Cordarrelle Patterson: “I don’t know why” I don’t get more touches

Getty Images

Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has been a complete non-factor on offense this season, with two catches for 10 yards and one carry for nine yards. He’s puzzled by that, but not frustrated.

“I know my ability. I know what I can do. I’ve just got to control what I can control,” he said. “When my opportunities come, I’ve got to make the most of it. I’m not getting that many opportunities right now. I don’t know why. But things happen for a reason. You’ve got to be ready for it. The way I’m handling it, man, I think I’m handling it the best. I’m not getting frustrated or anything. When the time comes, I’ll be ready.”

Patterson has the talent to make big plays with the ball in his hands, but for some reason it isn’t happening in Minnesota. There was some talk that Patterson could be dealt before this week’s trade deadline, but that didn’t happen, and Patterson said he didn’t want it to happen.

“I’m here. I’m happy to be here,” Patterson said. “And whatever happens, it happens, so I’ve just got to keep my head high and stay happy and stay positive.”

It’s hard to stay positive when you’re not getting much playing time. And Patterson isn’t getting much playing time, even if he doesn’t know why.

95 responses to “Cordarrelle Patterson: “I don’t know why” I don’t get more touches

  1. I simply do not get how he was so productive the last few games of his rookie season and ever since Norv took over he has been a non factor. Hit him on screens and short slants before and let him wiggle for yards. But I’m just here sitting on my couch.

  2. This guy can play. We have seen it but it could.be a thing to where the coach doesn’t like him for his system, which if the case then they should cut him so he can try to make it with another team.

  3. Cord, you had your chance to be the big time focus of your team’s passing game and you blew it. MN went out and signed / drafted more talent bc you weren’t cutting it. That’s why.

  4. I can tell you why. As a Vikings fan, I went to the game in Chicago last week and saw CP84 in action. This guy doesn’t hustle, walks around on the field when everyone else is running, and looks stiff as a board.

  5. You don’t know why?? You can’t run a simple slant route without getting confused on where you’re going. If you can’t figure that out then you’re twice as dumb as I thought you were.

  6. I would love to see CP get more touches! He is the one that has to make that happen, though. I have faith in him. I am SOOOOOOOOO glad we didn’t trade him. It’ll happen for you, CP! MAKE IT HAPPEN! control your destiny!

  7. Given the Pats’ lack of WR, I was surprised they didn’t take Cordarrelle, they instead traded with the Vikes for a 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 7th round pick! Vikes clearly wanted the guy! The Pats used those picks for Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan, Josh Boyce – and LeGarrette Blount (who they got in a trade for the 7th-round pick). Two years on, 3 of those guys were key in the SB win, whereas Cordarelle has barely touched a ball.

    Yet at the time, quite a few thought Belichick had lost it, as the Bleacher Report (Eli Nachmany 5/7/2013) crowed “Belichick reportedly usurped control of the draft room and quieted his scouts when he went against the draft board and reached for players like Jamie Collins…all of the wasted picks will catch up to the head coach. It’s simply a matter of when.”

    Chess, checkers.

  8. He’s not the guy who needs to be on the field more. That’s Charles Johnson you’re thinking of. They ought to go 3-wide with Diggs, Wallace, and CJ the rest of the season if they really want that offense to produce.

  9. Look, the kid has physical talent, it just that he’s missing a few marbles up top. The new coaching staff needs players who can actually understand complex plays, and he’s just not capable of comprehending these.

  10. Vikings receiver Cordarelle Patterson has been a complete non-factor on offense his entire career. Fixed it for you. And to think Viking trolls call Ted Thompson a horrible GM and yet your boy TRADED UP into the 1st round to get a kick returner. It’s always so cute when Vikings fans get so excited when he touches the ball and either kneels down for a touchback or returns it 20 yards. You can literally hear the crowd excitement on TV. Hahahah. I can not wait for Vikings/Packers week so we can end this non sense.

  11. Probably because he’s dim enough to score an 11 on the Wonderlic test.

    I’m amazed he even remembers which huddle he’s supposed to go to from play to play.

  12. Watch Stefon Diggs. All that production in 4 games. You can’t do that CP. Not everyone has it, Spielman took a gamble and lost on your raw athleticism.

