Purdue's Patterson says he'll be back soon, maybe by Wednesday
Martesse Patterson had never before experienced such an incident.
The left tackle had never fallen awkwardly and had never had so much pain. So when he was first injured during a drill at practice Monday morning, he — like a lot of others — thought the worst.
He was excited then afterward to learn that he’d only tweaked his left knee, not torn any ligaments. And now, after having missed the last two practices, Patterson thinks he could be back in uniform as soon as Wednesday.
“I had never fell like that at practice, and then had to be escorted out (by a trainer),” he said after Tuesday’s session, during which he worked in “The Pit” off to the side. “I thought it was worst than what it was, but thank God it wasn’t.”
Purdue is grateful, as well. The Boilermakers are hoping that Patterson, a sophomore who started three games last season and was a part-timer at right tackle, can lock down the left side this season.
And his camp, until Monday morning, had been going pretty well, especially considering from where he’d come. In the spring, he weighed in the 350s and looked it, struggling with his endurance, but dropped about 25 pounds over the summer.
“He’s done a good job,” offensive line coach Darrell Funk said. “He got his weight down which has allowed him to sustain a high level of play. Even at 350, he could do some things for a play or two. Now, he can do them longer. He’s got a lot of work to do in the run game. He’s a pretty solid pass protector, but overall he’s upped his game to another level.”
Consistency is now the key, Patterson said. He’s got to be able to play at a high level for 60 minutes, probably more than 80 snaps per game. He knows that one slip-up, at his position protecting the quarterback’s blind side, could spell doom.
“What I put in my head is that I could do 100 things right, but in one critical moment that 100 things I did right could be wiped away,” Patterson said. “That’ the attitude I come out with every day.”
Patterson thinks he’s put himself in position to succeed after his offseason conditioning. Then, he took the advice of sports performance coaches Duane Carlisle and Kyle Murray, getting himself on an affective diet.
“Coach Carlisle helped me, saying not to eat anything after 7. Well, his was not eating after 7. Mine was not eating after 8,” Patterson said with a smile. “Not eating anything after 8, getting all three meals in before 8. And then getting the rest in, make sure you get the rest in, because that will help you lose weight too. And just drinking water, I eliminated sweets, sweet beverages and mainly just putting good things in my body and that’s what helped me.”
Now, it’s about getting back 100 percent. Patterson, whose knees ailed at times last season, said the knee was a little swollen on Monday, but that had mostly gone away by Tuesday.
He’d like to be able to go for the jersey scrimmage on Saturday, perhaps to prove that he can play extended snaps.
“That’s what we’re counting on,” Funk said, referring to the snap count. “He’s done a nice job. We haven’t had a lot of extended drives, but the ones we’ve had he’s looked sharp. He has to be ready to do that in his mind. We’ll see if he is, but that’s the goal.”
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