With a lot of talk during Monday's news conference centering on deep passes being a little too deep with Teddy Bridgewater under center, our conversation with head coach Mike Zimmer inevitably shifted to the chemistry between the rookie quarterback and second-year wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.
Patterson had just 13 catches in Bridgewater's five starts, and six came in last week's overtime win over the Buccaneers. Patterson was targeted seven times yesterday against the Redskins, including that first-quarter bomb that somehow fell incomplete. But Patterson caught just one of those passes for only nine yards.
So today Zimmer was asked if something was keeping Bridgewater and Patterson from connecting.
"Yes, I'll leave it at that," Zimmer said. After a few seconds of silence, he continued. "It's nothing between the two. We're not precise enough in all areas. … Guys have to make sure they're in the right places at all times."
Patterson was raw as a route-runner coming out of college, having played just one year at the Div. I level. He is still struggling to create separation, especially against man coverage. And apparently he is not running the right routes at times, or is running the right routes but not as the proper depth, which is also a big deal.
Zimmer did say that Patterson "did some good things yesterday" in the win over the Redskins, such as getting open on a few plays where the ball went to another receiver.
"That happens as receivers. I think one of the great things that we're doing, honestly, is we're spreading the ball around. It's not just one guy catching the ball," Zimmer said, adding. "This is never going to be a one-man show."