  13. Watched him alot at Tennessee, had electric playmaking ability. Gotta admit, I’m pretty disappointed he’s been such a bust. But you can’t just be fast.

  14. I bet if he listened real close to his coaches, he might hear why he isn’t getting many touches.

    Just an idea.

  15. Heard he had a paper route as a kid and nobody ever got their paper. Fired for not running it properly.

    That’s some great production from a 1st round pick. Sko-lol .

  16. I am going to go a different way with this and say the guy can play an there has to be something behind the scenes happening for him not to get more playing time. Torrey smith and Ted Ginn are bad route runners yet they are both starting, I think CP can play and he proved with with two bad coaches in fraizer and musgrave getting the most out of him, ill say it before and ill say it again, Zim has the team playing good hard nosed football and they are great on D-fense, but if their offense is suspect at best and IMO Nov’s play calling has been terrible, if this team is to make some noise in dec, Jan it will because their offense has stepped up, including patterson

  17. Patterson lacks hustle and effort when in the game. He only has the mental capacity to run two plays, the jet sweep and the WR screen. After 3 years in the NFL, still can’t even run basic routes. The only reason why he’s still team is because he’s a 1st round pick.

  18. 1. Learn the Playbook
    2. Learn the Routes
    3. Study Film on the upcoming Defenses
    4. Take the Head Coaches suggestion when he suggests a guy to work with in the offseason instead of working on your conditioning. Conditioning has nothing to do with this.
    5. Ask for help.
    6. Practice what you’re taught.

  19. C’mon man! Because you can’t run an NFL route. This type of answer illustrates perfectly why you’re not playing. You just don’t get it. If you got it, your answer would be, because I need to get better. You’ll be looking for a new job next season.

  20. torchamundo says:
    Nov 6, 2015 7:19 AM
    I can tell you why. As a Vikings fan, I went to the game in Chicago last week and saw CP84 in action. This guy doesn’t hustle, walks around on the field when everyone else is running, and looks stiff as a board.
    ———–
    Interesting. Because I believe he is in the game for about 3-4 offensive plays a game. And those are either running plays or offensive screens to another guy.

    I know everybody “thinks” it’s because he doesn’t know the playbook. But that’s just because you read that once. I’m more in the belief that there is much more to it than that. There is something that the coaches aren’t telling the press. This guy has talent, and his career is long from over. It’s just not going to happen in Minnesota, with these coaches. I’m not saying they’re wrong. I’m saying CP doesn’t fit what they are trying to get done.

  21. vikingforlife says:
    Nov 6, 2015 7:20 AM
    I would love to see CP get more touches! He is the one that has to make that happen, though.
    ———–
    Disagree. Yes, receivers need to get open. But, the offensive coordinator could easily draw up several plays for him. Would that make him a “complete” receiver? No. But it would make him an offensive threat.

    Every time I see an end around, reverse, or a WR screen to someone else I wonder why CP isn’t getting a single one of those plays.

  22. He’s electric with the ball in his hands. It may take some creativity to get the ball in his hands. Norv isn’t known for outside the box thinking.

  23. It is hilarious how many mouth breathers think this guy doesn’t have talent. I can think of at least 17 teams that would love to have this guy playing for them.

  24. Cordarrell is a very fast player. He actually has decent hands. He just can’t run and catch at the same time. Even his TD in the preseason he stopped running, and fell down while catching it. Every time he goes to catch a pass, he stops his feet. Perfect for a Bill Musgrave 2 yard pass offense, not so much for an offense that is supposed to be based on timing.

  25. While his route running and knowing the playbook has been an issue, I do think Norv Turner needs to make more of an effort to get Patterson included. Patterson had the same issues under Bill Musgrave, and the Vikings managed to get him involved, and he was a difference maker.

    I think one of the reasons he wasn’t traded is because Mike Wallace has under-performed so far this year, and will likely not be back next year. Patterson, as a first round pick, is on year three of a five year deal.

  26. Vikes had a couple of chances to draft DeAndre Hopkins the year they took Patterson. They took Floyd and Rhodes instead, the Hopkins went at 27 before they drafted Patterson at 29.

