PATRIOTS NOTEBOOK: Patterson having a ball

Cordarrelle Patterson has been an offensive threat when the Patriots needed him.

ATLANTA – It’s not fair to call Cordarrelle Patterson a wide receiver.

It’s the position he was given in high school. That followed him to college and then the NFL. It took six years for a team to see who Patterson truly was on the football field – an athletic offensive weapon. That’s why the Patriots used him differently.

The 2018 season marked an interesting one for Patterson. The 27-year-old finished with a career-high 63 touches (carries and receptions combined). Most of those came as a running back where Patterson finished with a career-high 42 carries for 228 yards and a score. As a receiver, he caught 21 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. On top of that, Patterson was named a second-team All-Pro as a kickoff returner.

“For real? Damn,” said Patterson when told he touched the ball this year more than any year in the NFL. “Oh man, that’s amazing. I didn’t know that. I don’t keep up with stats. I just try to go out each and every week, show the coaches that I’m trustworthy and just try to do everything right in practice and just hope they call plays for me on Sundays.”

Patterson filled a void for the Patriots when they really needed some help. When Rex Burkhead and Sony Michel were hurt, Patterson stepped in as the Patriots lead running back. He ran the ball 10 times for 38 yards in Buffalo. The next week, he rushed for 61 yards on 11 carries against Green Bay.

The Patriots were also creative with Patterson. They ran multiple jet-sweep and end-around type plays for this six-year veteran.

“Oh man, it’s amazing. Oh God,” Patterson said when asked about his first season in Foxboro. “The Patriot way. Just came out, buying into everything, having fun and trying to enjoy the moment.”

Patterson appeared in one playoff game, in 2016 with the Vikings, before coming to the Patriots. He didn’t touch the ball on offense in that game, returning three kicks. Now, he’s about to go to the Super Bowl for the first time.

“As a kid, you grow up playing football. You always think, I could play in the Super Bowl. I could dream of playing in the Super Bowl,” Patterson said. “You never really think it’s going to come true, but that moment really came. It’s just a blessing from the skies.”

Super Bowl vet: Some NFL players, very good ones in fact, can play long careers and never tee it up in a Super Bowl. Joe Thuney is the flip side.

Thuney, the Patriots left guard, has enjoyed only Super Bowls in his short career. He’s played three seasons, started every game and is ready for his third Super Bowl game.

“I was fortunate to get drafted by the Patriots and it’s such a great opportunity to work for an organization like this,” Thuney said. “Everyone is always pulling in the same direction and has the same goal and I’m just glad I can contribute.”

Thuney played alongside Nate Solder for his first two years but enjoyed a seamless transition with newcomer Trent Brown moving into the important left tackle spot this season. The two are part of an offensive line that continues to draw rave reviews but faces a huge challenge on Sunday with Rams star Aaron Donald set to rush the quarterback. Thuney says the fact that center David Andrews, guard Shaq Mason and tackle Marcus Cannon have been around through his career has paid major dividends.

“It’s easy to communicate with that chemistry we have and we definitely keep coming together with every game,” Thuney said.

Laying down the Law: Tom Brady knew how much of a pain Ty Law could be. That’s why he’s trying to help the former Patriots cornerback get into the Hall of Fame this weekend.

With voters making their selections on Saturday, Law is once again a finalist after not getting in each of the last two years. In order to help his former teammate, Brady wrote a letter to the Hall-of-Fame committee endorsing Law as one of the best cornerbacks he ever played with and against.

“Ty was an incredible player,” Brady said on Thursday when asked about the player. “I got to the team and he already established himself as one of the top players in the league at that position. Obviously, have Michigan ties. I knew a lot about him. He was an incredible player for our team and went onto some other teams and was their best corner, too. I played against a lot of great corners over the years and Ty is right up there with the best.”

In the letter, which was published by ESPN, Brady calls Law “a pain in the ass” and goes on to explain what he did for the Patriots and how special his skill set was. The quarterback also relives when Law intercepted him for a pick-6 later in his career.

As it turns out, Brady isn’t the only one trying to help a former teammate. Bill Belichick also wrote a letter to the Hall-of-Fame committee endorsing Richard Seymour. Published by ESPN, the Patriots coach calls Seymour, along with Vince Wilfork, the two best defensive linemen he has ever coached.

Belichick goes on to explain how versatile Seymour was, playing all along the defensive line. He ends the letter by saying, “Richard Seymour was unquestionably one of our key players and I do not believe we would have won three championships without him.”

Sick day: The Patriots held a walk-through practice Thursday afternoon at Georgia Tech’s indoor practice facility and starting linebacker Dont’a Hightower did not attend due to an undisclosed illness. “We’ll evaluate him tomorrow,” Belichick said.

Defensive tackle Malcom Brown, who was limited on Wednesday with a calf injury, was back at full strength and Belichick expects him to be available moving forward. “If something happens (Friday), that will be a different story, but I’d say he looks all right,” Belichick said.

The NFL pool report of the practice gives fans their only look at a full Patriots practice all season. The Pats focused on situational plays during the one-hour, 20-minute session with work on third-down, red-zone and goal-line plays included. Brady was seen calling out adjustments to his receivers’ splits and routes and work in the kicking game punctuated breaks in the practice. Kicker Stephen Gostkowski and punter Ryan Allen did not kick in the walk-through. They both kicked Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will do so Friday as well.

Mason, a Georgia Tech alum, was honored by a “Welcome Back, Shaq” sign outside the locker room. Some of Mason’s teammates weren’t celebrating the homecoming.

“The Georgia guys are not thrilled being at Georgia Tech,” Belichick said, referring to starting center David Andrews and running back Michel, who both played for the University of Georgia. “But that’s all right. They’ll get over it.”