RB/WR Cordarrelle Patterson, Free Agent (3 Viewers)

[pantherclub]

He is starting to creep into "droppable" territory now.

 

[zamboni]

For those that have seen him play, does Patterson seem to be getting open and Bridgewater (and Cassel before him) are just not looking his way, or is he failing to get separation?

Just puzzling considering that Turner keeps insisting that he wants to get the ball in CP's hands, but it's not happening.

 

[pantherclub]

For those that have seen him play, does Patterson seem to be getting open and Bridgewater (and Cassel before him) are just not looking his way, or is he failing to get separation?

Just puzzling considering that Turner keeps insisting that he wants to get the ball in CP's hands, but it's not happening.

I watched yesterday and I think its a little of both actually. CP never seems to be wide open and on some passing plays TeddyB locked onto a wr and never looked away. Rookie trait but he still did it nontheless

 

[BigBlue_RI]

I haven't seen him play but I have to assume he's not getting open and prior to the season I recall hearing his route-running needed improvement. Gotta think it's either or both. Why neglect the guy's ability? Looks like I may need to start Greg Jennings, unless there is something to this Jarius Wright development.

 

[MAC_32]

Norv's inexperience with a dynamic weapon like him has really shown early on.

 

[Shutout]

I don't own him anywhere so I guess my opinion is just pure and without rose colored glasses and biases or I'm simply ignorant on the topic. I'll let you guys decide that but:

I don't see how people are shocked or surprised by this to think that he was going to come in and even remotely live up to the hype. This wasn't that type of team before the Peterson stuff and it definitely isn't now.

The guy is a human highlight reel with tons of ability but those guys are rarely fantasy studs unless/until they have a star QB around them.

 

[rickyg]

I saw one play where Patterson was lined up to the right and in one in one coverage. Jaryius wright was lined up in the slot. Wright ran an inside slant and was double covered and Patterson beat his man and was streaking down towards the end zone. If Bridgewater looks his way and fires it was a td. Instead Bridgewater locked onto wright and never even saw Patterson.

It's the perfect time to buy low. At this point you can offer up a serviceable WR or Rb with low upside and get c pat. His upside when/if norv turner starts using him heavily is through the roof.

If you have some good WRs and good RBS. Try to acquire him now and keep him in your bench until he shows signs of life.

 

[MAC_32]

I saw one play where Patterson was lined up to the right and in one in one coverage. Jaryius wright was lined up in the slot. Wright ran an inside slant and was double covered and Patterson beat his man and was streaking down towards the end zone. If Bridgewater looks his way and fires it was a td. Instead Bridgewater locked onto wright and never even saw Patterson.

It's the perfect time to buy low. At this point you can offer up a serviceable WR or Rb with low upside and get c pat. His upside when/if norv turner starts using him heavily is through the roof.

If you have some good WRs and good RBS. Try to acquire him now and keep him in your bench until he shows signs of life.

Bridgewater's worst throw is the go outside of the numbers, could have been a coaching point there.

 

[GoodLloydHaveMercy]

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed so far but I have him in 3 leagues with return yd bonuses (30 yds per pt) and in those leagues he is still scoring ok (8 pts in my half pt ppr this week)

Not my wr1 but any given wk he has the potential to win your matchup as your wr3 with potential for wr1 numbers

He is a hold or buy low in return leagues like mine but I understand the feeling of him being droppable in redraft non ppr and non return leagues

The oddest thing to me is the failure to give him touches in the run game... Perhaps his chest injury that forced him out of practice a few wks back is more bothersome than they are letting on? It's not something they'd let out in the media per say because they still want teams to prepare for it but perhaps there is something there... Maybe a cracked rib or bruised ribs?

He's had what maybe 2 carries since wk 1?

 

[Faust]

Rotoworld:

Cordarrelle Patterson has played on 121-of-136 offensive snaps (88.9 percent) over the last two weeks.