  27. I’m way more concerned about whether Kendricks or Barr play Sunday. I’ll worry about Patterson when there are some injuries to 2 or 3 of the other receivers. Draft position doesn’t matter once the games start, when he is better than any of the other options, he’ll play.

  28. everyone who says he can’t play, obviously doesnt remember the success he had. Dude is not the best route runner, not the smartest, but has ability. If the OC doesnt want to utilize him, then he must feel he has better options.

  29. I am pretty sure the main reason he is not playing is because he is in Zimmer’s doghouse. This stems from the fact that last offseason Zimmer told Patterson to work out with a guy that he had hand picked for him. Patterson blew him off and did his own thing. Not a smart move.

  30. I am not sure Cordarrelle deserves all the negative nasty comments that are seen here. I disagree with most of these comments. When he has the ball in his hands he is a talented player. These guys talking about his routes turn a blind eye to Calvin Johnson’s routes I guess. His rookie year he was productive one. I feel the OC needs to come up with some ways to exploit his talents.

  31. Hmmm…. wasn’t too long ago that viking fans were touting this guy as the 2nd coming of Randy Moss. Saying that “Flash” was going to strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses and was going to make the vikes offense unstoppable. Now it sounds like the only route they want to see him run is directly out of town.

  32. Oh my! I had no idea the Patriots got back a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th rounder for a KICK RETURNER. Amazing, simply amazing.

    39 games played
    80 catches good for 863 yards
    2.05 catches/game good for 22.13 yards/game
    5 receiving TD’s good for .13 TD’s/game
    23 rushes good for 284 yards
    7.31 rushing yards/game
    4 rushing TD’s good for .10 TD’s game

    And to think it’s Ted Thompson is the one who can’t draft…

  33. Here’s why. Patterson didn’t think it was important to work out with a former NFL receiver that Zimmer set up just for him during the off season to improve his route running. Patterson decided he could figure it out himself. Very bad move.

  34. Oh, God. This is just too easy.

    Hey, Teddy, want to take this one? You seem to think that The Packers reached for a WR in the 3rd round.

    I’m sure you’ll have plenty of information on how trading away picks to take Patterson in the first round was a sound, rational move of the widely accepted best GM to ever GM in the GMverse.

    >

  35. All of you Packer fans bashing Spielman for picking Patterson – the Vikings knew he was raw and took a chance. The coaching staff does have input. Musgrave got him involved and he did well. It is obvious the Norv doesn’t like him in his system. Lest you forget Spielman also selected Stephon Diggs, who so far has been better than Moss in his first four games. Granted, I don’t think he will be able to sustain this level to have a rookie season like Moss did, but he sure looks like he will be an excellent receiver for years to come.

    I can’t stop laughing – some of you Packers fans think Ted Thompson is a better GM than Slick Rick?! Spielman, like every GM has a miss now and then, but TT couldn’t make a successful 1st Round Choice if he had a time machine and went back ten years into the past!

  36. I’ve heard he came out of college and can’t read. That is why the playbook is so tough for him, he deeds someone to translate it for him. I actually feel sorry for him.

  37. stellarperformance says:
    Nov 6, 2015 7:31 AM
    Change of venue would probably expose his talents or lack thereof.
    _________________________________________Wow, that is a first Stellar, I actually agree with your post 100%

  38. 4 SB Losses & 0 Championships ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ says:
    Nov 6, 2015 10:07 AM
    Cause you are a bust and you have a QB who is the same. Pretty easy to figure out Corduroy!…

    Did you know Teddy is rated ahead of Rodgers in QB ranking. Your Diva is ranked 27th in the league. Montgomery and Adams aren’t as good as Patterson

  39. mattblairfan59

    I can’t stop laughing – some of you Packers fans think Ted Thompson is a better GM than Slick Rick?! Spielman, like every GM has a miss now and then, but TT couldn’t make a successful 1st Round Choice if he had a time machine and went back ten years into the past!

    ==================================

    Ted Thompson has been GM since 2005.

    Among his 1st round draft picks include:
    AARON RODGERS (whom you could have drafted TWICE,) AJ Hawk, BJ Raji, Clay Matthews and Bryan Bulaga.

