National Football League

Sweeps week: Running out of backfield another way Patterson a threat

Published Sep. 11, 2014 5:53 p.m. ET

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EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- In the backfield is the NFL's second-leading active rusher, Adrian Peterson, who has the ability to take any play the distance. Cordarrelle Patterson, already one of the game's best open-field runners, lines up wide to the left side before sprinting across the back of the formation the moment before the snap.

Where do the eyes of the defenders go? Which game-breaking talent does the defense focus on? The Minnesota Vikings are using any moment of doubt to their benefit.

"Defensively, sometimes you anticipate a reverse and then it's not a reverse," said Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer, a former defensive coordinator who's had to try and stop the play before.

Now Zimmer is taking advantage of Peterson and Patterson on the field together.

The Vikings opened last week's game with Patterson in motion on the first two plays. On the first, Patterson was a decoy as Peterson ran for seven yards. The next play, Patterson took a handoff and sped around the right side for a 12-yard gain on a jet sweep, the play gaining notoriety in the NFL after one week of the season.

And Patterson is one of the best at exposing the defense on the sweep. He ran the play twice last week, gaining 35 yards.

"It happens very fast," Minnesota offensive coordinator Norv Turner said. "It happens at the line of scrimmage and the ball's on the edge real fast. It's an outstanding designed play in terms of the way people run it -- and we're obviously not the only ones running it -- from a blocking standpoint."

Percy Harvin, the player Patterson essentially replaced on the Vikings, was used in the same manner several times in the opener for the Seattle Seahawks last week on Thursday Night Football. Two of the most unique players in the NFL are among a growing number of playmakers who are being utilized on the jet sweep or the fly sweep.

Harvin's quickness gives him the ability. Patterson mixes in size at 220 pounds.

"Obviously you're not going to run that if you don't have guys that, when they get their hands on the ball, can do something special," Turner said. "It takes a very fast runner. It's a bonus when you have a guy that's 220 pounds doing it because the receiver's going to take a physical pounding on that because he's basically playing running back."

Patterson's versatility has been his calling card in his year-plus in the NFL. He's equally adept on kickoff returns, pass catching and running out of the backfield. The sweep is just another play in the developing arsenal of the second-year player.

He ran for 102 yards on just three carries last week, adding in a 67-yard touchdown run on a toss out of the backfield in which he was originally lined up on the outside and motioned into the backfield. On 15 career carries, Patterson has 260 yards (17.3 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. Last week he became the first receiver since the NFL merger in 1970 to run for more than 100 yards.

He's listed as a receiver, but he's much more than that. He's scored in six straight regular-season games as either a runner or receiver.

"Every time I touch the ball I feel like I need to score and I want to score, you know, to get six points on the board," Patterson said. "I don't like being tackled, so every time I get the ball I'm just trying to get six points."

Tackling Peterson on the sweep is a challenge. He has the speed to get to the outside, but also the size to avoid tackles as a physical runner. The sweep ends up with plenty of lead-blocking for Patterson.

"It's the blocking," Patterson said when asked what the most important attribute is to a successful sweep. "You can't do anything without blocking with those 10 guys in front of you. So as long as I've got my blocking and I follow those guys right, then we'll have a successful day."

The sweep is nothing new, but Turner credits the recent adaptation to Mike Riley at Oregon State. Turner also coached underneath Riley for one year in San Diego. Riley would use the play against USC and Pete Carroll, who is now using it in Seattle with Harvin.

Turner said he's used the play previously, but his offenses haven't always had the right player to make it successful. Turner also said the two runs on the jet sweep from Patterson last week were more impressive than the 67-yard touchdown run.

"Those plays, I think, when they happen are exciting and they're great," Turner said. "You can't count on those. A guy like Cordarrelle is capable of doing that with his physical ability. The two other runs were more impressive to me because they were challenged runs at the line of scrimmage. They were physical runs. Our guys did a good job up front.

"That's why this league is so exciting to watch. There are so many great players that can do extra after they get their hands on the ball."

Patterson downplayed Turner's claim.

"I feel like I've got to make something happen every time I get the ball," Patterson said. "Coach Turner is just being coach Turner. He's hard, man. The two other runs, the jet sweep or whatever it's called, you're just making guys miss. It's always fun making defenders miss and just making the best out of it."

Patterson has made the most of his opportunities, but he plays coy about any future opportunities.

"Coach Turner's offense, he has so much in it," Patterson said. "This week I probably won't have any runs, no carries this week. I got mine in last week. I scored, so we're going to game plan on something else."

Perhaps a little more misdirection from Patterson.

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