AFC North on their map
FOXBOROUGH -- Another player came down the offseason pipeline from the AFC North to the league's top team yesterday, as the Patriots signed ex-Bengals cornerback Jeff Burris.
Of the seven new players the Patriots have added this offseason, four played in the AFC North last year. Cincinnati traded three-time Pro Bowl running back Corey Dillon to New England Monday for a second-round pick. The Patriots also have signed punter Josh Miller and defensive end Rodney Bailey from the Steelers.
Burris, 31, is the second veteran cornerback to join the Patriots recently; 38-year-old Otis Smith re-signed with New England for a second time April 13. Burris and Smith join Tyrone Poole (Burris's ex-teammate with the Colts), Asante Samuel, and disgruntled Pro Bowler Ty Law -- the team's only full-time corners last year -- at the position.
Burris, 6 feet and 190 pounds, played in 13 games and started eight last year, his second with the Bengals. He has been a starter for most of his 10-year career since the Bills drafted him 27th overall out of Notre Dame. He's had a recent history of concussions -- he missed a game two seasons ago with a concussion and suffered two more last season, complications from which caused him to miss three games.
Burris battled nagging injuries early in his career -- seven games and the playoffs lost to a knee injury in 1995, one game to a quadriceps injury in 1996, and two games in 1998 with a knee injury. But Burris missed only one game from 1999 to 2002, though he was limited for four games in '02 by a tender hamstring and migraines.
Burris has 19 interceptions in 144 games with Buffalo, Indianapolis, and Cincinnati. Last year he had 35 tackles, 2 interceptions, 4 passes defensed, and 1 forced fumble. The deal with the Patriots is for one year and $760,000, only $450,000 of which will count toward the cap because he received a $25,000 signing bonus.
Dillon by the numbers
The Dillon deal comes with minimal financial risk and the potential for high reward. And the higher the reward, the more Dillon is rewarded.
Dillon restructured his contract in order to facilitate the trade. He had two years remaining on a five-year, $26.1 million deal and was scheduled to earn $3.3 million this year and $3.85 million next season. But he agreed to lower his '04 base salary to $1.75 million in exchange for (by his standards) reachable incentives, for which he can make an additional $2.25 million. The incentives are classified as not likely to be earned, meaning that, if achieved, they'll count against next year's cap.
This year Dillon can make $100,000 for reaching 700 rushing yards and $150,000 for 850 yards. He makes $375,000 for hitting the 1,000-yard mark and another $375,000 for each additional 150 yards up to 1,599. He'll take home $500,000 if he gets to 1,600.
Dillon ran for a career-low 541 yards last year but gained at least 1,000 in each of his first six seasons and eclipsed 1,300 yards each year from 2000 to 2002, with a high of 1,435 in 2000.
Former Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason, whose last year in Cincinnati was 1997, when Dillion was a rookie, expects his former teammate to have a big season. "Corey has some issues, but let's face it, a lot of today's young athletes have issues," Esiason said. "He's a much more mature player than he's shown in the past year. They're getting a terrific football player who's motivated."
Awards to 'QBs'
The Patriots awarded four "Community Quarterbacks" a total of $20,000 for charity yesterday at Gillette Stadium's Fidelity Investments Clubhouse.
Finalists DonnaLee Williams and Janet Yueh received $2,500 each and runner-up Lenny Dalton $5,000 to give to the non-profit organizations for which they volunteer. Grand-prize winner Matthew Cavedon received a check for $10,000.
"There are so many people who commit their lives to helping others," said Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who presented the awards. "The Community Quarterback program affords us the opportunity to recognize some of New England's real unsung heroes. Each of our award recipients has made wonderful contributions to their communities and are true role models for all of us."
