Turner has Bridgewater on Fast Track

[dead_poet]

when we drafted ponder 12th overall the guys on the panel actually laughed. although i agree its too early to anoint teddy "the king" comparing him to ponder is off base. for the majority of last year bridgewater was the consensus number 1 overall pick. yes he had a bad pro day, but who doesn't have bad days? i have several every week.

Do you wear gloves? You should wear gloves. Because, gloves.

[Funkytown]

NFL Network's Albert Breer's "sense is" Teddy Bridgewater has "closed the gap" on Matt Cassel.

This is certainly the way the wind is blowing. One report even indicated Bridgewater handled more first-team throws than Cassel at Wednesday's practice, by a 13 to 11 count. Christian Ponder opened camp sprinkled in with the ones, but his reps have gone to Teddy. Of all this year's rookie quarterbacks, Bridgewater has emerged as the likeliest to start his team's season opener.

Source: Albert Breer on Twitter

[Dirtyswabby]

I have been watching Arif's twitter pretty closely since camp started, since he is pretty much giving a play by play. He has said several times that the reps aren't being split, Bridgewater did finally get reps with the first team yesterday and did fine. But all the indications are that the splitting reps things has not been truthful until yesterday. The way I see it, unless Bridgewater blows them away in Preseason, Cassel is probably going to get the nod.

[Eli]

Do you wear gloves? You should wear gloves. Because, gloves.

And skinny knees? Norv. Gloves. Zimmer. HoF.

[dead_poet]

And skinny knees? Norv. Gloves. Zimmer. HoF.

I don't know if it's because I only got about two hours of sleep last night but this really made me laugh.

[smallsnc]

Field vision:Ponder does a good job diagnosing what the defense is trying to throw at him. He has the presence to identify pre snap alignments and potential blitzers. After the snap he is comfortable going across the field with his progressions. He doesn’t panic when his first read is covered and quickly looks to his secondary reads. The most important skill Ponder possesses is the way he anticipates his throws. He gets the ball quickly out of his hands and before his target makes their break. He trusts that his wide receivers will run the correct route. His anticipation is going to be the key to his NFL success because of his limited arm strength.

http://www.sbnation.com/2011/2/7/197820 ... ing-report[/quote]

Ouch. That last one couldn't be further from the truth.[/quote]

People must not have watch the film of him playing NC State in college. State had DBs who could actually run with the FSU receivers and completely overmatched Ponder. I know in one game (junior year I believe) he threw 6 interceptions and looked liked a "deer in the headlights". Both of my sons were screaming at the TV when our Ponder pick was announced because they could not believe we had just set ourselves back a couple of years.

[Mothman]

I have been watching Arif's twitter pretty closely since camp started, since he is pretty much giving a play by play. He has said several times that the reps aren't being split, Bridgewater did finally get reps with the first team yesterday and did fine. But all the indications are that the splitting reps things has not been truthful until yesterday. The way I see it, unless Bridgewater blows them away in Preseason, Cassel is probably going to get the nod.

On a related note:

Turner: Preseason to weigh 'heavily' on QB decision

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner wouldn’t go into details about how the reps will be divided between quarterbacks Matt Cassel, Teddy Bridgewater and Christian Ponder, but he said on Wednesday he expects the preseason games will weigh heavily into Zimmer’s decision on choosing a starter.

“We will have these guys ready, and they will have an opportunity to prepare and compete for the job,” Turner said. “Whoever ends up being the starting quarterback, he will be ready to play on opening day. I don’t have any concerns about that."

Turner again reiterated that the organization won’t be afraid to start Bridgewater if he outperforms Cassel and Ponder in training camp. While the quarterbacks are wearing red non-contact jerseys during practice, Turner said Bridgewater has been outstanding handling pressure.

[dead_poet]

People must not have watch the film of him playing NC State in college. State had DBs who could actually run with the FSU receivers and completely overmatched Ponder. I know in one game (junior year I believe) he threw 6 interceptions and looked liked a "deer in the headlights".

