New Orleans Saints call Cordarrelle Patterson ‘explosive’
The New Orleans Saints are preparing for their first victory of the season after losing in overtime to the rival Atlanta Falcons behind an insane performance from star QB Matt Ryan, while they fell flat in a 26-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns by failing to contain the running game and not doing enough as a passing attack. Against the Minnesota Vikings secondary, the Saints should be able to come out of their Week 2 blip offensively, but their defense will be tested by Cordarrelle Patterson, especially when it comes to pursuit and tackling (Kenny Vaccaro missed six tackles in Week 1). This game should be a comfortable one for the Saints, but they aren’t going to underestimate the Vikings after falling into a surprising 0-2 hole.
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ESPN NFL Nation’s Mike Triplett assembled some quotes on Patterson from a few Saints players and head coach Sean Payton, and every single one of them referred to the receiver and return specialist as “explosive”. That’s the first word that comes to mind when describing the second-year pro out of Tennessee, and the ESPN highlight allusions from Payton and star CB Keenan Lewis serve to show just how well-known Patterson is for being a game-changer.
Saints “explosive” edge rusher Junior Galette said of Patterson, “He’s one of the most explosive athletes in the NFL. I feel like he’s doing the job that Percy Harvin used to do for them. Obviously, you got a player like that who can go over the top or make explosive plays out of the backfield even, you’ve gotta key on him at all times. He’s an impact player.”
So far this season, Patterson has been unable to show off his special teams ability due to a lack of opportunities, as most kickers wisely boot it away from him on kick-offs. He has seven receptions for 82 yards, with all three of his carries and 102 rushing yards coming in the Week 1 blowout win over the St. Louis Rams. While he did catch four passes for 56 yards against the New England Patriots, the Pats unsurprisingly did an excellent job of limiting his playmaking.