01:00 AM EST on Thursday, December 9, 2004

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

FOXBORO -- In a conference call with the Cincinnati media yesterday, the reverence Bill Belichick has for Paul Brown, the founder of both the Bengals and the Cleveland Browns, was on full display.

Belichick recalled that his father, Steve Belichick, coached at Hiram College in Ohio and that he would go with his father to Browns training camp. When Brown formed the Bengals for the AFL in 1967, the Belichicks followed.

"We would go to training camp for a day or two days. That was great exposure, a close look at professional football from the greatest coach who ever coached it," said Belichick.

A nerve had clearly been struck.

"Everybody talks about the West Coast offense," said Belichick. "That's Paul Brown's offense. I mean, all the stuff Walsh (who coached under Brown) did (in San Francisco) . . . that's all Paul's stuff. My dad's got those playbooks. It was the same terminology.

"As time has gone by, unfortunately, I don't think people really fully appreciate the contributions Paul Brown made to football. I know he's in the Hall of Fame. I know he's a great coach. To me, it goes beyond that. He has been the innovator and the leader in practically every area there is. From personnel to scheme to every other creative innovation that he had. Anything I say would be understated."

And Brown's influence is still felt in 2004.

"There probably isn't one thing that we do as the New England Patriots, other than maybe a technological improvement, that he didn't do 30 years ago, or maybe more than that. Maybe 40 years ago," said Belichick. "A lot of the things he did back in the 60's when Jim (Brown) was there -- I'm saying 40 years ago, the same things he did with the Cleveland Browns -- that's what we do here in terms of preparation, in terms of fundamentals, in terms of the basic strategy of the game, how to coach the team, or how to prepare the team. Those fundamentals and what he did then probably have changed very little."

No hard feelings

The glitzy storyline to Sunday's meeting between the Bengals and Patriots is the matchup between Patriots back Corey Dillon and his former team. Dillon, unhappy in Cincinnati, was sent to the Patriots in exchange for a second-round pick the Bengals used on safety Madieu Williams.

Dillon refused to speak to the media yesterday.

Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said of Dillon, "I obviously thought that he was a phenomenal back. It was just a tough situation. He was ready to move on and head to a new place. Obviously the Patriots were ready for a back of his caliber. I am happy for Corey. I like him a lot as a person. I am just glad he is in a situation he wants to be in."

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said earlier this week he regretted not being able to get Dillon to buy into the Bengals' program last season but he's very happy with Williams.

"He has been tremendous," said Lewis. "He has started basically every game, started at both corner and safety for us. He is a fine player and he is going to have a great career in the NFL."

Squib kicks

Dillon was on the injured list with a thigh injury. He's listed as probable for Sunday and missed a portion of practice yesterday. Also on the Pats' injured list were Tyrone Poole (doubtful, knee), Matt Chatham (questionable, hamstring), Roman Phifer (questionable, calf), Asante Samuel (questionable, shoulder), and Randall Gay (questionable, arm). Tom Brady and Jim Miller were both listed as probable with right shoulder injuries but they've been on the list all year.. . . The Patriots added Hofstra wide receiver Ricky Bryant to the practice squad yesterday.