Cordarrelle Patterson Seeing Very Little Time; Situation To Be “Rectified”
By Zach Ragan
Sep 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) returns the opening kickoff for a touchdown against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
This past Sunday, Cordarrelle Patterson showed why he was one of the most dynamic players available in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Patterson returned the opening kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown, in the Vikings loss to the Bears.
Despite the electricity shown by Patterson on the return, he only played six snaps in the game. In fact, Patterson has only played 11 total snaps in the Vikings’ first two games of the season.
According to reports, his lack of playing time has been a “coaches” decision, a decision that head coach Leslie Frazier said would be “rectified” this week.
"We’re going to get that rectified, He definitely deserves to be on the field more. He’s shown that in the few snaps he’s gotten in these first two ball games. Hopefully, everything being equal, that should not be a part of the conversation next week. We want to get him on the field. He’s one of our explosive players for sure. We see what he does when he gets the ball in his hands. We’ve got to find a way to get him on the field……..He doesn’t get lost, we’re well aware of his talents. Even on the smoke screen, when we threw it out and he got 14 yards. We’re well aware of his talents. He doesn’t get lost. But we’ll get it rectified."
There’s no doubting Patterson’s dynamic play-making ability. He showed it time and time again against quality SEC opponents during his time with the Tennessee Volunteers last season.
Just watching Patterson with the ball in his hands is a joy. The Vikings need to get their first-round rookie the ball, rather than let him sit and wait on the bench while clearly inferior players play in front of him.
Cordarrelle Patterson may the “raw” label, but he’ll never be able to shed it until he gets on the field consistently.
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