I think the biggest factor in Ponder's development is going to be how well he reads things pre-snap and reacts to the various twists and turns defenses throw at him, especially later in the season. The good and great QB's learn to recognize what a defense is doing before the ball is even snapped, so I'll be looking for evidence that Ponder is seeing that and adjusting where he's looking and what he's doing accordingly.

I'd also be interested to know to what degree Musgrave allows Ponder to audible. IIRC, Chilly was a stickler for having the QB run the play as called. However, a sign of trust between the HC/OC and the QB is allowing the QB to change the play or even encouraging him to do it if he sees the call isn't going to work or there is a better play to exploit what the defense is showing. If Musgrave is allowing Ponder to do that, it would demonstrate that Musgrave believes Ponder understands what he's seeing and sufficiently understands the Viking offense in order to make those calls.

We might not know how often Ponder gets to change the play, but I'm hopeful there is some evidence that he is doing that and is successful with it as the season wears on. That would be a really good sign that Ponder is "getting it", and that's the one thing a QB needs to demonstrate to be successful in the NFL.

we are the most under rated team in the nfl.carlson rudolph simpson harvin childs. we got weapons,ponder need this off season and we will see huge improvement hell have more time to throw with more weapons.Are backfield is improved.gearheart is a beast im not concerned at all with ad being out.gearheart had almost 5 yrd a carry. were healthy. we lost a lot of close games to good teams. we will win the division this year. experts are over paid yuppies. go vikings

Although I hope you are right, they haven't played a down yet, nobody knows if the weapons we have are mass destruction or huge disapointment. I do think Ponder will be much improved this year, but will that be enough?

The reality is that if Ponder can cut his turnovers in half and everything else stays the same we probably win 4 more games than last year.

I'm sure this will get some jeers, but if the defensive backfield can stay healthy we might have the most talented defense in the NFC North. Our DL is on par with Detroit and might even be better, albeit older. Aside from issues at MLB our LB are solid. The question is the secondary, if Cook can get his head straight he is a legit rising star. Winfield is still solid for now. Does Carr pan out? Do our Safeties turn the corner? If yes, then our defense is very strong, you have literally 4 legit pro bowlers on the unit if Cook turns the corner, possibly 5 if Winfield can play like he did during the first half of last year before getting hurt. Things could certainly go the other way, but the potential is there.

Injuries and Ponder are the question. If we stay healthy and Ponder improves then we might be back on track. If not, well...

I don't think health is the main issue in the secondary, although injuries certainly won't help.

At cornerback, Winfield is 102 years old, and may only play part time covering the slot receiver. Chris Cook shows talent, but hasn't put together anything even close to a full season. Josh Robinson is something of a crap shoot, and if he starts opposite Cook, would put two rookies in the secondary.

At safety, Harrison Smith is a rookie and totally untested in the NFL. The second starting safety position will bring back one of the bumblies from last year, probably Jamarca Sanford, unless rookie Robert Blanton is a very fast learner and can make the transition from cornerback to safety sometime this season. Which would put three rookies in the secondary.

I think Carr is ahead of Robinson on the depth chart right now. Of course all that can change in camp.

Ah yes, thanks.

Chris Cook and Harrison Smith will be keys. If they have solid seasons, at least there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. The Vikes can fill in the remaining holes next year.

I think Mistral Raymond is gonna start opposite of Smith he flashed a little last year.

I didn't say they were bulletproof.

Winfield should still have enough in the tank to play a bit more than nickel. He also might come back and start, I wouldn't put it past him. Carr is not a rookie, so can he rekindle some of what he flashed in Baltimore? Cook has something to prove, last year before he fell into his legal mess he was showing the ability to cover guys like Calvin Johnson.

If you put two guys out there who can cover, and you known Cook can play coverage, then you are going to decrease the growing pains at safety. Also, last time I checked our DL is pretty good at rushing the passer.

I think this unit has the potential to be VERY good. We won't know until September, but I'm excited about it.

He also has some big injury concerns. IF he is healthy, he is the main part of our defense.

Pelissero, scouts break down Christian Ponder.

Vikings will be patient, but pressure's on Ponder

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Peli ... nder080912

Very good read. Thanks for the post, DP.

Thanks for the link!

From the article:



Some of the won't be forgiving at all. That's a given.

As Pelissero wrote, the rough times are far from over. Anybody expecting Ponder to look like a polished, finished product at QB this year is probably not being realistic. As fans, we're just going to have to be patient and hope that by the end of the season, Ponder has shown us that he is improving, learning, and on the right track to become the QB the Vikes need him to be in the long term.

Equally important is the gradual build of the entire offense, in my view. I keep thinking of Denny Green's "QB friendly offense." Green didn't have everything right, but he did understand the need to insulate the QB with surrounding talent. It appears as if Spielman is trying to do the same thing by improving the entire offensive machine around Ponder.

Agreed... and that's yet another reason to be patient. Building that offensive machine will take time.

By the way, I wish your avatar would stop staring at me. It's giving me the creeps!

Green also understood the value of having a vet at QB. Part of his success came because he kept on plugging in guys in Moon, Brad Johnson, Cunningham, McMahon, etc, to run his offense. None of those guys were standouts when they arrived in Minnesota, but every one of them knew how to win with the right tools and Green's offenses provided the right tools.

The key for Ponder is going to be the mistakes side of the equation. And for me, more specifically, I'll be watching what Ponder does when things break down and he has to move. Is he moving to create more opportunities to look down the field, or is he taking off and taking the resulting abuse from defensive players who are more than happy to tee off on him? I think that is going to say a lot about his future in the NFL. The great QB's are invariably wired to throw the ball and will take off very rarely even with pressure on them, while the TJacks of the NFL are more than content to turn the QB position into a running position at the first sign of trouble. And those guys almost always end up getting shut down because once they put that tendency on tape defensive coordinators can gameplan to shut it down.

I know what you mean and QBs should definitely look to pass before running (and sometimes even while running) but I wouldn't say great QBs are invariably wired to throw the ball and take off very rarely. That describes a certain type of great QB but not all of them. Tarkenton spent a lot of time running. Steve Young and John Elway were great and they took off and made big plays running with the ball all the time. Aaron Rodgers has 124 carries for 7 TDs and over 600 yards in the past two years so he's been more than willing to run.

I definitely think Ponder has to run smart and avoid taking unnecessary hits but he has the athleticism to make plays with his legs and as Rodgers has been showing, there's nothing wrong with making that choice as long as it's not done recklessly.