Dialing in on the Super Bowl is a dream for Dillon

DALLAS — Corey Dillon could not hide his excitement. The clock kept counting down, taking away seven years of frustration, disappointment and anger. He would swing a towel above his head and the hundreds of fans behind the bench cheered even louder.

So many times with Cincinnati, Dillon would leave Pittsburgh a loser, "and if we did win, it was like we had to play a perfect game," he said.

But two weeks ago, Dillon left Pittsburgh as a member of the AFC champion New England Patriots, and he could not stop smiling. He was heading to Jacksonville.

"The way I describe it is with all those years of thinking if it would ever happen, man, this is a dream come true for me," Dillon said. "That's why I signed up. That's why I came here — for the opportunity to play in the big one."

In seven seasons, Dillon ran quite well for the Bengals. He was named to the Pro Bowl four times. He is the franchise's all-time leading rusher with 8,061 yards, and he scored 45 touchdowns.

But as the losses piled up, the angrier Dillon became. He was unapproachable. He would lash out publicly at times.

Once, he vowed to flip burgers instead of playing for the Bengals. A local restaurant made him an offer, but he never showed. He sulked in the locker room, allowing only a select few to get close to him.

On the field, that anger made him one of the NFL's best runners. In 1997 he broke Jim Brown's rookie rushing record with 246 yards against Tennessee. In 2000, he broke Walter Payton's rushing record with 278 yards. (Both marks have since been broken.)

None of it brought happiness. True happiness came when he was traded to the Patriots on April 19, 2004, for a second-round pick.

But Dillon's surly reputation and background made many wonder what the chemistry-conscious Patriots were thinking. Before agreeing to the trade coach Bill Belichick and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli met with Dillon to hear his story.

Convinced, they made the deal.

"I was excited when I heard he was coming," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said earlier this season. "Who wouldn't be excited about having a Pro Bowl player coming to your offense? He really has been a great leader. I don't care what someone's reputation is. You come to this team and you fit in. You can't help it."

Dillon took a $1.55 million pay cut to join the Patriots. He earned more money back by hitting on a series of incentives.