Well, I have to say that I missed this exchange, but I'm not sure about whether this is supposed to make me laugh or cry.
Apparently, Minnesota Vikings' wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was none too pleased about having to play in the team's final preseason game, a 24-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans. That info comes from this exchange between Vikings' play-by-play man Paul Allen and sideline reporter Greg Coleman, courtesy of A.J. Mansour of KFAN-FM 100.3.
COLEMAN: One guy that was not real happy about knowing that he had to play the game was Cordarrelle Patterson.
ALLEN: Mmmm. You're kidding me.
COLEMAN: Cordarrelle needs some things on tape. He needs to continue to show coaches what he can do. I still don't think he's out of the woods yet.
Looking at the Game Book from last night, Patterson played 16 snaps last night. He wasn't the only prominent Viking that saw the field last night. For example, Rhett Ellison played 10 snaps on offense, and he has a pretty defined role. On the defensive side Audie Cole played 34 snaps, Eric Kendricks played 21 snaps, and Gerald Hodges (potential starter) and Robert Blanton (likely starter) played 11 and 13 snaps, respectively.
To be honest, I'm not sure why Patterson would be unhappy about having to actually get out on the field last night. I understand that he's still a "big name" in some circles, but he's still the guy that went from having the potential to break out in 2014 to a guy that has the potential to get cut in 2015. I don't think he's going to get cut or anything like that, mind you, but he's certainly not in a position to be angry about having to play in the final preseason game.Yes, Patterson has the potential to be a dynamic special teams force. . .but, as last season and what we've seen so far this year has shown, he has a lot of work to do as a receiver. If he's ever going to be anything more than a special teamer or a gimmick player, he needs live snaps to refine those skills.
Rather than being angry, Cordarrelle Patterson needs to embrace his opportunities and strive to keep improving. Hopefully the reports of him being angry about having to play last night are a whole lot of nothing.