    There is also a HUGE difference in drafting in the top 10 every year compared to the very end of the 1st round but I wouldn’t expect Vikings fans to comprehend that.

    Some other notable draft picks in his tenure:
    Nick Collins (2nd) Greg Jennings (2nd) Johnny Jolly (6th) James Jones (3rd) Jordy Nelson (3rd) Jermichael Finley (3rd) Josh Sitton (4th) TJ Lang (4th) Mike Neal (2nd) Randall Cobb (2nd) Mike Daniels (2nd) and David Bakhitari (4th).

    5 NFC North Championships (2 more than the next closest team which isn’t even the Vikings. Haha) 3 NFC Championship games and one SUPER BOWL!!!

    What a horrible track record. I’ll wait for your response with all the great Spielman draft picks. It’s a slow day at work for me (obviously) so I have time…

  40. metalup666 says:
    Nov 6, 2015 8:47 AM
    It is hilarious how many mouth breathers think this guy doesn’t have talent. I can think of at least 17 teams that would love to have this guy playing for them.
    ____________

    He has talent, but so did JaMarcus Russell, RG3, and troy williamson.

    You can GET to NFL by being talented, if you care to STAY there, you need to put the work in and improve. You can’t just get by on talent anymore. That’s why call it professional.

  41. Simple answer really. The Vikings have 4, maybe 5, receivers that are better receivers than Patterson.

    Turners offense is based on guys being where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there. Patterson hasn’t been able to figure out where he’s supposed to be when he’s on the field.

  42. Vikings fan here,

    Would have been nice to get a 6th rounder for him….

    Reminds me a lot of Troy Williamson, great athlete, terrible football player. Yes, he is fast, and yes he’s taken a few kick returns to the house, but he is currently the 6th best receiver on the team when it comes to route running.

    He is a one-trick pony, while Diggs is the real deal and will be a star in this league…

  43. Maybe because you’re as dumb as a bag of rocks?

    The Pats fleeced the Vikes in that 2013 trade.

    Vikes traded up and took Patterson.

    NE then took Jamie Collins (beast), Logan Ryan (good CB) and Josh Boyce at WR (no longer with team).

    That, in a nutshell, is why the Pats are who they are why a team like the Vikings remain who they are.

  44. tritz32 says:
    Nov 6, 2015 8:01 AM

    I can not wait for Vikings/Packers week so we can end this non sense
    *******************************

    Most Vikings fans cannot wait either. After all the comments here from fans of both teams, it would be a GREAT thing if Patterson had a huge game that day!!

  45. If you ask Florio, he’ll tell you it’s because the Vikings have the best three-deep receiver corp in the league (and CP isn’t in that group)

  46. ktm300xcwe says:
    Nov 6, 2015 10:37 AM
    stellarperformance says:
    Nov 6, 2015 7:31 AM
    Change of venue would probably expose his talents or lack thereof.
    _________________________________________Wow, that is a first Stellar, I actually agree with your post 100%

    ********

    I assume the new venue would be the CFL or Arena league. He cannot run routes. He cannot catch the ball. He is, at best, the third best kick returner on the team (behind Diggs and Sherels.)

    He refused to follow Mike Zimmer’s off-season plan.

    He complained when he had to play in the 5th exhibition game this year.

    So why is he wasting a roster spot? Because Speilman is too stubborn to admit his mistake.

  47. tritz32 says:
    Nov 6, 2015 10:48 AM

    mattblairfan59

    I can’t stop laughing – some of you Packers fans think Ted Thompson is a better GM than Slick Rick?! Spielman, like every GM has a miss now and then, but TT couldn’t make a successful 1st Round Choice if he had a time machine and went back ten years into the past!

    ==================================

    Ted Thompson has been GM since 2005.

    Among his 1st round draft picks include:
    AARON RODGERS (whom you could have drafted TWICE,) AJ Hawk, BJ Raji, Clay Matthews and Bryan Bulaga.

    There is also a HUGE difference in drafting in the top 10 every year compared to the very end of the 1st round but I wouldn’t expect Vikings fans to comprehend that.

