12-22-03, 6:35 a.m.
BY GEOFF HOBSON
ST. LOUIS _ Bengals running back Corey Dillon couldn't help have a little fun with the media after he reached two rather significant milestones in his career Sunday. Even though he carried just seven times for 37 yards, he became the club's all-time leader in scrimmage yards, passing James Brooks with 9,482. He also became the 28th man to reach 8,000 career yards and now has 8,011.
"What's that? Say that again?" he said when asked to react.
"That's me? Interesting," he said. "Interesting. I hear I'm too old. I can't run. But my stats are what they are. I'm the 28th man to do what? Interesting. I'm too old. I can't do this and that. In six and a half years, that's what I've accomplished. I'm just out here the last part of the season having fun and trying to help the team win. It's a big thing for me overall, but we lost and I can't accept it real well."
Dillon ripped off 28 yards on his first three carries in the first eight minutes of the game, didn't see the ball until the first play of the second half, and then ran it only three more times the rest of the way while Rudi Johnson finished with 30 yards on 11 carries.
"Who was in there?" Dillon asked of the Bengals early success running the ball.
But just like he won't talk about if next Sunday is his last game as a Bengal, he won't discuss the way he's being used. Which is strictly part of a committee.
"They did what they think they had to," Dillon said. "That's what they felt was best. I'm cool with that."
STUNTS AND SCREENS: Torry Holt joined Plaxico Burress, Hines Ward, and Terrell Owens as 100-yard receivers against the Bengals in the last four games. Holt, the NFL leader, had 10 catches for 124 yards. The big one was a 28-yard touchdown on third-and-nine with 47 seconds left in the first half that gave the Rams a 17-7 lead. Cornerback Tory James fought him at the line, but when Holt broke past him, it looked like James didn't get the safety help he expected as quarterback Marc Bulger lofted a strike to the corner.
"It was a double move and he made a good play," James said. "We were trying to keep their big plays to a minimum. We knew they would get some, but we couldn't let them keep doing it." . . .
There is concern that left outside linebacker Adrian Ross suffered a severe knee injury. . .
