Was this Christian Ponder's coming out party?

[Infinity]

I completely agree, great post. He definately has proved himself as a solid starting QB and I believe that he is the future of our team and is the key to getting us closer to the playoffs. He carried the team to the win yesterday and I think he has great potential and we will be able to rely on him for many years.

[Howlers]

I think Ponder is maturing into a very nice player. He had the look of a veteran QB last night and showed some wheels too on his touchdown run. He's been consistently finding Rudolph and Harvin, with some nice cameos by Aromashudu, Burton and Jenkins. With Simpson coming back next week, the stage is set for what could be a very nice season! Skol!

[vikeinmontana]

there will be ups and downs all season. he is progressing which is all i care about. when he looks bad i don't freak out and bash him because it's a marathon. and while i've had this kids back since last year, i'm not getting too excited simply because of yesterday. it was one good game. all i care about is that he continues to improve and make the team better.

one thing for certain, based on his teammates comments which is all that matters, is they have full confidence in him. so it doesn't matter if random fans think he's not good.....people around the league, teammates and not, seem to think he is a very capable nfl starter. i agree.

[Hunter Morrow]

Anybody else hate the term coming out party? Yeah, he came out on national television, then took a shower with 50 men.

Okay.

Can we go back to the phrase "statement game" please? As if football wasn't homoerotic enough as it is.

[Mothman]

there will be ups and downs all season. he is progressing which is all i care about. when he looks bad i don't freak out and bash him because it's a marathon. and while i've had this kids back since last year, i'm not getting too excited simply because of yesterday. it was one good game. all i care about is that he continues to improve and make the team better.

one thing for certain, based on his teammates comments which is all that matters, is they have full confidence in him. so it doesn't matter if random fans think he's not good.....people around the league, teammates and not, seem to think he is a very capable nfl starter. i agree.

I agree too.

Ponder is still only 13 starts into his NFL career. In other words, he's started less than one full season's worth of games and he's been through one normal offseason with the team. I'm finding his performance thus far in 2012 very encouraging but I agree with you: there will be ups and downs all season, not just for Ponder but for the Vikings. What I care about most this year is progress.

[Mothman]

Anybody else hate the term coming out party? Yeah, he came out on national television, then took a shower with 50 men.

Okay.

Can we go back to the phrase "statement game" please? As if football wasn't homoerotic enough as it is.

LOL! Okay, but when makes his 16th NFL start can we still refer to it as a "sweet sixteen"?

[FailedtoOpen]

5th highest passer rating and 2nd highest completion percentage. I know stats don't mean everything but they're something to be slightly proud of.

As for the game I hope it was it will be looked at as the turning point of his career. Although I fear he will fall back into inconsistency.

[Mothman]

5th highest passer rating and 2nd highest completion percentage. I know stats don't mean everything but they're something to be slightly proud of. .

Agreed. They don't mean everything but they aren't meaningless either. In addition to the stats you posted, Ponder is 2nd in 1st down % and one of only 3 starting QBs who haven't thrown an INT this season (the other two are Kolb and Gabbert).

As for the game I hope it was it will be looked at as the turning point of his career. Although I fear he will fall back into inconsistency.

That's practically a certainty at his experience level.

[S197]

I think he made good strides over last week particularly with his pre-snap reads and how he reacted under pressure. But perception can change by just a handful of plays. Had Rudolph dropped that TD when Peterson was wide open and the SF Defender caught that gift of an interception, his day wouldn't have looked as rosy.

I think as others have mentioned, it's still too early to tell but it is encouraging to see him progress. He struggled greatly with the Lions secondary last year so this should be a very good litmus test.

[Tark10]

Don't get too high with this one and don't get too low when he stinks up the joint. GIVE HIM TIME. He did play well yesterday. The entire team played well yesterday. It was a big step. Enjoy the ride for now and just be patient....