Late Show Relief of the Bears’ Jay Cutler up and Watching Moss Do His Coaches and Teammates

SCORECARD FINISHING STRONG

the 2013 draft (the team Northwestern to a state title. isn’t nearly as sentimental A PERIODIC LOOK AT SOME OF traded four picks to the His career stats about his five months at THE MOST INTRIGUING RISING STARS Patriots for the privilege), (944 yards, 18 TDs) were Tennessee. He arrived Patterson requested good enough to get him into two weeks before summer Moss’s number 84. his pick of BCS schools, but classes in 2012 and racked Paul Worrilow, LB, ATL He wore the number his grades were not. So he up a school-record 1,858 The 6' 1" 232-pounder had at Tennessee, where he set out for North Carolina all-purpose yards while consecutive 19-tackle games arrived as a transfer from Tech Preparatory Christian becoming the first college against the Panthers and Seahawks and a league-high 110 Hutchinson Community Academy in Charlotte, football player in four years stops over the last nine games. College near Wichita, where the principal was to score a touchdown in four Kans., in 2012 and became also the football coach, his ways (receiving, rushing, a star after barely five wife the only teacher, and and returning both a kick months in Knoxville, student-athletes slept five to and a punt). and at Northwestern a room. After six months it That’s why the Vikings NFL High, a Rock Hill, S.C., was on to Hutchinson. There made such a bold trade powerhouse (whose colors he ditched the petulant star to get him and why Josh McCown, QB,TB happen to be purple and routine, committing to the expectations are so high The journeyman backup’s gold). “To go from growing classroom and opening up to for him this season, late-season assignment in Late Show relief of the Bears’ Jay Cutler up and watching Moss do his coaches and teammates. Minnesota’s first under head (66.5% comp., 1,829 yards, Wideout Cordarrelle Patterson does nothing his thing to practicing on By the end of his sophomore coach Mike Zimmer and 13 TDs, one INT) set him up to slowly—except the way he started last season the same field he did is year, he had emerged as offensive coordinator Norv become the Man in Tampa. BY ANDREW LAWRENCE crazy,” says Patterson. the nation’s top junior Turner, whose reputation Besides the jersey college prospect (61 catches, as a receiver whisperer number, the Minnesota 924 yards; 32 carries, was reaffirmed when Josh GIVE over the final six he snared address and the feats on 379 yards; 10 kick returns, Gordon broke out as a CORDARRELLE 24 passes for 273 yards the field, Patterson has 482 yards; 24 total TDs), league leader under him last PATTERSON and scored six touchdowns resembled Moss in another while also working as year in Cleveland. Justin Tuck, DE, OAK the ball and a 100‑yard (three receiving and way: At times the second- an RA and earning his To avoid a repeat of For his Broadway curtain call, canvas, and he’ll express three running). The burst year player has appeared associate’s degree. last season’s slow start, the Giants’ All-Pro collected 1 himself in bold, vigorous complemented Patterson’s spoiled and rebellious. At The place still tugs at him. Patterson spent the off- 9 ⁄2 sacks over the season’s final six weeks—a performance strokes: a kickoff return kickoff returns, in which Northwestern High, he says “I miss Hutchinson,” he season refining his routes that helped earn him an that curlicues from one end he’d already established he was a class clown and says. “I feel like this year, the with Vikings receivers coach extended run in Oakland. of the field to the other, a himself with a pair of badass, and he sat out his bye week, I’ll probably try George Stewart and getting reception that ends with a game-opening touchdown first two years in defiance. to get back there.” Patterson his timing down with streak up the sideline, an romps: a 105-yarder against “FROM GROWING UP But he missed sports, so quarterback Matt Cassel, end run that’s stippled with the Bears in Week 2 and WATCHING as a junior, he suited up the presumptive starter. dekes. His talent derives a 109-yarder against the RANDY MOSS and excelled at basketball, “He’s really impressed me,” from an alchemy of speed (a Packers in Week 8, which DO HIS THING track and football, which Cassel says. “He’s been in TO PRACTICING Michael Floyd, WR, ARZ 4.42-second 40), size (6' 2", equaled the NFL record came most naturally to him. the right spots. I’m sure it’s ON THE SAME As the Cardinals caught 216 pounds) and—above for the longest TD. For the His attitude was better, just from being in the system fire late in ’13, winning six FIELD IS CRAZY,” all—vision. “I think it’s season, his 32.4-yard return but a tongue-lashing from now a year and from also of eight, the second-year SAYS PATTERSON. receiver grabbed 31 balls for something God gave to me,” average led the league. a coach would still send being around the guys and 608 yards and three TDs. (WORRILOW); CHRIS O’MEARA/AP (MCCOWN); JEFF ZELEVANSKY/ (MCCOWN); JEFF O’MEARA/AP CHRIS (WORRILOW); the second-year receiver While he couldn’t save LEFT); (PATTERSON, TODAY SPORTS HEMMELGARN/USA BRACE him storming off the field. understanding how to work.” GETTY IMAGES (TUCK); CHRISTIAN PETERSEN/GETTY IMAGES PETERSEN/GETTY CHRISTIAN (TUCK); IMAGES GETTY explains six days before 5-10-1 Minnesota from (PATTERSON); AP TODAY SPORTS EDMONDSON/USA CARY He’d throw his pads to the It’s more evidence of

Vikings training camp. “I sliding to the bottom of (MATHEWS) TODAY SPORTS LEE/USA (FLOYD); KIRBY ground and call his mother, Patterson’s maturation, feel like when I see the hole, the NFC North, Patterson Catherine, to come pick and the extra work has I’ve got to approach it at 100 did earn a Pro Bowl berth him up. She had perhaps improved his most valued miles an hour because the and became only the third foreseen his divalike ways, For an exclusive one-on- instruments—those eyes. one video interview with gap can close just like that.” Vikings rookie to get a first- naming him Cordarrelle Cordarrelle Patterson “It might sound crazy, but Ryan Mathews, RB, SD Patterson’s NFL career team All-Pro nod. The first (cor-DAR-uhl) after a hunky and the entire Rising my vision is slowing things In his fourth season he finally opened up in the second to do it was Randy Moss, a protagonist, Cordero, on Stars series presented down even as the game’s emerged as a workhorse. The 775 yards he tallied over half of his rookie season. In player Patterson admires. One Life to Live. As a senior, by Symetra, speeding up,” he says. With go to SI.com/risingstars the Bolts’ final eight games his first 10 games he made After the Vikes chose in 2008, Patterson stayed on vision that clear, Patterson outdistanced his 12-game 21 catches for 196 yards; him with the 29th pick in the field long enough to help can’t see any limitations. ± 2012 total by 68 yards.

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