The snaps are there for Patterson, but the usage is not. During these two weeks, he has a total of six catches on nine targets and just one rushing attempt. On Sunday, the Vikings chose to force-feed Jarius Wright -- who has spent a ton of time with Teddy Bridgewater as part of the second-stringers over the past few months. Patterson has a nice matchup at Green Bay on Thursday night, but will be boom-or-bust.

Related: Jarius Wright

Source: ESPN 1500 Twin Cities

 

[FreeBaGeL]

For those that have seen him play, does Patterson seem to be getting open and Bridgewater (and Cassel before him) are just not looking his way, or is he failing to get separation?

Just puzzling considering that Turner keeps insisting that he wants to get the ball in CP's hands, but it's not happening.

There were a couple of times where he was the first read and Bridgewater checked down somewhere else, but more often than not he was on the opposite side of the field from where Bridgewater is looking.

I can believe that his route running hasn't been good enough to get him open, and I think we knew coming into the season that part of it was going to be a toss-up. The real surprise though is that, while we expected he would need that to be the uber stud people were hoping for, I think people still thought he would be useful with the screens and carries even if that part of his game was behind. The real surprise is their unwillingness to give him the ball in that fashion, though they certainly have no problems running him around on fakes of those plays.

Jarius Wright has been getting not only the downfield looks, but he's had most of the WR screens thrown his way as well, and not just this week. I week 2 I figured it was just to try and trick the defense who thought those plays would be going to Patterson, but they keep going to Wright. They seem to be working OK but then you see Patterson's ability with the ball on a kickoff return and you have to wonder what could have been if it were him catching those screens and not Wright.

Maybe they think screens to Patterson would be too obvious, but then you see guys around the league getting more of them than Patterson has had and it doesn't impact their effectiveness. It's frustrating to see Brandin Cooks get 3 WR screens and Patterson get none.

Norv is a great coordinator but his method has always been pretty straight forward. I'm not sure he has the desire to be creative with a guy like Patterson. We've seen it with both Patterson and Harvin this year, their coordinators think being tricky with them is giving them a WR screen or a jet sweep. Compare that to Harvin's usage in Minnesota under previous coordinators. The screens/sweeps were "base" plays that were run often and the tricky stuff went beyond that. Inside runs, being lined up in the backfield, etc. We haven't really seen any of that drawn up for either of them this year.

 

[tandl71]

You guys gotta relax. He was marked by Atlanta and the other WRs were open. Patterson will be fine.

I agree with this. His time is coming and Bridgewaters play gives a lot of hope. Patterson was a decoy and given extra attention so I think we should actually be more optimistic

If he scores a goose egg this week, should we then be ecstatic?

 

[Dondante]

For those that have seen him play, does Patterson seem to be getting open and Bridgewater (and Cassel before him) are just not looking his way, or is he failing to get separation?

Just puzzling considering that Turner keeps insisting that he wants to get the ball in CP's hands, but it's not happening.

There were a couple of times where he was the first read and Bridgewater checked down somewhere else, but more often than not he was on the opposite side of the field from where Bridgewater is looking.

I can believe that his route running hasn't been good enough to get him open, and I think we knew coming into the season that part of it was going to be a toss-up. The real surprise though is that, while we expected he would need that to be the uber stud people were hoping for, I think people still thought he would be useful with the screens and carries even if that part of his game was behind. The real surprise is their unwillingness to give him the ball in that fashion, though they certainly have no problems running him around on fakes of those plays.

Jarius Wright has been getting not only the downfield looks, but he's had most of the WR screens thrown his way as well, and not just this week. I week 2 I figured it was just to try and trick the defense who thought those plays would be going to Patterson, but they keep going to Wright. They seem to be working OK but then you see Patterson's ability with the ball on a kickoff return and you have to wonder what could have been if it were him catching those screens and not Wright.

Maybe they think screens to Patterson would be too obvious, but then you see guys around the league getting more of them than Patterson has had and it doesn't impact their effectiveness. It's frustrating to see Brandin Cooks get 3 WR screens and Patterson get none.

