This special gift just keeps giving

FOXBOROUGH -- The Patriots should put a little something extra under the Bengals' tree this year because acquiring Corey Dillon for a second-round draft pick can only be construed as an early Christmas gift.

Figure it this way. Dillon ran 30 times for 123 muddy yards in yesterday's 24-3 victory over Baltimore at Gillette Stadium, giving him 1,121 yards for the season. He surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in just his 10th game. No Patriot has ever gotten there faster.

The game he missed, of course, is the only game the Patriots lost.

Do you think New England would be better off with cornerback Madieu Williams (the player Cincinnati chose with its pick) instead of Dillon? Williams had four tackles in yesterday's 58-48 win over the Browns.

The transaction ranks right up with the Brinks heist. It belongs alongside some other noted Boston thefts, including the ones that netted Cam Neely, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, and Jason Varitek and Derek Lowe.

Dillon, who was inactive because of a thigh injury at Pittsburgh on Halloween, is averaging 112.1 yards per game and is on pace for 1,682 yards, which would be a career-high and obliterate Curtis Martin's club record of 1,487.

But don't talk to Dillon about records, or for that matter, that yesterday was the 34th time in his career and sixth time this season he has rushed for more than 100 yards in a game.

He doesn't want to hear about those marks.

"As long as we are winning, I don't care about my stats or touchdowns. As long as we are winning as a team, I'm happy," said Dillon. "I do not care about the numbers. I didn't come here to get numbers. I came here to win games. I already have the numbers. I'm more satisfied winning football games."

Winning has changed his outlook. "Ten and one? You can't beat that. Never in my career have I been 10-1. I'm enjoying it. This is a great situation. I'm playing with a great bunch of guys. Great coaches, great owner," said Dillon.

He said all he wants to do is "play hard and do whatever it takes to help the team be successful," said Dillon. "We take it one game at a time. I just go out and play football. I don't expect too much. I don't go into a week thinking I'm going to get this many carries. It's just being prepared when you get called."

Dillon also scored on a 1-yard run to make it 17-3, giving him seven touchdowns this season, the most by a Patriot running back since Antowain Smith had 12 TDs in 2001. Dillon is three shy of his career high in TDs, accomplished in 1997 and 2001.

He scored the only offensive TD on a field that had the consistency of tapioca and wasn't conducive to a 100-yard performance.

He didn't complain about the dismal conditions. He would have played on Route 1 if that is where the ball was spotted.

"The field condition was something else. Both teams had troubles," said Dillon. "But everybody got to play in it. Nobody's griping about it in here. We went out there and did all right in those conditions. It's tough in those conditions. Any yard you make is deserved in that situation. Everybody was having problems. I fell down a couple of times out there. I think it balances itself out."

His coach like what he saw.

"Corey did a good job," said Bill Belichick. "He ran the ball there in the second half when we were ahead. He was able to grind out some yardage and pick up some first downs. It's great to see that."

Another reason to consider yesterday's accomplishment something special is that Dillon did it against the vaunted Raven defense.

"I've been playing them twice a year for seven years. I know what they got," said Dillon. "They have a heck of a defense. They play hard. Those boys just keep coming at you. It's not new. For us to go out there and be successful is difficult. You have to match their intensity. I prepared myself all week for that situation."

As well as he played, Dillon was not perfect. He ran out of bounds when the Patriots were trying to kill the clock near the end of the first half and cost New England because it allowed the Ravens to set up their only points of the game, a field goal with two seconds left.

"Hey man, I'm just running. I'm trying to make plays," said Dillon. "Yeah, I should have been looking at the clock and tried to stay in. It was a mistake. But you know what. What was the score? Twenty-[four] to 3. It really don't matter."