WR Cordarrelle Patterson

[dead_poet]

percy harvin will never be a larry fitzgerald cordarrelle Patterson could be.

Different skill sets (especially at this point).

[dead_poet]

Encore at No. 84? Vikings rookie Patterson has work ahead
He wears No. 84 and has skills like No. 84, but Vikings rookie Cordarrelle Patterson has much work ahead to reach Randy Moss status.

Now consider this bold proclamation from Baggett: “When you look at just the sheer speed and athleticism, Cordarrelle may have even more explosion than Randy had. Honestly. He’s that special.”

Let your imagination run wild with that endorsement. Then do as Baggett did, take a deep breath and understand the context.

“I don’t want people misinterpreting me as saying Cordarrelle is better or will be better than Randy Moss,” Baggett said. “When it comes to everything else that’s needed to be an elite NFL receiver, he has a long way to go to reach Randy. But he definitely has that ability. He really does.”

So now here’s the puzzle that needs solving: How can the Vikings unlock Patterson’s potential and turn him into a Pro Bowler? How can they take a kid who has so much football to learn and still bring out his strengths at every stage of his education?

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 56991.html

[The Breeze]

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 56991.html

That was an intriguing article. I really like how they're handling him. A locker between Jennings and Cassel is wise.

This kid must be pinching himself wearing 84 for the vikings:

So here’s the crazy thing: A few years back when Baggett took his Moss montage to recruit a 6-3, 205-pound dynamo at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, he was instantly speaking the kid’s language.

Cordarrelle Patterson, it turned out, wore No. 84 as a tribute to his favorite receiver growing up. He always had marveled at Moss’s game-breaking skills and had used his own rare size, speed and athleticism to deliver a junior college YouTube clip that magnetized Baggett and the Volunteers his way.

[Mothman]

Some good stuff about Patterson from Kevin Siefert's blog:

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_ ... itive-step

[dead_poet]

Cordarrelle Patterson - WR - Vikings

ESPN's Kevin Seifert says a half-dozen people have told him recently how impressive rookie Cordarrelle Patterson has been this offseason.

Patterson was a lock to excel in non-padded drills in which defenders aren't allowed to touch him. He's a physical freak that can run by anyone. The key to beating out Jerome Simpson for the starting split end job from Day 1 will be getting off jams at the line of scrimmage and running crisp routes in traffic. Patterson won't have a chance to show he's polished enough to do that until camp.
Source: ESPN.com

[Purple bruise]

It would be outstanding to have another great #84 without all of the off and on the field crap

[dead_poet]

Some good stuff about Patterson from Kevin Siefert's blog:

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_ ... itive-step

I liked this bit:

I understand why coaches would want efficiency and continuity of movement from receivers and all other positions as well. But as Jennings reflects over his career, he has come to consider it in a different light. The Vikings have asked him to serve as Patterson's mentor on and off the field, and that's what Jennings has chosen to emphasize.

"Sometimes what makes a player what he is, is the thing we try to take away," Jennings said. "It comes natural. That's a gift. You can't really teach that. He has it. And I remember, that was me. I was coming out and sticking everything. And the coaches were like, 'We just want to round it, we just want to round it.' Slowly but surely, I started rounding everything. The route still looks good, but it just doesn't have that crispness about it."

Jennings also spoke about the more obvious parts of Patterson's game, most notably his top gear. "If you see the back of his jersey," Jennings said, "you might a well stop running, because it's over."

But if you want to know what has the football professionals so impressed with him, Jennings' explanation is as good as any. He's got an "it' that not everyone has, one that Jennings has advised him to ride rather than hide.

[Eliot]

This is what is making Greg Jennings signing so great! Not only do we get an elite WR that will help Ponder but he we also get a teacher in Greg. He has been around the block. He knows the taste of a Superbowl. He can teach Patterson and the other WRs some moves that helped him. I would be happy with a bunch of Greg Jennings at WR in the next 2-3 years

[The Breeze]

Imagine if Patterson had Harvin or Berrian to learn from. Although he probably wouldn't be here if Harvin was still a Viking.

Here's an interesting tidbit from the "Encore at 84" article:

Yet within the organization there’s also recognition that Patterson faces an incredibly steep learning curve. And as minicamp wraps up Thursday, closing a dizzying stretch of offseason orientation, even Patterson acknowledges that the volume of information he has been asked to absorb has been eye-opening.

Just skimming the bulky playbook for the first time proved daunting for a 22-year-old who confesses he spent most of his college career as “that guy slacking in the playbook,” rarely driven to study his craft.

“I never really had time enough to learn and develop all I needed to learn,” he said. “And a lot of times you’re the best one of the field, the biggest, the fastest. You can go off your ability.”

I really think this happens frequently to guys with superior athleticism, Moss being a prime example. They don't realize how important it is to master the technical side of things until they lose a step as well as their advantage...then it's too late.

I think Jennings is about as good an influence as you could get for a kid like this. He's a total pro, a very humble personality and a real team oriented guy. Jennings recent comments suggest he relishes his role as the "player coach" of the WR corp. And his endorsement of Fraizer really speaks to a culture in Minny that hasn't been around since the days of Bud Grant.

[J. Kapp 11]

Some good stuff about Patterson from Kevin Siefert's blog:

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_ ... itive-step

This is so interesting, especially what Jennings had to say about NFL coaches teaching receivers to "round everything off" so that every pattern looks the same.

Jennings' comments make it seem as though coaches are more concerned about their schemes than they are about utilizing the natural talents of the players they have.

At any rate, I'm glad the Vikings assigned Jennings to be Patterson's mentor. It really reminds me of the Carter-Moss relationship ... and that HAD to help Randy early in his career.

[dead_poet]

Rookie Premiere: Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson (video)
http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/vide ... d606516663

[Funkytown]

Rookie Premiere: Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson (video)
http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/vide ... d606516663

He makes me smile for some reason.

Are they really building onto the Mall? lol

[Eli]

Rookie Premiere: Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson (video)
http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/vide ... d606516663

McGinest: 9 route or bubble screen?

Patterson: Bubble screen.

That's disturbing. The Vikings just spent a first round draft pick on a wide receiver who'd rather run a bubble screen than a go route. I feel another Percy Harvin headache coming on.

[Mothman]

McGinest: 9 route or bubble screen?

Patterson: Bubble screen.

That's disturbing. The Vikings just spent a first round draft pick on a wide receiver who'd rather run a bubble screen than a go route. I feel another Percy Harvin headache coming on.

*Gasp* How awful

I don't find it disturbing at all. He's clearly a player who's very comfortable with the ball in his hands and whose open field running ability is currently his greatest strength so it's not a surprising answer. It doesn't mean he doesn't like running go routes or that he's unwilling to run them. Maybe he simply thinks it's more fun to take a short pass and turn it into a big play than to sprint straight down the field and catch a bomb.

[Eli]

I'm just worried that he'll become another Percy 'what-do-we-do-with-him' Harvin type of player, and that the Vikings will struggle to use him effectively. If he's already talking bubble screens, it probably means that they're grooming him in exactly that direction. Honestly, how many big-time NFL receiving threats do you think would rather run bubble screens that go routes? ZERO.