PHILADELPHIA -- Tiki Barber is calling it quits, LaDainian Tomlinson is breaking records and Frank Gore came from nowhere to lead the NFC in rushing.
For a moment, it seemed like running backs were on the verge of extinction, as wide receiver became the NFL's new glamour position.
But for all the great halfbacks featured nightly on SportsCenter, one of the most effective and consistent ballcarriers in NFL history has gone virtually unnoticed all season.
In fact, his starting job for next season already is in jeopardy.
New England's Corey Dillon quietly reached 11,000 career rushing yards this month, becoming the 15th NFL player to eclipse the mark.
Dillon's 11,144 rushing yards entering today are just 92 behind O.
J. Simpson and 208 behind John Riggins. The top 12 in NFL history have each surpassed 12,000 yards.
If Dillon can muster another 285 yards in the Patriots' next two games, he will go over 1,000 yards for the eighth time in 10 seasons.
"Just a reflection of 10 years of work," he told The Boston Globe. "Days I didn't feel like going in.
Days I was sore. Days I was hurt, and stuff like that. It adds up, all those days when I felt like that and toughed through it and did it, anyway.
"
Dillon in his career has outgained Edgerrin James, Barber, Tomlinson and Shaun Alexander, but doesn't receive the diva treatment they warrant.
Unlike Alexander, Dillon never has been an NFL MVP. Unlike James and Tomlinson, Dillon never has led the league in rushing.
Unlike Barber, Dillon rarely makes headlines. His tenuous relationship with the media always has been in contrast with his accomplishments on the field, including two Super Bowl rings.
With the emergence of rookie Laurence Maroney, Dillon's carries have dwindled, casting doubt about his future with New England.
But if he plays three or four more seasons, and averages close to 1,000 yards, Dillon could end up among the top five runners in NFL history. That's Pro Football Hall of Fame territory.
All he cares about is winning and respect.
What is written about him is of little concern.
"What means a lot to me, as far as this game is concerned, is respect," Dillon said. "The whole 10 years, you can't write anything positive about somebody who has been in the game, and now has 11,000 yards?
All you want to write about is how old he is, how fast his 40 [-yard dash] time is. That's bull. That's how I look at it.
"
Diabetes has claimed the right foot and big and little toes on the left foot of former Dallas Cowboys running back Ron Springs.
His kidney is next to go.
That is why former Cowboys teammate Everson Walls is doing all he can to spare his closest friend from any further physical damage.
Walls is donating a kidney to Springs, a transplant that is scheduled for March.
"This man has got to love me in order to give up something. He's taking some risk," Springs told NFL.
com. "It's something you can't explain, but something that I will always think about every day for the rest of my life. It's like getting a new battery in a car.
I'll be able to be back to basically almost 100 percent normal."
Back in action?
Now is the time of year we start to talk about miracles.
It looks like the Giants need one to get a playoff berth.
Having lost five of their past six games, and no longer in control of their destiny (getting tired of that phrase yet?), Big Blue is hoping defensive end Michael Strahan can return today against NFC South champion New Orleans.
Strahan, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, has practiced all week but still is listed as questionable.
Coach Tom Coughlin said he would "wait until the last minute" to determine whether Strahan could go.
Can Strahan's return save the franchise's playoff hopes?
Some of his teammates said it would be a "miracle."
"Do you think he'll be able to play a full game after being out for so long?" Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce told the Newark Star-Ledger.
Added Strahan's replacement, rookie Mathias Kiwanuka: "If you're looking for him to come in and save the day, that's unfair. That's not his job."
Looks like it might take a miracle, after all.
Keywords: New England
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