Norv is a great coordinator but his method has always been pretty straight forward. I'm not sure he has the desire to be creative with a guy like Patterson. We've seen it with both Patterson and Harvin this year, their coordinators think being tricky with them is giving them a WR screen or a jet sweep. Compare that to Harvin's usage in Minnesota under previous coordinators. The screens/sweeps were "base" plays that were run often and the tricky stuff went beyond that. Inside runs, being lined up in the backfield, etc. We haven't really seen any of that drawn up for either of them this year.

Except for week one. AmIwrong?

 

[Ghost Rider]

Norv's inexperience with a dynamic weapon like him has really shown early on.

Yep, him calling plays for other guys, resulting in them scoring 40 points on offense, is kinda crazy, right?

 

[LittlePhatty]

I'm holding. Too early to give up on talent like his.

 

[Joe Summer]

If he was a decoy then Atlanta should fire their DC for not adjusting at halftime.

 

[MAC_32]

Norv's inexperience with a dynamic weapon like him has really shown early on.

Yep, him calling plays for other guys, resulting in them scoring 40 points on offense, is kinda crazy, right?

so you missed weeks two and three.

 

[LawFitz]

Still got me 9 points in my return league.

Clearly, the return yards are creating his WR3 floor and the Vikings sieve D has been helping in that regard.

Now, just need a few more of those boom weeks sprinkled in. He's a got a few more of those this season, I'd bet.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Norv's inexperience with a dynamic weapon like him has really shown early on.

Yep, him calling plays for other guys, resulting in them scoring 40 points on offense, is kinda crazy, right?

so you missed weeks two and three.

When ####ty Matt Cassel was the starting QB? I did not miss that.

Were they helped by playing Atlanta's crappy defense yesterday? Of course. But with AP out, I suspect that Patterson is the skill position player Vikings opponents fear the most, and given that he is still very raw as an NFL WR, if teams are gonna go out of their way to not let the ball get in his hands, then by all means throw it to the other guys who are open. And it worked yesterday.

 

[Bigboy10182000]

Whats his All-22 look like?

 

[nastynate]

They have Patterson on the single WR side almost every play, which makes it a tougher read if he's not the primary in the route. I don't expect TB to start seeing the whole field quickly, but I hope he'll be able to make some pre-snap read, seeing when CP is 1 on 1 and giving him a chance.

Very interested to see how this develops over the next 1-3 weeks.

 

[Concept Coop]

In re-draft, you have to sell. There is a 50+ yard TD run/screen pass coming, certainly, but you can't count on it. Sell while there is still name value attached to the asset.

Find an owner who thinks they're buying low and move him for B.Quick--a top option--or T.Williams/E.Royal--2nd/3rd options on teams that can support fantasy value at those positions. You're not getting anywhere with the Vikings 2nd/3rd option, even if he busts a long score 3-5 times a season.

 

[irish eyes]

Not even close to being startable. He had one, yes one good play in 4 weeks. He will not see my lineup again.

 

[Gvindy]

A few more monster games from Jarius Wright, teams may not be able to move coverage to CP. Reminds me a bit of what happened with Eddie Royal last year and this. Keenan Allen started slow, then teams started rolling to Royal, boom! Allen goes off. We haven't seen catch up mode with Teddy yet. I still think he's stashable with 5-6 bench spots just for upside. End of season who knows, he could explode. Part of me wants to chase Jarius Wright though, he has a nice rapport with Teddy.

 

[chad in Indy]

Norv's inexperience with a dynamic weapon like him has really shown early on.

Yep, him calling plays for other guys, resulting in them scoring 40 points on offense, is kinda crazy, right?

so you missed weeks two and three.

When ####ty Matt Cassel was the starting QB? I did not miss that.

