Official Site of the Vikings · Jan 20, 2017
Season Rewind: Returners Highlight 2016 Special Teams
Dynamic returners led Minnesota’s special teams in 2016.Cordarrelle Patterson, who received his second career Pro Bowl nod, led the league in kickoff return average (31.7 yards) during the regular season. The 2013 first-round pick became the first player in NFL history to accomplish the honor three times. His 792 total kick return yards ranked third in the NFL.
“His vision is better,” Special Teams Coordinator Mike Priefer said Patterson showed improved use of vision in 2016.
“He’s seeing the holes a little better, the seams a little better,” Priefer said, before later adding, “[Cordarrelle] thinks he can score every time he touches the ball. And that’s kind of our mentality.”
