Tandem provides 1-2 punch

FOXBOROUGH -- Laurence Maroney is cashmere. Corey Dillon is rawhide. Together, they're one tough outfit.

Yesterday marked the first time in the seven-year Bill Belichick era that the Patriots unleashed a two-back tandem in the running game -- mainly because they'd never had two backs to carry the running game.

The experiment proved a keeper. With the Buffalo Bills' defense playing the role of lab rats, Maroney (86 yards) and Dillon (73) slashed and smashed their way to 159 yards rushing in a highly uninspiring 19-17 victory at Gillette Stadium that ushered in a new season -- and a new way of doing things.

Just in time, too. When Dillon and Maroney weren't running, the Patriots were staggering. For much of the day, the passing game was a dubious proposition, and with the Patriots desperately emerging from a 17-7 hole, Dillon and Maroney were vital groundhogs.

``They really carried us today," said quarterback Tom Brady. ``If it weren't for the running backs, we would have lost this game."

Maroney, a rookie from the University of Minnesota, was the new element in the equation. He made a splashy entrance into the NFL on New England's first offensive drive -- if you don't count the fumble the Patriots lost on their first play, which resulted in a Buffalo touchdown.

Stunned and stumbling, the Patriots initially entrusted their fate to Dillon, who plowed 7 yards up the middle, then turned a short Brady pass into a 16-yard haul.

Then came Maroney's introduction. He took a Brady handoff into the heart of the Bills defense, saw nowhere to hide, and slanted to his left. He skipped away from a bid for a lunging ankle tackle by a defender, then caromed to the outside before being pushed out of bounds at the Bills' 30.

On third down from the 25, Maroney almost duplicated his maiden carry. This time, he hopscotched through the middle, stutter-stepped to his right, and didn't stop until he was angled out of bounds at the 3, setting up a 9-yard TD pass from Brady to Troy Brown that tied the game and helped ease the Patriots' early embarrassment.

That typified the afternoon. Dillon pounded the Bills and Maroney confounded them.

``Both of them have a combination of power and speed," said Buffalo linebacker Mario Haggan. ``Dillon can run but he's more of a power back. They are both physical, and over the game, it takes a toll on you."

It could take more of a toll on the Patriots' morale, considering that Dillon is accustomed to being the one and only, and might resent Maroney's intrusion. A seven-time 1,000-yard rusher who once held both the rookie and overall NFL records for yards in a game, Dillon used to go for 159 by himself. At 31, he knows those days are over, and while he didn't linger to answer questions yesterday, he said during the week that he is happy to oblige, and complement, the newcomer.

There's no adjustment for Maroney. At Minnesota, he was half of the nation's most potent backfield, along with current Dallas Cowboy Marion Barber, and given his experience with contrasting styles, he knows what a difference the difference can make.

``[Dillon] does certain things and I do certain things," said Maroney, ``and we do well together. We keep them off balance, depending on who's in the game."

Yesterday, the Bills never knew who hit them.