    Some other notable draft picks in his tenure:
    Nick Collins (2nd) Greg Jennings (2nd) Johnny Jolly (6th) James Jones (3rd) Jordy Nelson (3rd) Jermichael Finley (3rd) Josh Sitton (4th) TJ Lang (4th) Mike Neal (2nd) Randall Cobb (2nd) Mike Daniels (2nd) and David Bakhitari (4th).

    5 NFC North Championships (2 more than the next closest team which isn’t even the Vikings. Haha) 3 NFC Championship games and one SUPER BOWL!!!

    What a horrible track record. I’ll wait for your response with all the great Spielman draft picks. It’s a slow day at work for me (obviously) so I have time…
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    yes and lets talk about the busts as well from TT since 2005; Daryn Collegem Abdul hodge, jason spitz, Justin Harrell, Brandon Jackson, Brian Brohm, Pat Lee, Alex Green, Derek Sherrod, Jerel Worthy, Datone jones, im sure there are more if i wanted to waste more time to look, BTW packers record, 4-12 2005, 8 -8 2006, 6-10 -2008, 8-7-1 2013, lets not act like the pack is 14 and 2 every year

  48. It’s not just that he can’t run a route. He’s lost that electricity with the ball in his hands that he had in his first season. The only time he touches the ball is on kick returns, where it should be easy for him to use his physical ability to make people miss and get some yardage. He’s currently 36th in the league in kickoff return average (21st if you only count players with more than five returns). The only reason he’s that high is because he has the green light to run it out from nine yards deep. If he gets it past the 20, it’s a moral victory. His long return is 33 yards. He was barely better than that next year. He isn’t the guy who you just get the ball in his hands and watch him go anymore. He has no redeeming value as an NFL player and I doubt there’s anything he can do to change that.

  49. People here equating Cordarrelle with Troy Williamson have no credibility. No even close to the same player.All Williamson could do is run fast. Just stop. Now.

  50. Here’s the thing:

    Ted Thompson has a career .617 winning percentage, and has a team that has been in the playoffs 70% of the time.

    Rick Spielman has a career .447 winning percentage, and has a team that has been in the playoffs 30% of the time.

    The end.

  51. Hey guys! Big time VIKES GUY HERE!

    Our draft with three first round picks is proving to be really, really bad! I just wish we could pick MY GUY PETERSEN every year! Can you imagine having 53 ADRIENS out there! UNSTOPPABLE!

    Then again, he does have some problems hitting the hole.

    Hey, I just call it like it is. I’m a fan since I was born, and I’ll toot the Viking horn til the day I die, but this team just seems like a house of cards.

  52. I’d like to thank the Vikings for trading with the Patriots to get Patterson because without that Jamie Collins, Logan Ryan, and Legarrette Blount (I know Boyce was part of the trade as well, but those three have done more) might not be Patriots.

  53. tokyosandblaster says:
    Nov 6, 2015 10:23 AM
    Oh, God. This is just too easy.

    Hey, Teddy, want to take this one? You seem to think that The Packers reached for a WR in the 3rd round.

    I’m sure you’ll have plenty of information on how trading away picks to take Patterson in the first round was a sound, rational move of the widely accepted best GM to ever GM in the GMverse.
    —–
    back to back games with 500+ yards given up and STILL talking. Ladies and gentleman, a typical Packers troll.

