Rookie Cordarrelle Patterson made a strong impression on the Minnesota Vikings during the offseason. So why isn't he playing more?
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The physical wide receiver, who wears No. 84 as a tribute to Randy Moss, played just six snaps in the 31-30 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday after getting just five snaps in Minnesota's season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions.
"We're going to get that rectified," Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said Monday. "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."
"It's just an oversight on our part; a major oversight because Cordarrelle is a playmaker," Frazier added. "He should be out there. We've just got to get him on the field."
Patterson lit up the Bears with his 105-yard kickoff return touchdown Sunday, but his role on offense barely exists.
When the Vikings go three wide, they opt for a lineup of Greg Jennings, Jerome Simpson and Jarius Wright. Even former quarterback Joe Webb has seen more snaps than Patterson. Of the five receivers taken in the first two rounds of April's draft, only Justin Hunter of the Tennessee Titans has seen less playing time.
Summertime reports suggested Patterson would be eased into the backup "X" receiver role behind Simpson, but it's time for the winless Vikings to fast forward the timeline. What we saw in August suggests that Patterson is a playmaker-in-waiting. Sunday's home opener against the hapless Cleveland Browns makes sense for his unleashing.
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