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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- It's become apparent during his second season with the Minnesota Vikings that Cordarrelle Patterson still has plenty to learn about the finer points of playing receiver. That learning process has limited his involvement in the offense when the Vikings aren't manufacturing as many touches for him as their previous coaching staff did. Coach Mike Zimmer has said Patterson needs to be more consistent with his route-running, and pointed out how much Patterson still needs to develop when he was asked on Monday whether he was disappointed with the second-year receiver's performance. On Thursday, Patterson said what Zimmer wouldn't state explicitly: His second year in Minnesota hasn't lived up to expectations. "(My numbers) been disappointing and I know I’m letting a lot of people down," Patterson said. "It’s tough. It’s very tough out here, man. It’s a struggle sometimes. Offensively, and me, just got to find that groove and just get it going." Patterson caught 45 passes last season, but 29 of those were on passes within five yards of the line of scrimmage, according to ESPN Stats and Information. This season, with fewer plays designed around low-risk ways to get the ball in his hands, Patterson has just 28 catches on 59 targets, for 332 yards and only one receiving touchdown. Last week against Chicago, he caught two passes for 24 yards. "It don’t matter what the defenses do,” he said. "This is my job. I need to find a way to get open." As Zimmer pointed out this week, Patterson is only three years removed from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College; he played one year at Tennessee before heading to the NFL, and the Vikings' coaching change means he's learning his third offensive system in as many years. That is certainly a contributing factor to Patterson's sluggish development this season, and as the receiver said, it's turned 2014 into a year where "I'm not having as much fun. "Coach Zimmer is right: I’ve been in three different offenses in three years. It’s a lot of learning," Patterson said. "At the end of the day, this is my job. This is something I need to just focus on, just this main job. And whatever Coach Zimmer says is right. Even though I probably won’t think it’s right, he’s the head coach and whatever he says goes."
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