Zimmer pleased with Patterson's offseason work, 'mentality'

[PurpleKoolaid]

Good post, PK. Having "a little mix to it" is what I prefer. The same perspective over and over and over again with anything can get exhausting.

And, no, I definitely don't wanna hear all good all of the time, because sometimes things are bad, and I feel better when they're discussed!

Yep. Thats whats also nice about a HC like Zimmer. As opposed to a Fraizer, who a lot here really supported, despite his not doing anything positive, and saying exactly the same things over and over and over again.

[losperros]

Nobody seems to be mentioning Patterson's 107 yard kick return for a TD from last night's game, so I'll bring it up.

I loved it. Patterson looked fast as ever and the back-end blocking finally worked on the return team.

[fiestavike]

Nobody seems to be mentioning Patterson's 107 yard kick return for a TD from last night's game, so I'll bring it up.

I loved it. Patterson looked fast as ever and the back-end blocking finally worked on the return team.

It was nice to see. A great design and an excellent block by Asiata on the play.

[PacificNorseWest]

Nobody seems to be mentioning Patterson's 107 yard kick return for a TD from last night's game, so I'll bring it up.

I loved it. Patterson looked fast as ever and the back-end blocking finally worked on the return team.

People that don't like him probably didn't want to see that as it gives more reason to keep him around.

But seriously, you really want to see him progress as a WR. We already know he can be one of the best return men in the game. His explosiveness and big play ability was never a question.

At this point, it looks like WR's is a real strength of this team in spite of Patterson, so let him do his job in the return game and he'll just keep working in practice at WR. We'll see where it goes, but he's definitely an asset when he has the return ability he does. A true specialist.

[DK Sweets]

But seriously, you really want to see him progress as a WR. We already know he can be one of the best return men in the game. His explosiveness and big play ability was never a question.

At this point, it looks like WR's is a real strength of this team in spite of Patterson, so let him do his job in the return game and he'll just keep working in practice at WR. We'll see where it goes, but he's definitely an asset when he has the return ability he does. A true specialist.

You say that, but there have been people who say he doesn't even look like a good returner anymore. It's nice to be able to say "Yeah, I think he still has it".

[losperros]

Well, here's' one guy who thinks Peterson is doing well...

"The good thing about Cordarrelle is he continues to work each and every week and, when he has the ball in his hands, he can do a lot of things,'' said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer. "He's a good weapon for us.''

And here's Patterson crediting his teammates...

It's been a long time since my rookie kickoff return (of 109 yards),'' Patterson said. "Those 10 guys in front of me did a heck of a job. They led me to the promised land. I just saw the end zone and the kicker. And I would not let him get me.''

http://www.twincities.com/vikings/ci_28 ... turns-form

BTW, I agree with Fiestavike about Asiata's good block on CP's return. I like Asiata a lot. Seems like a constant hard worker to me.

[fiestavike]

You say that, but there have been people who say he doesn't even look like a good returner anymore. It's nice to be able to say "Yeah, I think he still has it".

I think he is clearly not *as* good a returner as he initially was, but that's not surprising or unusual. He slows down that half a step as the coverage team closes down on him now in an act of self preservation. As a rookie he didn't do that, but he also took some huge shots.

Its not a criticism. Its not reasonable to expect a guy to physically be able to do what he did (and what Percy did early in his career as a returner) over a long period of time. They both had a disregard that led to a lot of big plays, and a lot of punishment.

[fiestavike]

BTW, I agree with Fiestavike about Asiata's good block on CP's return. I like Asiata a lot. Seems like a constant hard worker to me.

Thanks Los, Priefer also deserves some credit, it was a pretty play, with a nice seal and Asiata pulling to the outside and making a huge alley.

I'm not sure how often plays like that may be run when the play gets kind of muddled up and hard to tell exactly what was supposed to happen. On that play you could really see the whole thing unfold like clockwork! It was well executed (including by Patterson) and fun.

[Crax]

Thanks Los, Priefer also deserves some credit, it was a pretty play, with a nice seal and Asiata pulling to the outside and making a huge alley.

I know a lot of people aren't a big fan of Asiata, but the whole reason he ever made the vikings was for special teams as the first year he actually stuck was when we had both Peterson and Gerhart. He made lots of good blocks for Patterson 2 years ago. When he was starting/2nd running back last year, he didn't play ST as much I don't believe. I think it would be great to have him back there again.

[losperros]

I know a lot of people aren't a big fan of Asiata, but the whole reason he ever made the vikings was for special teams as the first year he actually stuck was when we had both Peterson and Gerhart. He made lots of good blocks for Patterson 2 years ago. When he was starting/2nd running back last year, he didn't play ST as much I don't believe. I think it would be great to have him back there again.

I hope the Vikings hang onto Asiata. He's the type of guy that may not always do things that make the highlight reels but they really help the team.

