Craig: Patterson, Thielen formed a quick bond as Vikings

Vikings receivers Cordarrelle Patterson and Adam Thielen sat over a couple of plates of chicken wings discussing a variety of topics, including the Wild inviting them to give the "Let's play hockey!'' presentation before Tuesday night's game.

Thielen started to answer when his best friend in the NFL and polar opposite in so many other ways interrupted.

"Be real now," Patterson said. "They invited me first. Then the next thing you know, Adam starts making plays. So I had to invite him."

Thielen, who was the reigning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week at the time, conceded the truth with a laugh. These two laugh a lot.

"I played hockey, at least," said Thielen, who grew up in Detroit Lakes, Minn. "Pond hockey."

"Yeah," said Patterson, "we didn't play pond hockey in South Carolina."

Thielen is a white guy from the North. Patterson is a black guy from the South. Thielen played Division II football at Minnesota State Mankato. Patterson was a star at Tennessee. Thielen was a rookie free agent in 2013, when Patterson was a first-round draft pick. Thielen is happily engaged. Patterson is happily unattached. Thielen is, well, you get the idea.

"I just remember rookie minicamp," Thielen said. "Since Day 1, we've been boys. Really. Day 1."

And no one seems more surprised by that than Patterson.

"To be honest, I didn't see him as a guy I'd become friends with," Patterson said. "But we became the best of friends and we're roommates everywhere we go."

In many ways, it's true that opposites attract. So we tested the theory with Patterson and Thielen by asking them some questions.

Q: Favorite hobby?

AT: "Going to concerts, sporting events and golf. I love golf. Shot under par a couple times. CP's a big golfer [laughter]. You ever finish a round, CP?"

CP: "You mean a full game? Heck, no."

Q: Last good book you ever read?

AT: "Best book I ever read is 'Holes.' "

CP: "Last thing I read was a text message. I'm not a big fan of reading."

AT: "I worked for a roofing company, which was hard work but it was awesome. And I got paid well."

CP: "Best job I ever had was when I was in junior college. I was working for my football coach. I really don't know what I did. I just know I clocked in and got the money."

Q: What do you drive?

CP: "Adam drives a new Cadillac."

AT: "It's a 2007. CP drives a Camaro and a Range Rover and …"

Q: What is the other's most prized possession?

AT: "For CP, it's his clothes and his shoes. His closet is his prized possession."

CP: "For Adam, I would say it's his fiancée and his family. … If you're talking clothes, he don't have any swag."

AT: "Cordarrelle helps me with fashion. I'm pretty simple."

CP: "He's got like four pairs of shoes and one suit."

AT: "He was on 'SportsCenter' every week. It was hard not to."

CP: "I didn't watch Division III ball."

AT: "Division II."

Q: Describe something from your childhood.

AT: "For me, all I did was play outside. Played every sport imaginable. Made up sports. Rode bikes, four-wheelers. We didn't have video games. Just call a buddy and go out and play."

AT: "Yeah, I definitely didn't steal my mom's car."

Of course, the two also have similarities beyond being NFL receivers. They love fried chicken, country music, avoiding politics and a desire to spend more time mentoring kids when they retire.

"Every guy in the NFL has a different story," Patterson said. "Everybody has a bump in the road. Adam last year, just like me [this year].

"Sometimes, guys like Adam come into your life and you got to keep them there. I see Adam as my friend for life."