FOXBORO -- Cordarrelle Patterson felt he had to set the record straight.
Not because of anything he's said or done during training camp. The Patriots receiver has had a strong start to his first summer in New England -- making two of the most acrobatic catches turned in thus far -- and he's been deployed in a variety of roles.
Patterson has returned kicks, a duty he's performed as well as if not better than anyone else in the league the last handful of years. He's taken end-around handoffs. He's run quick-hitting routes. He's run deep. No apparent issues.
So what was the problem? What did he feel like he needed to correct?
Well, this went back to the spring.
In April, Patterson made a few headlines following an appearance on NFL Network's Good Morning Football. As a guest on the show, he relayed a story of a conversation he said he had with Bill Belichick soon after being acquired by the Patriots.
"We're gonna make you," Belichick said, according to Patterson, "the player that you should be."
New England Patriots
On Sunday, when I asked Patterson about the number of different duties he's performed during the early portion of camp, and that "player that you should be" comment from Belichick in particular, Patterson stopped me.
"Listen, I'm a funny guy. I like to have fun," Patterson said. "You know, when [NFL Network] asked me that, Bill didn't say that. I just said that, just to get people fired up. I said it jokingly. When you say things, man, people take it and run with it. I ain't mean it the way I said it."
So why say it?
"Not taking shots at the team that traded me," he said, "but kind of taking little jabs at the team that traded me."
Patterson obviously wasn't a fan of the way he was utilized by the Raiders, who dealt Patterson and a sixth-round pick to the Patriots for a fifth-rounder. In his lone season in Oakland, he caught 31 passes and had 13 rushing attempts.
The 6-foot-2, 228-pounder is a physically-imposing weapon who wasn't quite able to put it all together as a top-tier offensive threat for either the Raiders or Vikings. The 2013 first-rounder has excelled as a special teamer throughout his career, but he's never exceeded 60 touches in his five years as a pro, and I spoke to one of Patterson's former coaches this offseason who wondered how well he'd adapt to the system in New England.
There's still a long way to go, but so far so good.
Patterson has had plenty of opportunities in training camp practices with both Kenny Britt and Malcolm Mitchell dealing with injuries. There could be more available after Jordan Matthews left Sunday's practice with an injury.
"Whatever's thrown any receiver's way," he said, "we're going to take advantage of it -- no matter if somebody's hurt. If your number's called, you just gotta be ready to step up, be a man. This is the league man. [Stuff] happens. You just gotta be ready for every opportunity that you get."
Patterson made one of the most impressive catches of camp on Day 1 with Stephon Gilmore on his hip. Despite the tight coverage deep down the field, Patterson was able to make a twisting one-handed grab of a Tom Brady pass.
On Sunday, Brady and Patterson connected again -- this time on a back-shoulder throw through tight coverage in a one-on-one period. Eric Rowe actually deflected the pass, but Patterson used his size and good concentration to haul it in.
"You gotta give all the credit to Tom, man," Patterson said. "He saw I couldn't get off the line as good as I was supposed to. Rowe did a hell of a job jamming me off the line. Tom threw a back-shoulder ball that was perfect -- only where I could get it. I just gotta take my hat off to Tom, putting the ball in the right place where it needed to be."
Patterson knows that in order to continue to see targets, he's going to need Brady's trust. And making the most of the targets he sees this time of year -- particularly the contested ones -- could go a long way in earning that trust.
"It's all comfort level, man," Patterson said. "The quarterbacks they have to trust in the receivers, no matter who the quarterback is and no matter the receiver he's throwing to. He's gotta trust you. If he don't trust you, you're not going to get the ball.
"I just gotta keep building trust with all three quarterbacks, showing them that I can get open, that I know what I'm doing, just trying to do the right thing each and every day."
Belichick may not have told Patterson that he'd turn into the player he "should be" as a member of the Patriots. But Patterson is hopeful that things could be different for him here, understanding full well that a couple of nice plays in practice won't mean much for his long-term prospects in the offense.
"That play yesterday or the day before that isn't going to get me a spot on the roster," he said. "I'm just trying to look at what's ahead of me."