LISTEN: Should Falcons Further Expand Cordarrelle Patterson's Role?

Locked On Falcons: Trying Not to Overreact to the Falcons in Week 1 with Special Guest Matt Karoly

Jeremy Brener | Sep 14, 2021

Not many NFL players have had a career quite like Cordarrelle Patterson.

The 2013 first-round pick was viewed as a wide receiver coming out of Tennessee and was drafted ahead of pass catchers Zach Ertz, Robert Woods and Keenan Allen. While all of those players have been successful, none of those veterans have the accolades to match Patterson.

As a return specialist, Patterson is a four-time All-Pro and has eight career kickoff returns for touchdowns, an NFL record.

But Patterson has also carved out a role as a backup running back in recent years.

He started seeing playing time at running back in 2018 with the New England Patriots and that expanded upon that role in Chicago and now Atlanta. In the Falcons' season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he rushed seven times (trailing only starting running back Mike Davis' 15) for a team-high 54 yards.

Moving forward, Patterson should expect more run in the offense at running back and add his speed as a return specialist.

On this episode of "Locked On Falcons," host Aaron Freeman invites Matt Karoly (Talkin' Birdy Podcast) to further break down the Falcons' 32-6 Week 1 loss to the Eagles.

Matt shares his main takeaways from the game, including his disappointment with the team's offense and red-zone efficiency and the defense's lack of aggressiveness.

He also discusses the positives, such as Patterson's role and the defense getting some needed stops.

They discuss whether or not the Falcons should make a switch from Jalen Mayfield at left guard, and what are some of their favorite and least favorite "overreactions" from this first game.

Aaron deals with all that and more on this episode of "Locked On Falcons." For more podcasts and information, join us here.

CONTINUE READING: Falcons Re-Sign Linebacker Brandon Copeland

Published Sep 14, 2021

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.