NFL Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings Rumors: Cordarrelle Patterson In Danger of Benching?

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By @bradberreman24

Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings, NFL Rumors

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Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has openly criticized his team in the aftermath of a 17-3 loss to the Detroit Lions, largely without singling out any one player. He has threatened to take away playing time for those that aren’t performing, and after a two-catch, 15-yard effort against the Lions, wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson fits into the category of players that haven’t played well lately.

Some criticism of offensive coordinator Norv Turner has come for Patterson’s perceived lack of involvement in Minnesota’s offense, particularly the fact he has just two rush attempts since topping 100 yards on the ground in Week 1. It’s worth noting that effort was aided by a 67-yard touchdown run, which has inflated the expectations surrounding Patterson while advancing a perception it should be easy to get the ball into his hands.

Zimmer made it clear he is not buying the criticism of Turner though, telling radio sideline reporter Greg Coleman after Sunday’s game Patterson needs to get open if he wants the ball. The numbers largely back Zimmer up, as Patterson led the team in targets on Sunday with eight and his 33 targets for the season trails fellow wide receiver Greg Jennings by just two for the team lead.

Patterson suffered a hip injury in the Vikings’ Week 5 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and he has acknowledged he is not 100 percent healthy despite being listed as probable for Sunday’s game. But that is no excuse for a lack of effort, even if he had to come out of the game more often than usual as he played 52 of 68 offensive snaps, since Patterson clearly jogged during a kickoff return while appearing to fail to finish a route at least once. If Patterson is indeed injured severely enough to be limited in the fashion he appeared to be against Detroit, he should be taken out of uniform based on that alone.

I don’t expect Patterson to be deactivated for Week 7 against the Buffalo Bills, or anytime soon, barring an unexpected development with his hip injury.  The struggles of the Vikings’ offense over the last two games do not rest solely on Patterson’s shoulders, but it would not surprise me to see his playing time reduced until he is closer to full health.

Patterson has said he expects to be at full strength against the Bills, and with his head coach clearly citing a possible lack of effort or focus, we’ll see how the second-year wide receiver responds.

Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Connect with him on Twitter and Google +.

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