Last modified: Sunday, June 13, 2004 12:55 AM EDT Dillon an instant winner BY MARK FARINELLA/SUN CHRONICLE STAFF FOXBORO -- Corey Dillon seems to have accepted the fact that he's going to be in the middle of a spotlight for at least the earliest part of his career as a New England Patriot. The former Cincinnati Bengals' running back has therefore taken a truly professional approach to things. He has been accommodating to the scores of interview requests, he's been gregarious and polite, and he's said the right things -- especially when somebody tries to draw him into a discussion of what went wrong in Cincinnati. ``I'm not here to prove anybody wrong or to silence the critics,'' he said last week during the Patriots' mandatory minicamp at Gillette Stadium. ``I know what I can do.'' But at some point, Dillon should find himself in a very different situation -- and hopefully, a positive one for him. Instead of having to be the focal point of his team's offense, the veteran running back will find for the first time in his career that he's just a part of a bigger picture. He may well become a focal point of the Patriots' offense if situations dictate, and he certainly has the capabilities to do so, but he also knows that the Patriots have won two Super Bowls without him, and that he's here to help make a good offense better -- not to have to do it alone. ``I'm coming into a great situation,'' Dillon said. ``We're going to mix things up ... we've got a lot of weapons. I'm just an extra ingredient in this big pie, and it's sweet. I'm just enjoying it.'' Most football-savvy individuals already know how Dillon, perhaps the best running back in the Bengals' history, wore his welcome thin after vocalizing his frustrations over the team's perpetual losing ways. He was injured early in the 2003 season, and was relegated to the bench upon his return by new coach Marvin Lewis, who wanted his program to make a fresh start without the distraction of having a malcontent in its midst. ``Seven years of not winning is a long time,'' Dillon said. ``(The Patriots) got to know me. They figured out that I'm legit and a good guy ... I just wanted to be part of an organization that thrives on winning, and winning is everything. And I'm here, and I'm in a good situation and I like it.'' The contrasts are staggering. The Bengals, who had a good stretch in the 1980s and went to a Super Bowl three years after the Patriots' first visit, haven't posted a winning record since 1990, despite adding Dillon to their arsenal in 1997. The Patriots, meanwhile, have been transformed from a team on the verge of bankruptcy in 1988 to one that has gone to three Super Bowls since the 1996 season and won two of them, and are now regarded as a model for how to run an NFL franchise. ``I can see why they won two Super Bowls,'' Dillon said. ``I'm talking about, from top to bottom, people care about you and they want you to succeed. This is positive, this is a team concept here. Everybody works together as a team and that's a good thing.'' Dillon said he could sense a difference the first time he walked into the Patriots' locker room at Gillette. ``It's not depressing,'' he said. ``Everybody's upbeat, they're happy about what they're doing here and what they've accomplished, stuff like that. They win. They're a winning ballclub. There's nothing to be down about around here. ``It's just winning ... this whole game is based on winning,'' he continued. ``And I've been through some years when we just weren't getting it done. That's in the past, I'm ready to move forward from that, and I'm looking forward to getting started with the Patriots.'' Patriots' coach Bill Belichick hunkered down with Dillon in a Hartford hotel before deciding to deal a second-round draft pick for him. He needed to see evidence that Dillon wasn't the ``locker room cancer'' he was said to be in Cincinnati. Satisfied that he has added a committed, serious ballplayer to his roster, Belichick prefers not to field questions about the veteran back's past character issues. Instead, as keeping with his character, Belichick prefers to look ahead to what Dillon can contribute on the field. ``Corey has been a very productive player in this league doing a lot of things, primarily running, but he has also been very good in the passing game,'' Belichick said. ``He has been a third-down player for the Bengals and has been good in blitz pickup. What his role will be on this team will depend on what his performance is and how he does with the opportunities that he gets. ``We will try to give him plenty so we can evaluate him and see what he can do,'' he said. ``But I hope that he will be a productive player for us ... I expect that he will be productive. What exactly that will be? I don't know. That will be determined by what he is able to do and how effectively he is able to do it.'' Pressed about how Dillon has fit in with his new team, Belichick offered a positive review. ``He has worked hard,'' he said. ``He has learned a system that was different than the one that he was in, although there is certainly some carryover. He has worked hard to pick things up, to train here with us in the month of May and so far here in June. I think he has had a positive interaction with the team and the organization.'' For Dillon's part, there has almost been a sense of awe to suddenly be part of an organization that has won football's ultimate prize twice in the past three years. ``These guys have been there and done that, and that gives me a little extra energy to go out and help them get another,'' he said. ``I'm just happy to be here, I'm working hard getting the system down, and I can't wait for the season to start.'' MARK FARINELLA may be reached at 508-236-0315 or via e-mail at mfarinel@thesunchronicle.com