Dillon has found success with a New England state of mind.(NFL)

Here's the sum of everything controversial emanating from Corey Dillon this season: zero. The former Bengals malcontent has become a Patriots happy camper, news that may not match the splash of Peyton Manning's passing figures or Ben Roethlisberger's rookie achievements or Terrell Owens' celebration dances. But Dillon's state of mind figures just as prominently in determining this year's NFL champion as any development this fall.

Dillon has embraced his new environment with the relish of a man freed from football purgatory. But he has celebrated ever so quietly. All he was in Cincinnati--a clubhouse lawyer, a distraction, a loudmouthed complainer--he hasn't been with the Patriots. The desire to run the ball for a champion, coupled with the strong veteran leadership that polices the locker room for coach Bill Belichick, have combined to funnel Dillon's energy toward producing, not whining.

Dillon's on-field presence has given the Patriots' offense a balance it never exhibited in winning two Super Bowls. Now their play-action scheme is so much more effective, their short-yardage package has more options and they have a difference-maker at a position that figured so insignificantly in their offense in years past. Dillon has been ...