Hall Finalist Willie Anderson: Why I Think Corey Dillon is “One Of The All-Time Greatest Backs”

(EDITOR’S NOTE: To listen to the Willie Anderson interview, click on the following attachment: Ep 90: Hall Of Fame Finalist Willie Anderson Joins The Show | Spreaker)

Former running back Corey Dillon has never been on the Hall-of-Fame radar. In 11 years of eligibility, he hasn’t been a finalist or semifinalist, and that’s more than puzzling.

It’s downright wrong.

Or, so said former Cincinnati Bengals’ teammate Willie Anderson, a Hall-of-Fame finalist for the Class of 2022, when asked about Dillon on the latest “Eye Test for Two” podcast.

“I always say: If you give Corey Dillon an adequate passing game,” said Anderson, “(and) people get mad at me when I say this … but if you give him an adequate passing game, just adequate, he’d put up Barry Sanders-type numbers.”

Wait. What?

You heard him. And Anderson should know. The Bengals’ starting right tackle, he blocked for Dillon for seven years before he was traded to New England in 2004. And in those seven seasons, Dillon ran for at least 1,100 yards in all but one year and produced 50 total TDs.

Unfortunately, the Bengals weren’t as successful. They never went to the playoffs, never had a winning season and were 32-80, a winning percentage of .286.

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Bottom line: They stunk.

Nevertheless, Dillon persevered. In fact, in an Oct. 22, 2000 game vs. Denver, he set an NFL single-game rushing record (since broken) with 278 yards, eclipsing the previous mark of 275 set by Hall-of-Famer Walter Payton in 1977.

He also scored on runs of 64 and 41 yards.

“Look at the years that he did put up those numbers,” Anderson said. “Those first six years, we had no passing game. He set the NFL record for rushing against Denver, (and) I want to say we passed about 30 yards that game.”

Wrong. They passed for 14. You heard me: Four-teen. Quarterback Akili Smith was 2 of 9 for 34 yards. Scott Mitchell was 0 for 5. And they two were sacked twice for 20 yards.

Do the math. Thirty-four minus 20 … Yet the Bengals prevailed, 31-21, thanks to a running game that piled up 407 yards, with Dillon averaging 12.6 a carry.

“He never had a chance to play with a Carson Palmer (he didn’t start until 2005),” said Anderson. “He never had a chance to play with, obviously, an elite passing game. He faced eight, nine, men in the box, it seemed like, in Cincinnati. There was always an extra guy, with us telling Corey, ‘That last guy? He’s your guy. We can’t block all of ‘em’ “

“Usually, the passing game would take those guys out of the box, but he had to face the Blaine Bishops (former Tennessee safety) and all these guys down in the box, game after game after game. And he still put up numbers.

“So, if you gave him a quarterback, gave him a passing game where you could take those guys out of the box, I personally believe Corey Dillon would put up some beautiful numbers.”

Of course, he did put up some beautiful numbers in Cincinnati. As bad as the Bengals were, Dillon was named to three Pro Bowls. Then he switched uniforms, moving to New England where the Patriots did have a passing game (see Tom Brady), and he ran for a career-high 1,635 yards in 2004, was named to his fourth Pro Bowl and won a Super Bowl.

Two years later, he retired with 11,241 career rushing yards, which today ranks 20th all-time; an average of 4.3 yards-per-carry; 1,913 yards in receptions and 89 touchdowns (82 of them rushing).

“I think Corey Dillon is one of the all-time greatest running backs,” said Anderson. “He just never had a passing game and never had a complete team around him (in Cincinnati) where he could go into the fourth quarter and grind out yards.

“You see (what happened) in New England with Tom Brady and a big-time defense: He put up big-time numbers and won a championship.”