Were they helped by playing Atlanta's crappy defense yesterday? Of course. But with AP out, I suspect that Patterson is the skill position player Vikings opponents fear the most, and given that he is still very raw as an NFL WR, if teams are gonna go out of their way to not let the ball get in his hands, then by all means throw it to the other guys who are open. And it worked yesterday.

I might buy into this, but there has to be "more" going on. Norv didn't shy away from forcing the ball to Gordon (who was in his second year), so why not call Patterson's number more? It doesn't make sense to gameplan Patterson entirely as a decoy 3 weeks in a row? Maybe here and there, but not the entire game as a decoy. Seattle fakes the screen/ jet sweep to Percy a lot, but they still give him a couple every game as well. Even D. Thomas still gets at least three WR screens a game even though opposing teams know to expect it, just b/c you never know what a player of their caliber can do with the ball in their hands.

Secondly, when OCs know a player will be a defensive focus, most develop ways to get them open utilizing bunch formations or putting them in motion and that isn't happening either.

I didn't get to watch the game yesterday, but enough of the comments indicate that opposing teams are actually NOT going out of their way to stop Patterson. ie. he is getting single coverage. These are the reasons that make me think it's more on Patterson. ie. he is not getting adequate separation, not running strong routes, or isn't a good 50/50 ball winner.

 

[John Paul]

#5 in a return-heavy league. #16 in a return/receiving yardage heavy league. #15 in a PPR/6 per TD league. I'm holding.

 

[MAC_32]

Whats his All-22 look like?

I'll be queuing up this one, but weeks two and three don't support ghostrider's take. Minnesota hasn't even tried to get him in space, which is exactly what they should have been doing with a terrible qb like Cassel.

 

[MAC_32]

Norv's inexperience with a dynamic weapon like him has really shown early on.

Yep, him calling plays for other guys, resulting in them scoring 40 points on offense, is kinda crazy, right?

so you missed weeks two and three.

When ####ty Matt Cassel was the starting QB? I did not miss that.

Were they helped by playing Atlanta's crappy defense yesterday? Of course. But with AP out, I suspect that Patterson is the skill position player Vikings opponents fear the most, and given that he is still very raw as an NFL WR, if teams are gonna go out of their way to not let the ball get in his hands, then by all means throw it to the other guys who are open. And it worked yesterday.

I might buy into this, but there has to be "more" going on. Norv didn't shy away from forcing the ball to Gordon (who was in his second year), so why not call Patterson's number more? It doesn't make sense to gameplan Patterson entirely as a decoy 3 weeks in a row? Maybe here and there, but not the entire game as a decoy. Seattle fakes the screen/ jet sweep to Percy a lot, but they still give him a couple every game as well. Even D. Thomas still gets at least three WR screens a game even though opposing teams know to expect it, just b/c you never know what a player of their caliber can do with the ball in their hands.Secondly, when OCs know a player will be a defensive focus, most develop ways to get them open utilizing bunch formations or putting them in motion and that isn't happening either.

I didn't get to watch the game yesterday, but enough of the comments indicate that opposing teams are actually NOT going out of their way to stop Patterson. ie. he is getting single coverage. These are the reasons that make me think it's more on Patterson. ie. he is not getting adequate separation, not running strong routes, or isn't a good 50/50 ball winner.

Patterson is very raw and under developed beyond ten yards from the LoS, his game could not be more different from Gordon, who fit Norv's philosophy perfectly.

 

[Concept Coop]

##15 in a PPR/6 per TD league.

He's #40 (PPG) in my PPR/6pt TD league.

 

[steveski]

##15 in a PPR/6 per TD league.

He's #40 (PPG) in my PPR/6pt TD league.

John Paul's league must give bonus points for cool first names.

 

[werdnoynek]

Rotoworld:

Cordarrelle Patterson has played on 121-of-136 offensive snaps (88.9 percent) over the last two weeks.

