Cordarrelle Patterson breakout player?

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- A day after Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson said he planned to talk with coach Mike Zimmer and offensive coordinator Norv Turner about his role in the offense, Zimmer said again that the Vikings didn't keep Patterson out of their offense for disciplinary reasons during the first half of Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.

Then, Zimmer said, "I'm going to keep saying this over and over until somebody believes me: I am in this guy's corner."

Patterson played just three offensive snaps on Sunday, and has seen both his playing time and the number of passes thrown his way decrease in recent weeks. Zimmer has said the second-year receiver needs to be a more consistent route-runner in games, and pointed out two weeks ago that Patterson is still learning the complexities of an NFL offense. The receiver was gone from Tuesday to Thursday last week, attending a funeral for a family member of his daughter's mother, and while Zimmer said the Vikings didn't have as big of a role for Patterson on Sunday because of the practice time he missed, he said Patterson cleared the absence with him, and reiterated that Patterson did not sit out for disciplinary reasons.

"He missed two days of practice. He missed Wednesday and Thursday of practice," Zimmer said. "It's hard to get involved too much in the game when you're missing that much time.