Pats trade for Dillon

[CT Card Fan]

No one had done the headline yet with the Pats first.

 

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From Kffl

Patriots Acquire Rb Dillon From Bengals For Second-round PickPrint this article | Email this article

April 19, 2004

By SportsTicker


FOXBORO, Massachusetts (Ticker) - The Super Bowl champion New England Patriots addressed one of their few weaknesses Monday, acquiring three-time Pro Bowl running back Corey Dillon from the Cincinnati Bengals for a second-round draft pick.

The Patriots ranked just 27th in the NFL in rushing last year with 100.4 yards per game, so they acquired Dillon, who has two of the nine best single-game rushing totals in league history.

Dillon broke Walter Payton's NFL record in 2000 with a 278-yard performance - a mark since eclipsed by Baltimore's Jamal Lewis. Dillon and O.J. Simpson are the only players who have rushed for at least 245 yards twice.

"Corey joins Kevin Faulk and our other very good backs to deepen an already competitive running back position," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said.

Antowain Smith led the team in rushing last season with just 642 yards, four more than Faulk. New England has re-signed Faulk.


Dillon, 29, has rushed for a Bengals-record 8,061 yards and 45 touchdowns in seven NFL seasons - all with Cincinnati. Last year, however, he lost his job to Rudy Johnson.

The Patriots parted with the 56th pick in Saturday's draft. They still have two first-round picks, a second-round selection, another in the third and two in the fourth.

The Bengals have seven picks in the first four rounds.

"Corey has been a very productive back for the Bengals for a number of years," Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis said. "But you don't get a second-round pick without giving something up, and we believe this clearly is the move that's in our team's best interest."