Vikings Message Board.Com

PurpleMustReign wrote:I find it awesome that a QB with #7 will be throwing to a rookie WR with #84 a la 1998

I hadn't thought of it that way. Cool!

The only thing I dislike about Patterson is his hands. I dont think he can catch very good BUT when the ball is in his hands, he does very good things with it. The only problem is catching the ball and running his routes good. I just know we will have those games where he might drop a open pass. But hey, he's still a playmaker and I think he will give a few homerun TD catches this season.

JEC334 wrote:The only thing I dislike about Patterson is his hands. I dont think he can catch very good BUT when the ball is in his hands, he does very good things with it. The only problem is catching the ball and running his routes good. I just know we will have those games where he might drop a open pass. But hey, he's still a playmaker and I think he will give a few homerun TD catches this season.

I've never seen Patterson display bad hands. I didn't see all his games but from what I did see, he's very capable of reaching up and grabbing the ball, especially on medium to deep passes. I realize I might be in the minority about this but I saw Patterson make some jaw-dropping catches last season, which is why I'm excited about the guy. Just my two cents.

OTOH, I think Patterson needs to learn more about route running. He was with Tennessee and their system for a whopping five months, so he didn't really get a chance to grow with the team. And Tyler Bray is not the most accurate QB in the world either.

I think good coaching will go along way for Patterson. Not trying to knock Tennessee but I think the Vikings coaching staff is a big step up in quality.

He has shown great speed, and agaility with the ball in his hands. From the videos ive seen, he catches alot of balls with his hands. He can be taught what he needs. He doesnt have a case of the drops. hes raw, yes. Hes also going to make an impact right away in the return game. And I think they plan on him replacing PH right away as well.

JEC334 wrote:The only thing I dislike about Patterson is his hands. I dont think he can catch very good BUT when the ball is in his hands, he does very good things with it. The only problem is catching the ball and running his routes good. I just know we will have those games where he might drop a open pass. But hey, he's still a playmaker and I think he will give a few homerun TD catches this season.

People have taken a few plays where he short-armed a catch and have blown it way out of proportion. He had the best catch effiency in all WRs last year. He does tend to use his body more, yes, but it's nothing huge and can't be corrected.

Not trying to knock Tennessee but I think the Vikings coaching staff is a big step up in quality.

I don't know. Who has this coaching staff coached up? What receiver has showed any improvement? Our best receiver in Harvin had troubles with routes and playing the outside the entire time he was year. They gave him years with this coaching staff and it was still an issue. Along with no development across the board at the position.

And Tennessee had 2 WR picked in the top 34 of the draft. They can't be that terrible either!

Demi wrote: I don't know. Who has this coaching staff coached up? What receiver has showed any improvement? Our best receiver in Harvin had troubles with routes and playing the outside the entire time he was year. They gave him years with this coaching staff and it was still an issue. Along with no development across the board at the position.

And Tennessee had 2 WR picked in the top 34 of the draft. They can't be that terrible either!

Most people who have watched Tennessee play this year think that any success they had was due to the high quality of their WRs, not because of Bray or the coaching or much of anything else.

If anyone thinks that Patterson wasn't worth the picks, please watch some highlights of him. He has the potential of being a combination of Percy Harvin and Randy Moss. The Viking's would have had to trade up in the second round to get an impact receiver anyways. They probably intended to take him at 23 or 25, but the 2 defensive players that fell to them were too good to be true and pass up.

Texas Vike wrote:
Most people who have watched Tennessee play this year think that any success they had was due to the high quality of their WRs, not because of Bray or the coaching or much of anything else.

You're exactly right. Patterson and Hunter often carried the team, making the only big plays in some games.

Demi wrote: I don't know. Who has this coaching staff coached up? What receiver has showed any improvement? Our best receiver in Harvin had troubles with routes and playing the outside the entire time he was year. They gave him years with this coaching staff and it was still an issue. Along with no development across the board at the position.

And Tennessee had 2 WR picked in the top 34 of the draft. They can't be that terrible either!

I agree. Harvin was good in space. not very physical. not as physical or as good running routes like wes walker imo.

Kevin Siefert has written a nice piece on Patterson and how the Vikes may use him this season:

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

It concludes with this:

So if we had to guess at the Vikings' plan for Patterson, it would start as a kickoff returner and include the kind of passes, pitches, and tosses near the line of scrimmage that Harvin excelled at turning into big gainers. By the end of the season, perhaps Patterson would have developed beyond that. But this is a player whose expectations should be viewed on a long-term horizon.

For now, as the Vikings did with Harvin, the best thing to do is to put the ball in Patterson's hands and let him do his thing.

I'm excited to see what Patterson will bring to the offense but why do I get the feeling that if the Vikes wisely find ways to get the ball in his hands without asking him to do more than he can initially handle in terms of downfield route-running, we're going to have another season of fussing and fretting over how far Ponder's passes travel in the air?

Vikings should consider bringing in moss now too mentor Patterson and retire as a Viking next year. talk about happy endings. but moss burnt that bridge in Minnesota I feel. hope i'm wrong.

Mothman wrote:Kevin Siefert has written a nice piece on Patterson and how the Vikes may use him this season:

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

It concludes with this:
I'm excited to see what Patterson will bring to the offense but why do I get the feeling that if the Vikes wisely find ways to get the ball in his hands without asking him to do more than he can initially handle in terms of downfield route-running, we're going to have another season of fussing and fretting over how far Ponder's passes travel in the air?

Thanks for the link. I suspect you're right. This little tidbit isn't very reassuring.

That approach makes sense for a number of reasons, including the revelation that Patterson was a raw and only occasionally effective downfield receiver during his one season with the Volunteers. Tennessee quarterbacks completed only 51.7 percent of their passes targeting Patterson last season, including only nine of 31 attempts on passes that traveled 15 or more yards past the line of scrimmage.

I hope he's a hard worker and committed to becoming a solid (if not spectacular) all-around receiver. He has talent, but clearly a LONG way to go.

dead_poet wrote:Thanks for the link. I suspect you're right. This little tidbit isn't very reassuring.

No, but I don't really find it discouraging either. We've already seen that a player whose touches need to be manufactured to a degree can be very productive in the Vikings offense so hopefully, they can devise ways to get Patterson the ball and work with him to develop his downfield game.

I hope he's a hard worker and committed to becoming a solid (if not spectacular) all-around receiver. He has talent, but clearly a LONG way to go.

Agreed. Hopefully, he has the work ethic to get there.

Mothman wrote:I'm excited to see what Patterson will bring to the offense but why do I get the feeling that if the Vikes wisely find ways to get the ball in his hands without asking him to do more than he can initially handle in terms of downfield route-running, we're going to have another season of fussing and fretting over how far Ponder's passes travel in the air?

Hopefully Jennings and maybe even a healthy Simpson can provide opportunities for more down-field passing than we had last year. If Patterson can help restore some of the short-field plays that Percy brought to the offense, then I think it is a win-win.