Vikings' Crichton hasn't cracked active roster but remains hopeful

The Vikings have gotten major contributions from a few members of their 2014 draft class. But defensive end Scott Crichton, one of their two third-round picks, is not one of those busy rookies.

Crichton has been active for only five games, playing 16 total snaps on defense. In last weekend's win over the New York Jets, he was inactive again, as the Vikings opted to promote fellow defensive end Justin Trattou from the practice squad and activate him instead.

Still, despite all that time spent in street clothes, Crichton remains upbeat about his rookie season.

"I'm just happy to be on the team," he said. "I'm grateful for an opportunity to be playing for an organization like this one. So I've just got to stay patient right now. I know my time will come."

Crichton left Oregon State early for the NFL because he wanted to provide for his family. His father, Lucky, was working in a warehouse despite having one leg and dealing with other health issues.

The Vikings thought Crichton would be capable of playing multiple positions on their defensive line. But after trying to develop him as a backup to right defensive end Everson Griffen, the team determined that he didn't have enough pass-rushing prowess right now, so they moved him back to left end, where strength and power are typically coveted over speed.

"These defensive linemen sometimes take a little bit longer," coach Mike Zimmer said. "We're not disappointed in him. He's close, but he's not quite there yet."

"I've got a great group of guys to learn from," Crichton said. "That's the main thing, I'm just learning right now. I just can't wait to get out on the field."

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner said tight end Kyle Rudolph hasn't regained the explosiveness that he had before his sports hernia surgery in late September, and Turner doesn't think Rudolph will get it back until training camp next year.

"When you have that type of procedure, I think it takes awhile to recover," Turner said. "He's working hard at it and he's a competitive guy. But he doesn't have the same quickness or burst that he had when we broke camp."

Rudolph returned in Week 11, and while his snap counts on offense are back to where they were pre-injury, he has just seven catches for 66 yards and a touchdown since coming back.

Despite being beaten for a sack that resulted in a safety against the Jets, left tackle Matt Kalil said he feels he is playing better of late.

But here comes Ziggy Ansah again.

The Lions defensive end recorded 2½ sacks against the Vikings in Week 6, which earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. It was arguably Kalil's poorest performance of the season.

"He's got a lot of potential, so I'll be playing against him for a while," Kalil said. "I definitely got my hands full."

Cordarrelle Patterson has played only four offensive snaps the past two games, but despite that, Patterson believes his bond with his head coach is strengthening.

"Me and Coach Zimmer, we had a little heart-to-heart talk this morning," Patterson said Thursday. "He kept it real with me and I told him how I feel, so just talking to him, I believe in everything he says. I stand behind him and Coach Turner. I respect everything they're doing. Getting that talk out of the way, it makes [for] a little less pressure on me. It makes me feel good to go in there and talk to him."

Outside linebacker Anthony Barr (knee), defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd (knee), safety Robert Blanton (ankle and knee) and left guard Charlie Johnson (ankle) sat out practice again Thursday.

Fullback Jerome Felton (neck) returned to practice. He was limited, as was Griffen (lower back).