and I'm thinking, man, we're going back. And then I
don't know what happened, man, that big head Fela with
the word and pulled a number on us.
Speaker 3 (31:03):
Man, And that didn't mean to gloss over one of
the more underrated playoff victories of the dynasty.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
And that's the week before in San Diego.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Oh man, I think I think Ladani is still mad
about that. When you're question, we weren't supposed to win
that game at all, and I think they were the
favorites to win it all.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
They were fortune too.
Speaker 2 (31:26):
Yeah yeah. So and actually going up to San Diego
and playing one hell of a team, man, that team
was good on defense, good on offense, and were we
were in a slug fest all four quarters. And the
actually go up there and come out with the win
was was special. That was that was a good win
(31:47):
for us. Uh.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
I don't want to trivialize it, because I think when
you say that you're a part of a trivia question,
it trivializes the accomplishment. But I do Paul had mentioned
this earlier. I don't know how many Patriots fans right
off the top of the head go, oh, single season
record rushing record, Corey Dillon, sixteen hundred yards. That's a
hell of an accomplishment and one you must be very
proud of to see that record still stands today.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
I'm proud, man, I'm just I'm just proud to be
a part of the history here. Man, That's what I'm
proud of. Yeah. I always got the attitude of records
are meant to be broken, which they they are. Some
young step will come along in here and it clips that.
(32:30):
But you know what, I'm an chaerish it since I
got it now, you know. So it was great, man.
It's a reflection on that year who I played with,
the people who was around the organization, and to cap
that that great season of rushing off with a super Bowl. Man,
(32:51):
that's that's everything. That's something I never forget, never forget.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
Yeah, as those six you know, obviously a very disappointing.
We just talked about it, very disappointing, and you sort.
Speaker 4 (33:00):
Of have an.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
Idea in your mind of what the future was going
to hold for you.
Speaker 2 (33:05):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, man, I I just had enough, I
think at that point, you know, like, yeah, I'm getting older.
I was like thirty two, man, I was, I was.
I was in my late early thirties. I mean, and
I'm thinking, man, I already gave you so much to
this game. I mean, and in my mind, what more
(33:28):
can I do or what more do I want to do?
You know? And at that time, some of the older
guys that hang around, you know, catch bad, bad injuries,
you know, so and the style of football I like
to play, Yeah, that was coming. That was coming. So
(33:50):
I just thought to myself, like, man, this might be
the best time to shut it down and go figure
out something else to do with your life.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Which is what what are you work to these days?
Speaker 2 (33:59):
I think?
Speaker 1 (34:00):
ANSWERED want to.
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Know, Man, I'm trying to fix this hook I got
in golf with the driver. Hey, I get a hold
of it. I mean, for the most part, I'm putting
it out there three hundred plus, But sometimes I have
these these snap hooks. So that's that's the thing on
(34:23):
my agenda lately. It's fixing that hook. Yeah. And then
other than that, man, I'm just I'm just living the
easy life, man, and just get my kids through through
school and things that just a normal, normal life.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
That's the way it should be, man, Yeah, that's the
way it should be.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Right.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
And then to be able to come back here, you know,
I know you're going to be out and fans are
going to see your practice, but I think people are
going to kind of do a double take, Paul, you know,
because unlike a guy like maybe Teddy Troy still on
the staff, you know, Willie's been around.
Speaker 4 (34:58):
Guys are in the media.
Speaker 1 (35:00):
The guys are in the media, and I think people go,
Holy Strong, that's clock killing Corey. Y, that's here in
front of us. That's gonna be a big deal for
I think for fans around here.
Speaker 2 (35:08):
Corey. Well, like I said, I've been on the ground
for a decade and people haven't really seen me. So yeah, man,
it's it's gonna be good. It's gonna be good to
see some familiar faces. I ain't seen it in a
long time. So yeah, man, I'm glad to be back.
Speaker 4 (35:24):
How much do you still follow the week?
Speaker 2 (35:27):
I do. I keep I keep track. I keep track, man,
every time every time the passes on, I'm watching. So
I'm on it. I'm on it. You know, I'm just
a fan now, I'm a fanboy. Now I could just
sit back from the from the living room and still
try to call out play. Hey. Wow, I'm glad you
(35:50):
guys brought that up because I was just doing I
was just doing some media things with Cincinnati as well,
and like I told him, man that that that week,
I'm sitting at one now out smart you know. Hey,
I'm gonna I'm gonna. I'm gonna see both from organizations
play and then the best team win. That's all I
could do. No words, no comment, is no nothing real quick.
Speaker 4 (36:12):
We'll let you go.
Speaker 3 (36:13):
Just the way the game is played now as a
bruising running back does that that bumm you out at
all the way that's kind of all spread and it's.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
A lot of passing that which I don't. It ain't.
It ain't no power football no more. It's it's more
passing and I don't And to be honest with you,
I don't like how the running back position been devalued.
So it kind of sucks kind of watching watching all
these things by committee, you know, but that's where that's
(36:42):
where we're at. So I gotta I'm I'm still a
football player and fan and love the game, so gotta
watch it, Gotta love it and hopefully hopefully power football
come back and stuff.
Speaker 1 (36:56):
He says the way the games change that records are
going to be made to be broken.
Speaker 2 (37:00):
I don't think so with that running back by committee.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
Sixteen sixteen hundred yards, it's going to be tough to
get when you're when you're sharing.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
Those Yeah, yes, I really think so. But I said
that records they go find that one stud running back
that's God, that's gonna be that throwback and he and he,
he's gonna be able to get it done. Yeah, by
if you're doing it by committee, it will never happen, right,
Coret appreciate the time in great Thank you, thank you,
(37:28):
great seeing you guys as well. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 5 (37:30):
Thank you for downloading this podcast. Subscribe on the Apple,
google Play, and everywhere else you missen like the show,
Please rate and review us. Listener comments and ratings help
keep us high on the podcast rankings. So New listeners
can find us. Be sure to check patriots dot com
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