He never tossed 6 INTs in one game. His junior year against NC State he completed 65% of his passes for 277 yards, 1 TD & 2 INTs. FSU won that game. The next week vs. Clemson he thew 4 interceptions, which isn't much of a consolation (but it's not 6). They lost that one. Before those six in that two-game span he only tossed one the previous seven games (to 12 TDs, five of which came in one game).

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/pla ... elog/2009/

[UltraNasty850]

I have read thru this entire thread. First off, why are we wasting time arguing about what people said about Ponder when he was drafted? That is all in the past... we don't even have the same coaches here. There is really NO way to compare Ponder to Bridgewater unless they were in the same draft class drafted by the same team... Ponder was a reach at 12 and shouldn't have been taken until the 3rd round. Ponder has plenty of tools, but he just can't get the job done. Teddy is a different player than Ponder. IMO, Teddy had a much better college career than Ponder.

Second, it is way to early in camp to be making judgement calls. Watching Norv's presser, you hear that they are only on Install 4 of 10. There is still plenty of new things EVERYONE will have to learn and pick up on before the season starts. Even the first couple of preseason games will only showcase a fraction of the offense. At this point, It is my firm belief they are looking at Teddy to make sure hes got all of the essential tools to be a starting NFL QB. One of his best attributes is his ability to stay in the pocket and not fold under pressure. This is something that Ponder couldn't do. You hear Norv talk about how Teddy can stay put in the pocket and make throws with not much space to work with. I don't know about you but I am sure tired of watching Ponder run away from "ghost" defenders who aren't even there.

We all know what we have in Cassel. I respect the guy and will not be upset if he is the guy week 1. I believe Cassel can win us 9 or 10 games if the rest of the team is playing up to their potential. Guys, remember we lost 5 early games last year because our defense couldn't make a stop. Everyone is focused on the exciting vet/rookie QB battle, but we should really be picking apart our brand new defense.

No matter what happens, stay positive folks. We have something going here. It may take a couple years, but we are headed in the right direction.

SKOL!

[losperros]

I think a lot of that feeling can be summed up by Ponder being a reach pick at #12 while Teddy feels like great value at #32. Otherwise I probably feel pretty much the same about Teddy as I did Ponder in that seems like he has all the tools to do the job, but can he? I do think Teddy is the better prospect though.

I completely agree. Ponder was considered a big reach, even a desperation move of sorts. That had a lot of impact on how he was perceived from the get-go.

While I'm delighted the Vikings drafted Bridgewater and I admired the kid's work in college, he's still a draft pick that hasn't played one pro game yet. Personally, I think the Vikings might have gotten it right this time. But I need to see it to believe it.

[PurpleKoolaid]

I agree with you, but let's keep in mind the exact same thing could've been said about Ponder (and was).

By who (whom?)? He was a projected 3rd rd pick whose main claim to fame was having a high IQ. Ponder was never spoken about as a leader, or many other traits of a QB. Teddy has been for years, and even though it seemed like his stock was falling, Norv and Co. though of him as a top 5-10 pick. When was anything like that said about he who should never even be mentioned in a QB thread? Why even bring it up.

[PurpleKoolaid]

Many of the same things were said of Ponder. Smart. Quick learner. Hard worker. Eager student. Can make all the throws.

But I'm not sure I can recall anyone complementing his quick release, his vision, or anticipation. And that's exactly how he failed. He was always a half step behind everyone else on the field.

Fraizer said the said thing about every other rookie we had. Didn't mean squat to me then. The only thing P was a quick learner of was, tucking the ball in and running the split second after the first read wasn't there.

[dead_poet]

By who (whom?)?

I hate to keep bringing this up, but the poster mentioned Bridgewater's willingness to listen (coachable/understanding the game), work ethic and football IQ. These were some of the best traits Christian Ponder was praised for coming out of FSU. Look up most any scouting report.

