Patterson earns a chance
Receiver eyes big-play status
FOXBORO — Four seasons ago, the Patriots’ defensive coaches had their hands full as they prepped for a Week 2 game at Minnesota.
The Vikings had erupted for 34 points in a season-opening win against the Rams, relying on the ground game to propel the offense.
Their leading rusher that afternoon? Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who needed only three carries to top the 100-yard mark.
“I’m sure that offensively they’ll find some ways to get it to him, whether it’s throwing it to him or handing it to him or slip screens or whatever,” Bill Belichick said in the week leading into the matchup with the Vikings. “There hasn’t been a ton of that to this point until the Rams game.”
Now, Belichick and Josh McDaniels get their shot at creatively deploying Patterson, who can turn any given screen into a 70-yard touchdown. He’s one of the most dynamic athletes in the league, and just might be the X-Factor for the Patriots offense in September.
Acquired in an offseason trade with the Raiders, Patterson was initially considered a special teams star who could contribute on offense. After all, he’s averaged two receptions — and 2.6 touches from scrimmage — per game throughout his career.
But a few things happened this summer: Nearly every receiver ahead of Patterson on the depth chart was injured. Gone are Malcolm Mitchell, Kenny Britt, Jordan Matthews and the retired Eric Decker. And when he got opportunities in the preseason, the 6-foot-2, 228-pound Patterson showed why the Pats would be wise to get him the ball 5-6 times per game, double his career average.
Against the Eagles in the preseason, Patterson nearly turned a wide receiver screen into a 63-yard touchdown. He barely stepped out of bounds as he glided down the sideline, blasting past the Philadelphia secondary. Later, he shook Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones on a quick throw and accelerated for an 11-yard touchdown.
“Every chance I get to get the ball in my hands, I know I need to go out and help my team and go score,” Patterson said yesterday. “That’s the type of playmaker I’ll be, and I feel like I am.”
The Patriots played at least three receivers on 48.3 percent of their offensive snaps a year ago, including the playoffs. That number may drop a bit in September, but the threereceiver set still figures to be the team’s most popular personnel grouping. And Patterson is locked in as the team’s No. 3 wideout behind Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett.
It’s a huge opportunity for Patterson. There’s also some pressure, because the Pats need him to produce.
“Cordarrelle Patterson, tremendous athlete, he’s always been a tremendous athlete, but is he going to be dependable and be where Tom (Brady) needs him to be?” said ESPN analyst Louis Riddick.
Referring to the Patriots receiving unit as a whole, Riddick added, “Knowing what they do up there, there’s so much put on wide receivers from a mental standpoint, and Tom doesn’t have a whole lot of tolerance for people that can’t get that done because it messes up everything that he’s trying to do, and he doesn’t like to be made to look bad.”
Patterson, on his third NFL team, disputed the idea that playing receiver in New England can be particularly challenging.
“I mean, you can’t think too much,” he said. “It’s all football at the end of the day. It’s something we’ve been doing all our life. You’ve just got to put the time in and the effort and show that you belong here.”
As NFL Network analyst and Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner noted, the Patriots regularly maximize the talent of their skill players.
“New England does a better job of knowing what makes a player great and utilizing that skill,” Warner said. “I don’t think anybody in the league does it better than those guys, of saying, ‘You might not think this guy’s great, but this guy’s great in this spot with what we do.’ That’s what I love about New England. That’s why I say that. I don’t know who they’re going to have at receiver this year, but I’m sure somebody is going to emerge and be a really good player for them.” Will it be Patterson? Belichick and McDaniels have studied the tape. They know how Patterson is best utilized. Surely, Belichick remembers that Week 1 game four years ago, when the Vikings motioned Patterson into the backfield and ran a toss with tailback Matt Asiata as the lead blocker. Patterson took it 67 yards for a touchdown.
The Patriots showed screens and quick throws to their new receiver in the preseason. Not much else.
Just a hunch: They’ve designed many other plays specifically for Patterson, and a few will be unveiled Sunday against the Texans.