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Patterson and Zimmer 'had a little heart-to-heart talk'

Whatever coach Mike Zimmer said seemed to put the young wide receiver, who has just 30 catches for 350 yards and a touchdown this season, in pretty good spirits

By Matt Vensel

December 12, 2014 at 12:08AM

Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer right talked with receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (84) as the team got back to practice without Adrian Peterson Wednesday September 16 , 2014 in Eden Prairie ,MN. ] Jerry Holt Jerry.holt@startribune.com (Tom Wallace — DML - Star Tribune Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Cordarrelle Patterson has gone two games without a catch, and after playing just three offensive snaps in the Week 13 win over the Panthers, the wide receiver got just one Sunday against the Jets.

But Patterson says his bond with coach Mike Zimmer has strengthened the past two weeks.

"Me and Coach Zimmer, we had a little heart-to-heart talk this morning," Patterson said today. "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 have a little less pressure on me. It makes me feel good to go in there and talk to him."

Patterson said both Zimmer and he initiated the conversation, but wouldn't say what was said.

"That's nothing that any of y'all should know," Patterson said. "Whatever me and Coach Zimmer talk about, that stays between us. That's how I feel like it should be and that's how it's going to be."

The verbal volleyball that Patterson and Zimmer have played over the past couple of weeks has interesting. It started after the Panthers game, when Patterson expressed confusion about his limited role on offense. That prompted both Zimmer and offensive coordinator Norv Turner to tell us that Patterson missed a pair of practices due to a funeral, leading to a reduced role that game.

Turner then confirmed last week that Charles Johnson had officially overtaken Patterson as the starter at the split-end position, and Johnson had another strong receiving game against the Jets.

Zimmer, meanwhile, has publicly pumped up Patterson whenever asked about the second-year wide receiver — and he gets asked about him seemingly every day. Yesterday was no exception.

"I want this guy to be a great player. I really do. I want him to be a great player," Zimmer said. "I don't know when it'll happen and I'm hoping like crazy it does because I want him to be a great player."

It is unclear if Zimmer relayed that positive message to Patterson this morning. But whatever Zimmer said seemed to put Patterson, who has just 30 catches for 350 yards and a touchdown this season, in pretty good spirits for a guy who has played just four offensive snaps the past two weeks.

"I feel like our chemistry throughout the past couple of weeks, it's just been gaining each week and every day," Patterson said. "Just trying to talk to him, tell him how I feel. He always tells me to just keep it straight up with him, and that's what I'll do. And I know he is going to keep it real with me."