Projo Pats Blog

Hey all --

We love it when we come back from vacation and all heck breaks loose.

This morning, the Boston Globe's Mike Reiss had the news the Corey Dillon was going to ask for his release from his contract with the Patriots and more than likely would hang up his cleats after 10 NFL seasons.

But a short while ago, WEEI reported that Dillon told FSN's Greg Dickerson that there was a "miscommunication" with Reiss and that retirement was merely "a option" for him. He does want his release -- apparently, when Dickerson asked if he'd be back in New England, Dillon replied, "Been there, done that" -- and likely will seek to play with another team.

Our take? Dillon and his agent, Steve Feldman, likely saw the writing on the wall: the 32-year old is due to make $4.4 million this season, and New England probably wouldn't pony up that much for a running back who had 812 yards (4.1 yards per carry) in 16 games. Dillon, did, however, have a team-high 13 touchdowns. He shared the load with rookie first-round pick Laurence Maroney, but was spotted on more than one ocassion "tapping out," or asking off the field for a breather after longer runs.

But Dillon still has it as a power runner, and there will be a team out there willing to pay him as a goal-line back, a la Jerome Bettis in his final season with the Steelers.

We have a call in to Feldman and a couple of Dillon's teammates, and we'll keep you posted.

shalise

---