Not only that, but Asiata is a bull carrying the ball near the end zone.

[dead_poet]

I thought Zimmer had an interesting comment during his last press conference in relation to Patterson:

As a receiver, Patterson hasn't been able to move up from the second-team offense with backup quarterback Shaun Hill. If the Vikings are planning on integrating Patterson into the starting offense, they haven't showed any signs throughout the preseason.

"I think last week was a better game for him even though he didn't have any catches," Zimmer said. "It was a better game for him than the week before.

"He's just another guy that we can use."

The bolded part is what I'm referencing. There's a chance I might be reading into this too much but I know players can't stand the "Just Another Guy" (JAG) label (Justin Hunter was even forced to wear a uniform last training camp with JAG on it as a motivational tactic). Whether Zimmer is subtly applying a similar tactic or being purposefully publicly unsatisfied I don't know. But this isn't the first time I've had the impression Zimmer may not be the biggest Patterson fan (the quote where he said Patterson will have to figure out if he wants to be a player or The Flash comes to mind).

I just can't tell if he adapts his coaching to some players' personalities, if he's an equal-opportunity hard-#### or genuinely isn't a big Patterson fan. My sense is the latter. It'll be interesting to track Patterson's offensive snap counts this season. I still don't think he sees the field much, barring injury.

Over/under on Patterson's offensive snap count at 30. What do you take?

[losperros]

The bolded part is what I'm referencing. There's a chance I might be reading into this too much but I know players can't stand the "Just Another Guy" (JAG) label (Justin Hunter was even forced to wear a uniform last training camp with JAG on it as a motivational tactic). Whether Zimmer is subtly applying a similar tactic or being purposefully publicly unsatisfied I don't know. But this isn't the first time I've had the impression Zimmer may not be the biggest Patterson fan (the quote where he said Patterson will have to figure out if he wants to be a player or The Flash comes to mind).

I just can't tell if he adapts his coaching to some players' personalities, if he's an equal-opportunity hard-#### or genuinely isn't a big Patterson fan. My sense is the latter. It'll be interesting to track Patterson's offensive snap counts this season. I still don't think he sees the field much, barring injury.

Over/under on Patterson's offensive snap count at 30. What do you take?

Zimmer is all over the map on this one. At one point Zimmer expressed that Patterson's sophomore slump had as much to do with coaching as it did with Patterson. He's acknowledged Cordarrelle's talents many times. Now maybe he's upset with Patterson again, and this is after CP scored a beauty of a TD on a kick return. FWIW, I don't make anything out of the "Just Another Guy" remark. But no way do I know what Zimmer's take is. I thought I did, but as I've said before, the Patterson situation is a "wait and see" dynamic.

I think it comes down to Patterson doing what he does well, which is make great things happen when the ball is in his hands. If he can do that, he gets more touches. If CP slumps, then he gets less. I believe it's no coincidence that Patterson's explosive rookie performances were while AD was in the game, and his sophomore slump came right after AD was out of the line-up. With AD back, and receiving a great deal of focus from the opposing defenses, I think Patterson will once again be explosive as a WR and running the ball out of the backfield.

[Mothman]

Interesting. My sense has been that he makes comments like the one you highlighted above as motivational reminders to Patterson. I get the feeling he wants Patterson on edge, feeling a little under-appreciated (ie: feeling like he has something to prove to everybody and consequently, working hard to prove it).

It'll be interesting to track Patterson's offensive snap counts this season. I still don't think he sees the field much, barring injury.Over/under on Patterson's offensive snap count at 30. What do you take?

Per game or for the season? I think he'll have way more than 30 offensive snaps over the course of the season but if that's per game, I'll take the under.

I think how much he sees the field will depend on how much progress he makes, the health of those in front of him on the depth chart and how well Turner utilizes Patterson when he is on the field. As you know, I still have confidence in Patterson's natural playmaking ability. If Turner takes advantage of that ability, I believe Patterson will produce and earn himself more playing time. On the other hand, if Turner takes the approach he did last year, Patterson's could have another disappointing season.

Patterson's route-running looks improved to me this preseason and as the team continues practicing every week, I would think he'll show continued improvement if he's working hard. By the end of this season, I hope he'll be a better route runner than he is now and considerably better than he was last year.

[dead_poet]

Per game. Sorry, that should've been more clear. If Patterson doesn't get 30 snaps this season something has really gone wrong and there's a glitch in the Matrix.

[Mothman]

Per game. Sorry, that should've been more clear. If Patterson doesn't get 30 snaps this season something has really gone wrong and there's a glitch in the Matrix.

That's what I was thinking!

If he played 30 snaps per game that would probably mean he'd be on the field for almost half of the team's offensive plays. I don't think that will happen unless someone gets injured or he earns that kind of playing time and gets it later in the year.