In Minnesota’s first two games of the 2013 season, both losses, the Vikings have made the same glaring error: Not playing Cordarrelle Patterson.
Seems like the rookie wide receiver and kick returner has just about every skill the Vikings need in a player right now. And he returned an opening kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown Sunday. Only problem is, Patterson’s not seeing any playing time.
Even Head Coach Leslie Frazier knows it, saying Monday that “We’re going to get that rectified … He definitely deserves to be on the field more. He’s shown that in the few snaps he’s gotten in these 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. We’ve got to find a way to get him on the field.”
Find a way? How about just putting him in?
As Fox Sports North reports, Patterson had two catches for 14 yards Sunday and has three catches for 24 yards in two games. Each reception has come on a quick screen to the outside.
In fact, you can start to hear a chorus of confusion among NFL observers.
One Yahoo! Sports story shows a comparison between the number of snaps Patterson has played and those of other rookie receivers. In short, he’s lagging behind through no fault of his own.
“It is inexcusable for the Vikings to have a high draft pick and talented player sitting on the bench,” says Yahoo!.
A different Yahoo! Sports post also points out that the Vikings aren’t using rookie D-back Xavier Rhodes very much either.
“Nobody will know the real reason why the sight of a Vikings first-round pick taking the field is the same as seeing Bigfoot,” the piece concludes, “but with a team that has seen it’s share of difficulty to begin the year, it’s time to let the kids play.
