Imposing his will on the quarterback job as a rookie was difficult, Ponder said, because he wasn't yet established. Though the Vikings still have a strong veteran presence in the locker room, Ponder now tries to make his presence felt, even with subtle gestures such as organizing extra throwing sessions.
"We throw every day," Ponder said. "Even on off days, I make myself available if guys want to come in and get extra work. Today we're doing film, then we work out in the weight room and do our running, and we all throw afterwards. Everyone's out there. Once the new guys get here, they'll be a part of it, too."
Throwing to Simpson is one of Ponder's favorite parts of the day. Apparently Simpson, who had 50 catches for 725 yards last season for Cincinnati but will serve a three-game suspension after pleading guilty to a felony drug charge, gets underneath everything Ponder throws.
"I was throwing post routes and trying to overthrow him and I couldn't," Ponder said. "The guy is so fast. He's so athletic. I think he's going to be a great asset to our X position. And he's a great guy. I've been hanging out with him. He's real down to earth and so athletic."
At the end of the day it is all about what he does on the field, but you just have to like the way this guy handles himself. In some ways he reminds me of Steve Young. Good stuff.
Winning is not a sometime thing it is an all of the time thing - Vince Lombardi
I have hopes that Ponder will improve greatly and become a winner for the Vikings. But I guess I'm concerned about the OL, even with the addition of Kalil. Will it be ready to improve next season or is it still a work in progress that needs another season or two before it clicks?
Anyway, back to the article, I'm intrigued by Ponder's comments about Simpson's speed. Add Harvin and Wright to the mix and the Vikings now have some ultra fast WRs for Ponder. With Harvin and Wright, they don't always have to go deep either. Both those guys are capable of turning a 5 yard catch into a 50 yard gain, if the Vikings are willing to do more slants and quick hit passing.
mansquatch wrote:At the end of the day it is all about what he does on the field, but you just have to like the way this guy handles himself. In some ways he reminds me of Steve Young. Good stuff.
As you said, it's all about what he does on the field but I find it very reassuring that he's throwing every day and encouraging his receivers to work with him. That's an opportunity he didn't have last offseason and If he can use the spring and summer to develop some chemistry with his targets, that could really help him take a step forward. I still expect to see growing pains but I think he's capable of throwing 25 TDs this season. If he can do that and keep the INTs to half that number or less, that will be a great sign for the future!
He's definitely doing and saying all the right things. I think last year he answered any questions about his arm strength and now he's answering any questions about his leadership and work ethic, though I never really think they were in question. Now he just has to put it all together. His problem last year was reading defenses and leaving the pocket too soon. I think improved line play will help him with the latter and hopefully film study, good coaching and an upgraded WR Corps will help him with the first. I think he has all the makings to be a "franchise" QB though I doubt he'll ever be a Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady type QB, I don't see why he can't be a Matt Ryan type QB.
Tom Brady may have won the SB in 2001, but he wasn't the QB he is today in 2001. We just do not know if Ponder can or cannot be that great. HE needs time to show he can achieve that level. This is different than TJack who has been in the league for what 5 years? We know what his ceiling is. We do not yet know Ponders.
I recall last year when there was a lapse in the lockout for 24 hours and Ponder took the opportunity to get the playbook from Musgrave. (still in its infancy) He then tried to get guys together on their own to work with him on the offense. So seeing it now in a formal setting isn't surpsing. What is most impressive is that he is doing this on his own, a sign of a true leader.
Many questions still to be answered, but as has been said, he is doing and saying all the right things.
Winning is not a sometime thing it is an all of the time thing - Vince Lombardi
Mothman wrote:I still expect to see growing pains but I think he's capable of throwing 25 TDs this season. If he can do that and keep the INTs to half that number or less, that will be a great sign for the future!
We'll see...
I think if Ponder hits the 25-12 ratio the Vikes would be in contention for a wildcard.
For me, a lot of that final ratio is going to come down to how effective the TE's are in Musgrave's offense. The Vikings appear to have 2 TE's who can be very effective in the passing game, especially inside the red zone. But for Ponder to approach 25-12 he's going to have to turn that potential into reality. If he were to maximize that potential and find some contributors on the outside as well, I'd put his TD potential between 30-35. Of course, if he doesn't nix the INT's that doesn't mean much.
I'd say Ponder is likely to throw between 20-25 TDs, but I'm expecting a few more INT's, somewhere between 15-20. That should be good enough to land the Vikes between 6-7 wins.
It's easy to cheer for Ponder and I hope, for the Vikings and his sake, that he makes strides this season. Will be interesting to watch and see!!
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer." - Frank Zappa
wished the vikings would have picked up someone like garrard or jason campbell who would have pushed ponder more.
maybe this full training camp for him will be fantastic.
VikingLord wrote:
I think if Ponder hits the 25-12 ratio the Vikes would be in contention for a wildcard.
For me, a lot of that final ratio is going to come down to how effective the TE's are in Musgrave's offense. The Vikings appear to have 2 TE's who can be very effective in the passing game, especially inside the red zone. But for Ponder to approach 25-12 he's going to have to turn that potential into reality. If he were to maximize that potential and find some contributors on the outside as well, I'd put his TD potential between 30-35. Of course, if he doesn't nix the INT's that doesn't mean much.
I'd say Ponder is likely to throw between 20-25 TDs, but I'm expecting a few more INT's, somewhere between 15-20. That should be good enough to land the Vikes between 6-7 wins.
That sounds like a reasonable expectation. I'll be a little surprised if he can hit that 25-12 ratio in his second season.