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NFL Week 6 Top Storylines: Will somebody get Cordarrelle Patterson the ball?

By Andrew Garda

Sep 21, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Corey White (24) tackles Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) in the second half at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. New Orleans defeated the Vikings 20-9. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 21, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Corey White (24) tackles Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) in the second half at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. New Orleans defeated the Vikings 20-9. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 23, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) escapes the tackle of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker James-Michael Johnson (52) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Minnesota won the game 30-12. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 23, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) escapes the tackle of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker James-Michael Johnson (52) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Minnesota won the game 30-12. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports /

Where has Cordarrelle Patterson gone?

We’ve all seen Patterson’s ability. His speed and athleticism after the catch make him a very dangerous receiver and one which should be a big part of this Vikings offense.

And yet this season he has averaged just five targets a game and goes long stretches where he does not get targeted at all.

Some of that is the added attention he gets from defenses, and some of it is his still-developing route-running. Some of it has been quarterback-related as Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder have a lot of problems finding him and Teddy Bridgewater seemed to only be starting to get comfortable with him before getting hurt.

In the end though, a large portion of the problem seems to be gameplanning.

As Norv Turner said in a recent press conference (via Vikings.com) he wants to get the ball to Patterson more, but it’d be easier to believe it if he hadn’t said it frequently before with no change.

Patterson needs to be a bigger part of the offense and five targets a game just isn’t going to cut it.

We’ll see if anything is different this weekend against the Detroit Lions.

 

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