After two years in the NFL, which came after only one year of Division I college football, Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is considering 2015 a make-or-break season for him.
“This year is going to make me or break me and I hope to step up and have a good role in this offense,” Patterson said Monday after working out at Winter Park, the Pioneer Press reports.
Cordarrelle Patterson: “This year is going to make me or break me and I hope I step up and have a good role in this offense.’’
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) April 27, 2015
Patterson’s 2013 rookie season was a thing of beauty. He scored six touchdowns in the final five games, three of them rushing and three more receiving. But year two was disappointing; he caught 33 passes for 384 yards and only two total touchdowns.
Patterson blamed himself and hooked up this offseason with an unidentified former wide receiver whom head coach Mike Zimmer hoped could teach Patterson what it takes to be great.
Cordarrelle Patterson on his offseason: "I don’t really want to get into those details. I just want to let my game speak for itself."
— Matt Vensel (@mattvensel) April 27, 2015
The mentor remains unidentified, but on Sunday, general manager Rick Spielman raved about Patterson’s progression.
“I think Cordarrelle has really grown up a lot,” Spielman told the Star Tribune. “I know what he has done this offseason dedicating himself to being the best receiver he can be, and how serious he is taking that, we’re very excited about the future with Cordarrelle.”
If Patterson can find the form that made him explosive as a rookie, and the Vikings bring back Adrian Peterson with new wide receiver Mike Wallace and a seasoned quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater, they could be extremely dangerous, NFL.com notes.