  54. For starters, CP already knows how to run the route tree, he seemed to do just fine when Musgrave was calling the plays, and Matt and Christian were throwing him the ball….that said, we can start the discussion by eliminating that from the problem here. He hasn’t been utilized by Norv & Teddy, there is no logical explanation for why, none, zero. He is a playmaker, he has the ability to run any route Diggs, Wright Johnson or Wallace do, all of them. If he didn’t , do you thing Zimmer would be keeping him up every week, hell no he wouldn’t. Zimmer doesn’t do things for no reason, I’m sure he thought his OC would by now have inserted some playmaking plays for him as well as Wallace. The only legitimate route that had any semblance of success all season for #11 was last week, and TB overthrew the as wide open-as-it-gets receiver by a mile. Back to CP, he has been a scapegoat going all the way back to last season for the ineptness of TB to deliver the long ball accurately during the first 6-8 starts of his young career. If Teddy were to have hit him on the numerous plays where he left the coverage in his wake, we wouldn’t be having this discussion to begin with. Norv is becoming a joke actually. It’s easy to run a gameplan when you have Adrian, everyone & their mother know that he’s the key cog in the scheme, and then they sprinkle in a few passes here and there, but not always to the proper wr or te. People keep saying 84 underachieves, etc, how exactly can you underachieve when you are on the field for a handful of snaps each week, and your qb may throw you one, maybe two passes that game, and more than 50% of the time it’s done, it’s not delivered accurately? If he played a given week, and was targeted 6-8-10+ times like Diggs, Wright or Wallace are, and drops most of them, then I’ll join the crusade against getting him out of here. When the OC doesn’t call his number at all, and yet he’s ridiculed for not performing, how stupid is that, really? It shows a lack of football IQ for the most part. How fair would it be to call McKinnon a bust, and say he is an underachiever, if say he only gets 2-3 touches per game and has little to no impact of the games outcome? That is a realistic comparison to what we’re seeing with Patterson. The OC is relying on AP for 90+% of running back production, so how could any other back get any cred? By most of your analogies, Asiata has been a real slacker this year, because he’s not scoring on goal line as much as he used to, duh, when you’re using Adrian in those spots, there’s no plays left for #44, again, a good comparison to what we’re talking about with CP84.

  55. He’s getting into the Matt Jones territory of high draft pick based on raw talent that was a bust (minus a cocaine problem…). The Vikings traded 4 draft picks for a return man.

    Tavon Austin turned his situation around and has become and integral part of the Ram offense. Maybe one day CP will figure out he needs to work on his game to get into the game plan…. but based on these comments, he just doesn’t get it.

  56. you almost have to feel sorry for rodgers that he’s stuck with the ineptitude of ted thompson… almost. Not.

    hey CP, maybe its because you can’t run a route!

  57. Patterson is a tremendous athlete and kick returner–but he’s never been a good wide receiver. He didn’t really know what he was doing in college, at Tennessee, couldn’t run routes–and it was obvious that it would take him /at least/ two years to develop in the NFL. Maybe it will take more!

  58. Ok, ok….. We ALL know Patterson cannot run a route to save his life. That is a fact (for now). But what else are facts?… He is a freakish athlete. He is extremely dangerous with the ball in his hands.. So I think some onus is on the Coaching staff. I kind of wonder if management is so frustrated with his effort that they refuse to compromise… That is understandable to me; but if you want to have the best team possible, as coaches it is your responsibility to adapt and use the tools you have. So if Patterson cannot or refuses to learn routes than give 2 or 3 simple route (bubble screens, quick hitch pass, etc..) and let him make something happen.. Sure that is predictable but if the other team focuses on that exact route the team can fake it and run the other direction or pass to someone else… I am taking Pattersons side, but if the guy is that freakish I feel the team should find a way to utilize him from time to time.. If not, why is he on the team?

  59. Don’t know why your not getting the touches. Well you might have figured it out if you had gone with the off season workouts that coach Zimmer set up for you to help make you a NFL caliber receiver but you said nah I don’t need that man im too good. Well I hope you invested your money wisely because your about to figure out the old saying NFL stands for Not For Long

  60. Back to back games with 500 yards of offense given up… 1 win and 1 loss (coming from an unbeaten team).

    Yeah, I’m worried.

    BTW…the Packers own the Vikings.

    >

  61. “Back to back games with 500+ yards given up and STILL talking….typical Packers troll.”

    Hahahahahaha….this is AWESOME! Coming from a troll whose team has NEVER WON A THING!! NEVER! ZERO! ZILCH! NADA! NONE!

    Vikings fans are truly amazing (and delerious)!

    😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

  62. You are too one dimensional… You need to put in the work and learn to diversify your game… Maybe you have some kind of personality malfunction or something, IDK… I know the little bit I know from watching you at Mankato, you didn’t seem to be available like Jarius, Diggs, etc.. Buddy up with Jarius or something man… He isn’t a no-talent either, but he is good at his craft and always seen working at it IMO…

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.