Thoughts: Patterson at CB; Vikes waive Moss
Dimitri Patterson will reportedly get a shot to start at cornerback next week against the Colts. What do we know about him through the first seven weeks?
As reported by the beat guys on Birds' Eye View and Eagletarian, Dimitri Patterson is expected to get the start at right cornerback Sunday in place of Ellis Hobbs.
The 27 year old joined the Eagles in 2009 after stints with the Redskins, Vikings and Chiefs.
Patterson played in 11 games last season and has never started a game at cornerback in the NFL.
This season, Patterson's been on the field for almost 14 percent of the defensive snaps (61 plays). I went through my Man Ups for a refresher on how he's been used this season. Here's the breakdown:
Week 2: Patterson only played three snaps - all as the sixth defensive back in the dime package. He was called for holding on a third down, extending one of Detroit's drives.
Week 3: Hobbs was sidelined in the fourth quarter against the Jaguars, and Patterson came in for nickel situations. He also played in garbage time for a total of 12 snaps.
Week 4: After Asante Samuel was injured against the Redskins, Patterson came in for nickel situations. He was beat by Joey Galloway on a third-down conversion in the fourth quarter. Patterson played six snaps.
Week 5: The 49ers game was Patterson's most extensive action of the season. With Samuel out, he played a total of 38 snaps. The interesting thing here is that Joselio Hanson was on the field with Ellis Hobbs in the base defense. Patterson came in for nickel and dime situations. He was beat by Michael Crabtree on a 7-yard touchdown. But he later made a good adjustment on a deep ball and came away with an interception. Patterson also blitzed quite a bit - five times. He's blitzed six times on the season.
Week 6: He was only on the field for two snaps against Atlanta. In the fourth quarter, Hobbs sat out a play, and the Falcons attacked Patterson, but he came through, breaking up a ball intended for Michael Jenkins in the end zone.
The truth is we don't know much about how Patterson will fare in this new role based on his previous game action. We do know that he faces an enormous challenge going up against Peyton Manning in his first career start.
VIKINGS TO WAIVE MOSS
In case you missed it, the Vikings have decided to waive Randy Moss less than a month after giving the Patriots a third-round pick for him.
Moss, 33, will now go through waivers. Any team that claims him will owe him 9/16 of his current base salary of a reported $6.4M.
If no team claims Moss, he'll become a free agent and can sign with any team. According to NFL Network, which first reported the story, the Vikings would owe him the remainder of the $6.4M salary, and Moss would also get money from the new team he signs with.
Earlier today, I posted the first of a two-part entry comparing Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick.
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