Ponder progressing

[Mothman]

There have been some good points made about consistency but I also think it's worth remembering that inconsistency is extremely common with developing QBs so while it can't continue forever, the Vikes might be pretty patient with it if it continues next season, (particularly early in the season), as long as they still feel that Ponder is progressing.

[sdranger]

Just maybe getting the "marriage" deal out of the way and coaches re-adjusting have helped him. Do I ever think he will be a Brady... no. But no one and I mean no one thought Brady was going to be Brady. Heck if he turns out to be an Eli I'll be happy and anyone that thinks Eli is the end all at QB is sadly mistaken. It takes a team, give Spielman and Frazier another draft to see what they can do to help the kid then I'll decide.

[Cliff]

There have been some good points made about consistency but I also think it's worth remembering that inconsistency is extremely common with developing QBs so while it can't continue forever, the Vikes might be pretty patient with it if it continues next season, (particularly early in the season), as long as they still feel that Ponder is progressing.

I was about to post something similar. If the biggest issue with Ponder after 1.5 years as starter is consistancy, well ... isn't that just about every young QB to come into the league?

[dead_poet]

I was about to post something similar. If the biggest issue with Ponder after 1.5 years as starter is consistency, well ... isn't that just about every young QB to come into the league?

I think more pressure is put on first-round QBs (especially lately) to be consistently GOOD, immediately. Fair or not, people judge players (quarterbacks especially) on their draft position. At 12, Ponder isn't that much further behind guys like RGIII, Luck, Ryan, ahead of Flacco, Rodgers and a full two rounds ahead of Russell Wilson. There are expectations for him to be like those guys, who have been far more efficient, seemingly right out of the gate. The expected learning curve over the last few years has been severely shortened.

[mansquatch]

There are differences between expectations and reality though. Rogers was drafted in 2005 and didn't start until 2008. He wasn't really "great" until 2010. That is 6 seasons removed from his draft date.

I do not see us waiting 6 whole seasons on Ponder, my point is more that despite "learning" on the bench for 3 seasons, Rogers still took a few seasons as a starter to really put it all together.

To me all this says is we still do not know what we have in Ponder. We've seen some decent highs and some terrible lows. What matters to me is he got better in December, which is when it really counts. Teams on the move win in December. Hopefully we can see the team/ Ponder continue this trajectory.

[losperros]

I think more pressure is put on first-round QBs (especially lately) to be consistently GOOD, immediately. Fair or not, people judge players (quarterbacks especially) on their draft position. At 12, Ponder isn't that much further behind guys like RGIII, Luck, Ryan, ahead of Flacco, Rodgers and a full two rounds ahead of Russell Wilson. There are expectations for him to be like those guys, who have been far more efficient, seemingly right out of the gate. The expected learning curve over the last few years has been severely shortened.

All the above posts sound good and they're probably absolutely correct. But Eli is also right. The NFL is loaded with QBs that are inconsistent. I think Frazier and his staff are looking for more than that from a "franchise QB." So I think they will be looking for more consistency from Ponder and I think that's fair.

I still say that if Ponder has a streak of bad games next year and the most consistent part of his performance is that he's inconsistent, then Frazier and his staff just might lose their patience with him. Ponder seems to have plenty of skill to me. I don't buy the "noodle arm" nonsense or any of that. However, his technique, especially his footwork, is sometimes just plain bad. What do you bet that the coaching staff gives him a finite amount of time to get that part of his game straight?

[Mothman]

I still say that if Ponder has a streak of bad games next year and the most consistent part of his performance is that he's inconsistent, then Frazier and his staff just might lose their patience with him. Ponder seems to have plenty of skill to me. I don't buy the "noodle arm" nonsense or any of that. However, his technique, especially his footwork, is sometimes just plain bad. What do you bet that the coaching staff gives him a finite amount of time to get that part of his game straight?

I definitely think that part of his game could get him benched sooner than later if he doesn't keep improving it. It's that and the really bad decisions, like the forced throws for INTs in GB several weeks ago, that could get Ponder benched. Hopefully, we won't see much, if any, of that stuff going forward.

Who they have backing him up next year may tell us more about how short his leash will be than anything else.

Right now, Ponder seems to be on the right track again. Hopefully, it's all up from here.

[VikeMike]

I'm going to be a downer here, I guess. I like Ponder, I want him to succeed. But despite improvement over the past few games I still have serious doubts about his long term viability. His field vision is still suspect. His long pass accuracy is still a weakness.
I am still willing to give him another season to see what happens, but I have a hard time getting my hopes up. The inconsistencies are still inconsistent. And that's a problem.

You basically said what I had planned to say. Some players take time to develop, some take less. I like the fact that he bounced back after some really horrid quarterbacking. I'm hoping he continues his development, but ther are no guarantees. A nice sign is that he didn't shrink in easily the biggest game of his short career --- yes, yes, it was at home, etc., but every team has a few examples of a player taking the step back in these situations. It doesn't mean that he will eventually become a legitimate starting QB over the long haul, but it does give some hope.

[BGM]

Just my opinion here, but what I see from Ponder are not the inconsistent efforts you expect to see from young QBs, but WILDLY varying inconsistencies and not enough strides forward. The one constant, his weakness seeing the field (again, in my opinion), is one of his very real drawbacks. Even with this group of sub-par receivers, he missed seeing open receivers on a regular basis, especially in the midst of his rough patch. Whether that is the result of his vision, or how he has been coached to operate in Musgrave's offense, is debatable.

I do appreciate his resiliency and his ability to shake off bad performances. That will serve him well, even should he become a journeyman QB. But is there enough there to make him a starter? We'll see...

I hope I am wrong and will happily eat crow should I be, but what I have seen so far does not give me cause to worry about having a feast of fowl anytime soon.