Re: Vikings QB Christian Ponder on the draft: 'This is my te
Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 1:04 pm
I think Carr is ahead of Robinson on the depth chart right now. Of course all that can change in camp.
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Ah yes, thanks.S197 wrote:I think Carr is ahead of Robinson on the depth chart right now. Of course all that can change in camp.
I think Mistral Raymond is gonna start opposite of Smith he flashed a little last year.Eli wrote: 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.
He also has some big injury concerns. IF he is healthy, he is the main part of our defense.Eli wrote:At cornerback, Winfield is 102 years old, and may only play part time covering the slot receiver.
Very good read. Thanks for the post, DP.dead_poet wrote:Pelissero, scouts break down Christian Ponder.
Vikings will be patient, but pressure's on Ponder
http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Peli ... nder080912
Thanks for the link!dead_poet wrote:Pelissero, scouts break down Christian Ponder.
Vikings will be patient, but pressure's on Ponder
http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Peli ... nder080912
Some of the won't be forgiving at all. That's a given.The Vikings are committed to seeing that process through. They're committed to focusing on the traits they see in Ponder through the rough times everyone acknowledges are far from over.
"He's got to go through a storm or two," Johnson said, "because I don't want him thinking he goes from, 'Oh, I'm struggling' to, 'I've got it made.'"
After two last-place seasons, though, fans may not be so forgiving.
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.Mothman wrote: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.
Agreed... and that's yet another reason to be patient. Building that offensive machine will take time.losperros wrote: 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.
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.losperros wrote: 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.
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.VikingLord wrote: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.