The snaps are there for Patterson, but the usage is not. During these two weeks, he has a total of six catches on nine targets and just one rushing attempt. On Sunday, the Vikings chose to force-feed Jarius Wright -- who has spent a ton of time with Teddy Bridgewater as part of the second-stringers over the past few months. Patterson has a nice matchup at Green Bay on Thursday night, but will be boom-or-bust.

Related: Jarius Wright

Source: ESPN 1500 Twin Cities

Here's the write up from the source:

Zulgad: Bridgewater deserves credit for Patterson's quiet performance

The immediate reaction is to look at the fact Cordarrelle Patterson had a season-low in receptions (two) and targets (four) in the Vikings' 41-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and wonder just what offensive coordinator Norv Turner is thinking.

Patterson is the Vikings' most dynamic playmaker - his 49-yard kick return that set up Minnesota's second touchdown in the first quarter served as further evidence of this - and anytime the football is in his hands good things can, and often do, happen.

So why aren't the Vikings doing more to make sure Patterson is either thrown the ball or handed it? That's how he scored on a 67-yard run in the Vikings' season-opening win over the Rams. He ran for 102 yards on three carries that day, but has only one carry since.

In most cases, I'd be the first to criticize Turner for not incorporating Patterson more into the game plan. But that criticism would come if the Vikings were running an offense in which you lacked faith in the quarterback and felt he was incapable of operating without being told what to do.

One start into the Teddy Bridgewater era, the story line shouldn't be focused on complaining about Patterson's use, but, rather, having the proper faith that when Patterson is open the rookie quarterback will find him.

Of all the things Bridgewater did well before leaving Sunday's game because of a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter, the most important might have been his ability to have control of the offense and make the proper reads as he went through his progressions.

Bridgewater continues to look like a quarterback who has far more interest in finding receivers than he does taking off when things start to break down. Bridgewater doesn't lock in on his first read and then either force the ball into coverage or panic. He is willing to take off, but he appears at ease continuing to look for receivers as long as possible.

On Sunday, he found seven receivers and completed eight passes for 132 yards to Jarius Wright. The fact that Wright had a big day says far more about Bridgewater than it does Wright.

What it means is that Bridgewater will find the open receiver and jump on the chance to throw him the ball. This is something veteran quarterbacks do when they no longer care about making an impression and just want to win games.

Most young quarterbacks would be eager to get the ball to Patterson, or a veteran like Greg Jennings, because they figure that's the right thing to do. Jennings had three receptions for 72 yards but was targeted only four times on Sunday.

That means that Patterson and Jennings combined for eight targets or two fewer then the number of times Wright was thrown at. For Bridgewater to already have the moxie to decide throwing passes to Wright is a better idea than maybe forcing the ball to Patterson or Jennings, not only shows maturity but also a take charge nature that some who play his position never develop.

Patterson, who has 11 receptions for 143 yards this season, praised Bridgewater's poise and decision making. "He's too calm. He's always calm under pressure," Patterson said Sunday. "That's how he was in college, I heard. Just watching him every play and just watching how calm he is under pressure is incredible."

As for Bridgewater's willingness to look all over the field when he passes the ball, Patterson acknowledged that's not a bad thing.

"You can't focus on one person, we have too many weapons on this offense," said Patterson, whose two catches got him 38 yards. "Jarius Wright had his career high, Greg [Jennings] had three catches for seventy -some yards. You just can't focus on one person. You have to worry about all these threats we have on offense."

And Patterson knows that if Bridgewater can continue to find those other threats, eventually it could free him up to have the type of performance that so many expect from him on a weekly basis.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Norv's inexperience with a dynamic weapon like him has really shown early on.

Yep, him calling plays for other guys, resulting in them scoring 40 points on offense, is kinda crazy, right?

so you missed weeks two and three.

When ####ty Matt Cassel was the starting QB? I did not miss that.

Were they helped by playing Atlanta's crappy defense yesterday? Of course. But with AP out, I suspect that Patterson is the skill position player Vikings opponents fear the most, and given that he is still very raw as an NFL WR, if teams are gonna go out of their way to not let the ball get in his hands, then by all means throw it to the other guys who are open. And it worked yesterday.

