fiestavike wrote:
Sorry Jim, we certainly don't have enough information to have a nuanced discussion about it. I do think I was a bit hasty and overlooked where you were trying to go with your previous comment, but as you said, one can't have a nuanced conversation about something which there is no information to provide the contours. We just have the broad strokes and they indicate decisively that in terms of motivation and the mental side of things Patterson isn't doing well enough to satisfy the coaches. That's basically what we know and what I think we can agree on.
Unfortunately, I can't quite agree with that, as stated. Patterson seems motivated so to me, that leaves the mental side of things, or at least the
execution side of things.
We have enough info to know
Patterson was struggling to run routes to the coaching staff's satisfaction in 2014. Presumably, that's still an issue.
Zimmer spoke in the spring about being
impressed with Patterson in early workouts for 2015:
He’s really done well,” Zimmer said Wednesday. “He’s running routes good; he’s working hard. So we just need him to continue to do those things and continue to keep getting consistent and keep improving. I’ve been impressed with the things that he’s done.”
We know Patterson spent 4 weeks in the offseason working with trainer Frank Matrisciano, taking a break during those workouts to workout with Teddy Bridgewater and other Vikings teammates in L.A.. If I'm not mistaken, he went back and did additional training with Matrisciano after mini-camp.
During training camp,
Zimmer said about Patterson:
“He’s been impressive,” Zimmer said. “So, you know, today’s a new day. We’ll see how he does today. I don’t know that he’s turned the corner yet. But he’s definitely kind of rounding it.”
That same article (by Mark Craig of the Star Tribune) featured one of the most definitive statements I've seen about all of this:
Bridgewater was asked Wednesday how the two can develop timing together with little to no reps in practice. He started off by saying the usual stuff about how Patterson needs to take advantage of any first-team reps he gets. But then Bridgewater hit on what was the primary reason for Patterson’s fall: Not understanding the offense well enough to be where he’s supposed to be and/or when he’s supposed to be there.
“Everything isn’t always timing [with the quarterback],” Bridgewater said. “Sometimes, we throw to areas and he just needs to be in the right place. As long as he’s executing what’s asked of him when he’s in there, we shouldn’t have an issue when he’s in there, whether it’s me or Shaun [Hill] or Mike[Kafka] or Taylor [Heinicke].”
None of the above suggests a lack of effort or motivation to me.
At the end of August, after Zimmer had returned a preseason kickoff for a TD,
Zimmer said:
"The good thing about Cordarrelle is he continues to work each and every week and, when he has the ball in his hands, he can do a lot of things,'' said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer. "He's a good weapon for us.''
What seems clear to me is Patterson worked hard in the offseason (even if he didn't meet with Michael Irvin), impressed his coach in mini-camp, impressed him again in training camp and Zimmer was viewing him as a "good weapon" in the summer. Since then, we've seen almost nothing from him but kickoff returns. That brings us Zimmer's recent comments during his final press conference of the season:
"I don't know that for sure. This is going to sound like a broken record, but I have hope for him. There's times when the proof's got to be in the pudding. He's got to do this, and if he doesn't, then that's what he's going to be -- a returner. At the end of the day, it's really up to him."
What's the "this" in "got to do this"? Presumably, it's what Bridgewater referred to above: grasping the offense and being where he's supposed to be. Consequently, the point in wanting information about practice reps, what standard he's supposed to meet, why he's been unable to meet it, etc. is that I'd like a better understanding of just what Patterson's shortcomings are and why he can't get more involved with the offense. He doesn't seem to lack motivation so is he just failing to grasp something (because that's different than refusing to try hard enough to grasp something)? Is he getting enough reps to really make the strides he needs to make? Is it possible he'd benefit from learning and mastering a package of plays that could get him more involved? Then perhaps he could build on that until he had a better understanding of the whole offense. I want to know what the Vikes are doing to make the most of this potentially valuable player and I also think getting a better idea of the exact nature of the problem and how it's being handled would provide some valuable insight into how the team is being coached. They kept a player with serious playmaking ability on the bench most of the season while their offense struggled. Many would say that speaks volumes about Patterson and perhaps it does but it may also speak volumes about the coaching staff and their approach to player development and problem-solving. It all seems rather relevant to me.
Nobody needs to feel obliged to respond to this lengthy post but hopefully it helps explain my interest and why I think a more nuanced view of the situation is both necessary and worthwhile.
) Also, Why does there have to be improvement, Ideally there would be but impasses happen? If one party says; I need X and the other party say emphatically "No", then that's it. There is no improvement in the situation. 
