Talking NFL

Say what you want about ‘Clock Killin’ Dillon, but two things are certain;

1)  He’s at least a borderline Candidate for the Hall of Fame

2)  His love/hate relationship with the media has always been fun to watch

And although his interactions with the media in Boston are nothing compared to his tumultuous times with the Bengals, he’s had his moments with the New England press as well.  Which is what makes last week’s little song and dance about Corey’s future that much more intriguing.  It also offers some insight on that time honored arts of credible journalism, spin control, media relations, and back pedalling.

(Important note:  before we begin this analysis, I just want to remind everyone out there that I am not a member of any press agency, nor have I spoken with any of the parties I am about to mention below.  I’m just a schmuck with a keyboard who likes sports.  Not exactly a news flash for anyone who’s been reading this site regularly, but I just felt like I should preface this article by reminding you all that I have no qualifications for this job whatsoever.  So read at your own risk and enjoyment.  There, I feel better.)

First, let’s take a quick look back to just over a month ago.  Just after the Patriots playoff loss to the Colts, John Tomase of the Boston Herald reported that Corey Dillon ‘wanted to play next year and didn’t expect the Patriots to try to renegotiate his contract’.  This was according to an interview Tomase had with Dillon’s agent, Steve Feldman (important note, by the way - John talked with Corey’s agent, not the man himself).

Thoughts:  So everything seemed to point to Corey coming back and playing with the Patriots for another year.  Gumdrops and daffodils, everyone loves each other.  Hooray.

Wait a sec:  That is, until last Thursday evening (Feb. 22nd), when the Boston Globe’s Mike Reiss dropped this bombshell after a cell phone interview with Corey:

“Running back Corey Dillon wants to leave the game on his own terms, saying yesterday he will ask the Patriots for his release and is prepared to retire.”

Further on in the article, Mike DOUBLE-CHECKS with Corey, asking him if he would suit up for another team.  Dillon’s response:

“”Football is the furthest thing on my mind right now,” he said. “I may wake up and feel the itch and decide I still want to shake it, but as of now, I doubt that will happen.”

Later in the interview, Dillon notes that he ‘had yet to speak with the Patriots,’ and ‘he expected to talk further with his agent, Steve Feldman, about his decision.’

Thoughts:  My educated guess is this;  despite his antagonistic relationships with other media members, it appeared that Dillon had a very good rapport with Reiss.  Back in December, Dillon granted Mike an interview - his first of the season.  Near the end of that article, they discussed how Corey was coming closer to the end of his career, with Corey saying, “when my time comes, I’m not going to be angry about it. As a matter of fact, I might be the happiest man on the planet, to be honest.”

So Mike did what any good reporter would do, and did a follow-up interview to check & see how Corey was feeling about retirement.  Turns out, Corey was ready to give him the goods, even before discussing the matter fully with either his agent or his team.  That’s great work on Mike’s part, so kudos to him for breaking the story.  So now we’re kissing a fond fair well to Corey, and wishing him luck with the H.O.F., right?

Wait a sec:  That is, until the next morning (Feb. 23rd), when ESPN ran the following story:

Dillon seeks release, may play elsewhere.  ”Dillon’s agent, Steve Feldman, told ESPN.com’s John Clayton on Friday that he will be talking to other teams about their interest in the veteran running back. Feldman said he and Dillon talked to Patriots coach Bill Belichick about Dillon’s role in 2007 and how Dillon doesn’t want to be a back getting only seven to 10 carries a game.”

This, of course, completely contradicted Corey’s quotes in the Boston Globe article about having “had a ton of carries, a ton of pounding,” and not wanting “to be broken down, not able to play with my kids.”

Thoughts:  You don’t really need the thoughts precursor here, it’s common sense.  When Corey’s agent, Steve Feldmen, heard about his clients comments on retiring right before the biggest free agent bonanza year in NFL history, he shit a brick.  

Whether or not he first called Corey up to say, “what were you THINKING?!” before getting John Clayton on speed dial is a moot point.  What Feldmen did is what any good AGENT would do, and immediately try to salvage his client’s value on the market, regardless of whether or not Corey in fact wanted to play another year.  Because, of course, Corey had said he was ready to retire, right?

Wait a sec:  Low and behold, on Saturday, Feb. 24th, Corey apparently woke up, scratched that itch, and decided to ’shake it’ one more time.  And guess who broke the story?  Why, none other than old friend John Tomase of the Boston Herald, who modified the title of his piece originally written on Jan. 26th from ‘Dillon wants to carry on’, to ‘Dillon WILL carry on’:

Speaking to FSN New England’s Greg Dickerson yesterday, Dillon backed off comments he made in the Globe, when he said he was preparing to call it a career. Blaming himself for the “miscommunication,�? he said retirement is just one option.  He was far clearer on his Patriots career, saying a return “is not going to happen.�?

(Interesting to note that Tomase himself has still yet to speak directly with Dillon…)

Thoughts:  Hell, you’ve got me.  I’m too dizzy to think right now….

Seriously, here’s the part where we need to read between the lines:

At some point during this soap opera, the Patriots probably told either Dillon or his agent (or both), that if Corey was going to play for the Patriots again, they were in fact going to need to restructure that contract.  At which point, Feldmen most likely advised his client to look for ‘greener’ pastures.  If not, perhaps it was the thought of playing 2nd banana to Laurence Maroney for another year that put Dillon off.  Either way, as evident throughout each article, Corey is a very prideful guy (one could say too sensitive as well), and probably didn’t want to be cut on March 2nd, or continue to play behind the rookie.  Instead, he chose his own way to say he wouldn’t be back with the Pats and gave Mike Reiss an off-the-cuff retirement speech.

So what does this all mean?

For the Patriots, it means $2.4 million in cap savings if Corey plays somewhere else, $4.4 should he retire.  But it also means they lose an excellent short yardage back who scored 13 TD’s for them last year.

For Corey, it means a few more months to decide whether or not to keep playing and increase his chances for entrance to the Hall.

For teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, or Oakland Raiders, it’s means there’s a rather appealing veteran running back that may be available and a good fit for their running game needs (albeit at a high price & with high mileage).

To be continued…

Oh, by the way, yesterday John Tomase reported that Troy Brown is ‘thinking’ about ‘retirement’, although he didn’t actually talk with Troy.

Hmmm…you’ll forgive me if I take an “I’ll believe it when I hear it from the horse’s mouth,” attitude on that one, John.

Corey Dillon, New England Patriots, Boston Globe, Boston Herald