I might buy into this, but there has to be "more" going on. Norv didn't shy away from forcing the ball to Gordon (who was in his second year), so why not call Patterson's number more? It doesn't make sense to gameplan Patterson entirely as a decoy 3 weeks in a row? Maybe here and there, but not the entire game as a decoy. Seattle fakes the screen/ jet sweep to Percy a lot, but they still give him a couple every game as well. Even D. Thomas still gets at least three WR screens a game even though opposing teams know to expect it, just b/c you never know what a player of their caliber can do with the ball in their hands.

Secondly, when OCs know a player will be a defensive focus, most develop ways to get them open utilizing bunch formations or putting them in motion and that isn't happening either.

I didn't get to watch the game yesterday, but enough of the comments indicate that opposing teams are actually NOT going out of their way to stop Patterson. ie. he is getting single coverage. These are the reasons that make me think it's more on Patterson. ie. he is not getting adequate separation, not running strong routes, or isn't a good 50/50 ball winner.

Patterson is no Josh Gordon, when it comes to running routes and being a complete wide receiver.

There probably is more going on, which comes down to Patterson and how good he really is.

 

[SameSongNDance]

I'd like off this ride now. :X

 

[chad in Indy]

Norv's inexperience with a dynamic weapon like him has really shown early on.

Yep, him calling plays for other guys, resulting in them scoring 40 points on offense, is kinda crazy, right?

so you missed weeks two and three.

When ####ty Matt Cassel was the starting QB? I did not miss that.

Were they helped by playing Atlanta's crappy defense yesterday? Of course. But with AP out, I suspect that Patterson is the skill position player Vikings opponents fear the most, and given that he is still very raw as an NFL WR, if teams are gonna go out of their way to not let the ball get in his hands, then by all means throw it to the other guys who are open. And it worked yesterday.

I might buy into this, but there has to be "more" going on. Norv didn't shy away from forcing the ball to Gordon (who was in his second year), so why not call Patterson's number more? It doesn't make sense to gameplan Patterson entirely as a decoy 3 weeks in a row? Maybe here and there, but not the entire game as a decoy. Seattle fakes the screen/ jet sweep to Percy a lot, but they still give him a couple every game as well. Even D. Thomas still gets at least three WR screens a game even though opposing teams know to expect it, just b/c you never know what a player of their caliber can do with the ball in their hands.

Secondly, when OCs know a player will be a defensive focus, most develop ways to get them open utilizing bunch formations or putting them in motion and that isn't happening either.

I didn't get to watch the game yesterday, but enough of the comments indicate that opposing teams are actually NOT going out of their way to stop Patterson. ie. he is getting single coverage. These are the reasons that make me think it's more on Patterson. ie. he is not getting adequate separation, not running strong routes, or isn't a good 50/50 ball winner.

Patterson is no Josh Gordon, when it comes to running routes and being a complete wide receiver.

There probably is more going on, which comes down to Patterson and how good he really is.

Yes. This is my question as well. Again, I haven't watched him a great deal, but maybe he's just going to be a great open field type player and not a true #1 WR

Just off-cuff talk, but maybe like Devin Hester.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Norv's inexperience with a dynamic weapon like him has really shown early on.

Yep, him calling plays for other guys, resulting in them scoring 40 points on offense, is kinda crazy, right?

so you missed weeks two and three.

When ####ty Matt Cassel was the starting QB? I did not miss that.

Were they helped by playing Atlanta's crappy defense yesterday? Of course. But with AP out, I suspect that Patterson is the skill position player Vikings opponents fear the most, and given that he is still very raw as an NFL WR, if teams are gonna go out of their way to not let the ball get in his hands, then by all means throw it to the other guys who are open. And it worked yesterday.

