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A lot of eyebrows were raised when Minnesota Vikings' rookie wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was on the field for just five offensive snaps in the Vikings' 34-24 season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions. After that game, Vikings' receivers coach George Stewart said the following:
"Cordarrelle will get more snaps during the course of (this) game," receivers coach George Stewart said of Sunday's matchup at Chicago. "He's our future. He's going to have more opportunities to make plays as we go forward."
And Patterson did, in fact, see more snaps on offense against the Bears. His time on the field skyrocketed from five snaps all the way to. . .six snaps! At this rate, he should be playing a full complement of plays by the time the new stadium opens.
This week, it's head coach Leslie Frazier that's saying that Patterson needs to be on the field more frequently.
"We're going to get that rectified," Frazier said. "He definitely deserves to be on the field more. He's shown that in the few snaps he's gotten in the first two ball games. Hopefully, everything being equal, that should not be a part of the conversation next week. We want to get him on the field. He's one of our explosive players, for sure. We see what he does when he gets the ball in his hands so we have to get him on the field."
Thus far, the only receiver selected in the first two rounds of this year's draft that has seen fewer snaps on offense is Patterson's former teammate, Justin Hunter, now of the Tennessee Titans.
Patterson has three receptions in the short time he's been on the field, and he made an obvious impression in the game against the Bears by returning the opening kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown. Hopefully now that the head coach is the one sending the message, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave will hear it loud and clear and get the new #84 on the field more frequently. With the team facing a must-win situation as they host the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, that would be as good a time as any to start.