He was a projected 3rd rd pick

Again, I hate beating this to death but inaccuracy is a pet peeve of mine. Ponder was projected as a third-round pick by some, certainly not all. In fact, I'd say those that predicted him as a third-rounder or later were probably the minority. McShay had him as a first/second rounder: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft201 ... lmockdraft

Second rounder: http://draftbreakdown.com/scouting-repo ... an-ponder/
1/2 rounder: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/ds ... &genpos=qb
Top 50-pick: http://www.profootballweekly.com/2011/0 ... hristian-p

whose main claim to fame was having a high IQ.

That was thought of as one of his positive traits. There were others (mobility, accuracy, quick release).

Ponder was never spoken about as a leader, or many other traits of a QB.

Yes he was. It was written about many times in his first couple of seasons and he had those great "intangibles" you always hear are important.

Frazier told us, “We needed a franchise quarterback, and we wanted Christian Ponder.” He urged skeptics and critics to go back to 2009, when Ponder was healthy. He gushed about Ponder’s charisma, leadership and infectious swagger.

http://xfinity.comcast.net/slideshow/sp ... gambles/4/

"I think Christian's really growing," coach Leslie Frazier said. "He's more confident. He's showing more command. He's growing as a leader. Just the fact that he never got shaken, even after that interception. I'm sure he'll tell you, that was not the right decision to throw that football where he threw it. But that did not cause him to go in the tank and have self-doubt. He came back and played some of his best football. He's growing and maturing as a quarterback."

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Vik ... ulder.html

--- Christian Ponder is speaking up more. Every young quarterback is different. In Seattle, Russell Wilson grabbed ahold of his locker room from day one. For Minnesota's Ponder, the process has been gradual. On Wednesday, defensive end Jared Allen said Ponder "has put himself more towards the front of our team" through the Vikings' four-game winning streak.

He's speaking up. And that, Allen says, is important.

"In the beginning of the year when he was having success, he wasn’t a vocal leader on the team," Allen said. "The last few games, he’s kind of brought the team up right before we break down. Not a whole lot has to be said but hearing your quarterback’s voice and knowing that he’s excited, when he’s pumped up, it gives you the confidence that ‘OK, the head of our offense, he’s ready to go.’"

In Kansas City, Allen always knew it was Trent Green's team. Green made a point to speak up.

Even though the Vikings have a core group of veterans in Allen, Chad Greenway, Antoine Winfield, Kevin Williams and Adrian Peterson, Allen wants his quarterback to be vocal.

"Your quarterback has to be that dominating force and has to be that guy that everybody looks to," Allen said. "I think that’s really what he’s starting to do and he’s really starting to accept that role and being comfortable with it.

"It’s just him physically getting everybody going like ‘Alright, let’s get ready to play!’ and breaking it down. Sometimes in the back you’re like ‘Ahhh!’ But to see him in the center and him being the dominant voice of that whole team huddle sends a message that ‘OK, he’s ready to go.’ Let’s go out and let’s get this done."

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/185465501.html

There are other examples.

Teddy has been for years, and even though it seemed like his stock was falling, Norv and Co. though of him as a top 5-10 pick.

A nice sentiment, but he was there when they selected at #9, so why didn't they take him if they felt that strongly?

Why even bring it up.

Let's just say I'm very cautiously optimistic about Bridgewater but I'm not allowing myself to get too excited because some of the same things that are being said about Teddy were being said about Ponder at this time of year. I'm like a hurt woman looking for a new man to be in a long-term relationship with after just getting out of yet another abusive one.

[Mothman]

LOL! Man, those Ponder-related scars sure run deep.

[S197]

From what I've read, Ponder has gotten next to no reps in 11-on-11 so far. That will change in the preseason games as the Vikings are running with just the 3 rather than 4 like in years past. It will be interesting to see how they split up the time but it's fair to say they should all see a good amount of reps compared to previous years when guys like Vandenberg would come in to eat up garbage time.