I might buy into this, but there has to be "more" going on. Norv didn't shy away from forcing the ball to Gordon (who was in his second year), so why not call Patterson's number more? It doesn't make sense to gameplan Patterson entirely as a decoy 3 weeks in a row? Maybe here and there, but not the entire game as a decoy. Seattle fakes the screen/ jet sweep to Percy a lot, but they still give him a couple every game as well. Even D. Thomas still gets at least three WR screens a game even though opposing teams know to expect it, just b/c you never know what a player of their caliber can do with the ball in their hands.

Secondly, when OCs know a player will be a defensive focus, most develop ways to get them open utilizing bunch formations or putting them in motion and that isn't happening either.

I didn't get to watch the game yesterday, but enough of the comments indicate that opposing teams are actually NOT going out of their way to stop Patterson. ie. he is getting single coverage. These are the reasons that make me think it's more on Patterson. ie. he is not getting adequate separation, not running strong routes, or isn't a good 50/50 ball winner.

Patterson is no Josh Gordon, when it comes to running routes and being a complete wide receiver.

There probably is more going on, which comes down to Patterson and how good he really is.

Yes. This is my question as well. Again, I haven't watched him a great deal, but maybe he's just going to be a great open field type player and not a true #1 WR

Just off-cuff talk, but maybe like Devin Hester.

Hester is an interesting name to bring up because Atlanta is doing a lot more to get the ball in his hands than Minnesota is with Patterson.

That's the real rub, I think. People were hoping that Patterson would become some ungodly combo of #1 downfield option for the team and ball-in-space playmaker. That said, I don't think those people are that surprised that he's not ready to be the big-time downfield option yet, but him not being the ball-in-space option either is what's mind boggling. That part was supposed to be a given. Instead they're throwing screens and running reverses with Jarius Wright and have failed to even try any kind of creative plays for Patterson.

It would be like Atlanta running all those Hester plays with Harry Douglas.

 

[cstu]

What I find odd is that after rushing for 102 yards week 1 he's only have one carry in the past 3 weeks.

 

[Gvindy]

They're saving him for the fantasy playoffs...

 

[jurb26]

Norv's inexperience with a dynamic weapon like him has really shown early on.

Yep, him calling plays for other guys, resulting in them scoring 40 points on offense, is kinda crazy, right?

so you missed weeks two and three.

When ####ty Matt Cassel was the starting QB? I did not miss that.

Were they helped by playing Atlanta's crappy defense yesterday? Of course. But with AP out, I suspect that Patterson is the skill position player Vikings opponents fear the most, and given that he is still very raw as an NFL WR, if teams are gonna go out of their way to not let the ball get in his hands, then by all means throw it to the other guys who are open. And it worked yesterday.

I might buy into this, but there has to be "more" going on. Norv didn't shy away from forcing the ball to Gordon (who was in his second year), so why not call Patterson's number more? It doesn't make sense to gameplan Patterson entirely as a decoy 3 weeks in a row? Maybe here and there, but not the entire game as a decoy. Seattle fakes the screen/ jet sweep to Percy a lot, but they still give him a couple every game as well. Even D. Thomas still gets at least three WR screens a game even though opposing teams know to expect it, just b/c you never know what a player of their caliber can do with the ball in their hands.Secondly, when OCs know a player will be a defensive focus, most develop ways to get them open utilizing bunch formations or putting them in motion and that isn't happening either.

I didn't get to watch the game yesterday, but enough of the comments indicate that opposing teams are actually NOT going out of their way to stop Patterson. ie. he is getting single coverage. These are the reasons that make me think it's more on Patterson. ie. he is not getting adequate separation, not running strong routes, or isn't a good 50/50 ball winner.

Patterson is no Josh Gordon, when it comes to running routes and being a complete wide receiver.

There probably is more going on, which comes down to Patterson and how good he really is.

Yes. This is my question as well. Again, I haven't watched him a great deal, but maybe he's just going to be a great open field type player and not a true #1 WRJust off-cuff talk, but maybe like Devin Hester.

Hester is an interesting name to bring up because Atlanta is doing a lot more to get the ball in his hands than Minnesota is with Patterson.

That's the real rub, I think. People were hoping that Patterson would become some ungodly combo of #1 downfield option for the team and ball-in-space playmaker. That said, I don't think those people are that surprised that he's not ready to be the big-time downfield option yet, but him not being the ball-in-space option either is what's mind boggling. That part was supposed to be a given. Instead they're throwing screens and running reverses with Jarius Wright and have failed to even try any kind of creative plays for Patterson.

It would be like Atlanta running all those Hester plays with Harry Douglas.

Not only this but they never seem to even line him up in the slot any more. He has been playing almost exclusively on the outside. There have been a few instances when he's been in the slot the past 3 weeks and they have all led to him being some sort of decoy. Usually that fake bubble screen and then a hand off or short pass the other direction. Minn is taking advantage, or trying too at least, of teams keying on Patterson and over running to him on any fake. Eventually though, you have to actually give him the ball and not just fake it all the time.

 

[Milkman]

Obviously he's an elite decoy. fml

 

[nelly29]

Well he is on my bench until he proves that decision wrong...... Ugggggg

 

[Milkman]

Lololol i have to keep starting him. Hahahahahaha I'm so screwed!

 

[GoodLloydHaveMercy]

I'm still going with the reason he isn't getting carries is because he had a cracked rib or severely bruised ribs... A chest injury would prolly mean the OC would shy away a bit from that aspect of his game

 

[PhantomJB]

I'm still going with the reason he isn't getting carries is because he had a cracked rib or severely bruised ribs... A chest injury would prolly mean the OC would shy away a bit from that aspect of his game

And yet he's returning kickoffs?

 

[Insein]

Putting Reginald Wayne back in over CP until further notice.

 

[GoodLloydHaveMercy]

I'm still going with the reason he isn't getting carries is because he had a cracked rib or severely bruised ribs... A chest injury would prolly mean the OC would shy away a bit from that aspect of his game

And yet he's returning kickoffs?

Yeah... Randall Cobb was in a similar situation early in his career... They saw him get clobbered on a designed run so they stopped calling runs for him... They didn't, however, at THAT time pull him off of kick returns...

They waited until he became a bigger piece of their offense before they pulled him at kick returner... I believe it's very possible that his chest injury means they aren't lining him up for more traditional run plays... I don't think it's necessarily the hits by LBs or Corners or Safeties in space that worry them... I think it's the players on the defensive line that worry them most.... Especially if he is getting tripped up and one of those big boys "land" on him with all of their weight

 

[Biabreakable]

Chad Greenway has a rib injury not Patterson.

If Patterson had a rib injury I am pretty sure I would have heard about it by now. He likely would have said something about it or have been asked by the media when they interviewed him. He also would not likely be blocking as well as he was (which was nice to see).

Patterson made some good catches in the game. He caught the ball in the seams ( a slant route and a 15 yard in route) which is something I saw him doing in college but I have not seen much from him with the Vikings until the other day because no other QB had the confidence of throwing those much.

 

[LT21]

I'm dropping him for Donnell...

 

[Faust]

Cordarrelle Patterson hasn't lobbied for more carries:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000401002/article/cordarrelle-patterson-hasnt-lobbied-for-more-carries

 

[Football Jones]

Patterson is getting better & better as an NFL WR & Turner is the perfect OC for him. This kid is going to be a stud.

Patience grasshoppers. It's only a matter of time.

 

[Milkman]

I traded for Patterson thinking about 2015 and beyond. I got excited when he did well the first week. He is still getting better and I love his attitude. You know he wants the ball but he's not throwing a fit because he's not getting it. He's just going to concentrate on getting better. If they continue to give him 1-3 carries a week and he can score a few ST TD's a year he will only have to become an average WR to be a WR2 with upside. That looks attainable right now but it's not likely to happen overnight.