Vikings QB Christian Ponder on the draft: 'This is my team'

[Purple bruise]

I am a Ponder fan and I believe that he will do extremely well this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hj3SwKz ... r_embedded

[jackal]

Sage is a good back up that will be a lot more of a team player than some other guys .. who really want to start

[MrPurplenGold]

I am a Ponder fan and I believe that he will do extremely well this year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hj3SwKz ... r_embedded

There's a couple of things that I took from this video

1. Ponder is extremely athletic, much more than anyone probably gave him credit for coming out of college.
2. Ponder relies too much on his athletic ability. Instead of being patient, he knows in the back of his mind that he can take off and run if his 1st read isn't there which I think hurts his ability to progress through his reads.
3. When screen passes are a part of a quarterback's highlight film, there's a problem.
4. Most of Ponder's best throws came on designed bootlegs. While being accurate on the run is a positive, he needs to get better in the pocket.
5. Rudolph may not be a deep threat, but his hands and jumping ability are as good if not better than Sidney Rice's. If they don't get him more involved in the redzone and short yardage situations there's a problem.


All in all I think Ponder has the ability to be good. He just needs to work on being a QB more so than an athlete.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

There's a couple of things that I took from this video

1. Ponder is extremely athletic, much more than anyone probably gave him credit for coming out of college.
2. Ponder relies too much on his athletic ability. Instead of being patient, he knows in the back of his mind that he can take off and run if his 1st read isn't there which I think hurts his ability to progress through his reads.
3. When screen passes are a part of a quarterback's highlight film, there's a problem.
4. Most of Ponder's best throws came on designed bootlegs. While being accurate on the run is a positive, he needs to get better in the pocket.
5. Rudolph may not be a deep threat, but his hands and jumping ability are as good if not better than Sidney Rice's. If they don't get him more involved in the redzone and short yardage situations there's a problem.

All in all I think Ponder has the ability to be good. He just needs to work on being a QB more so than an athlete.

I think Rudolph has a very good year for us this season. I just hope he is involved in the red zone immensely like you mentioned. I don't want another 2007-2008 Sidney Rice situation. Man, I don't how many times I was begging for Childress to put Sidney Rice in red zone situations in those early years.

[bigskyeric]

Ponder was less then stellar his freshmen seasons in both highschool and college. Then lit it up in both sophomore years. I'm confident we'll see a completely different Quarterback this year, one with some protection, a few new targets, and playing for a team that's main story isn't 'they're moving to Los Angeles'. It's a new beginning for this team, and I'm as pumped as I was when I found out Favre was coming to town.

[S197]

4. Most of Ponder's best throws came on designed bootlegs. While being accurate on the run is a positive, he needs to get better in the pocket.

This is pretty common for most rookie QB's, he should be able to work on this. He has showed some poise in the pocket but the line last year didn't help him much. Ponder's vision is what concerns me most.

[Eli]

Vision and poise in the pocket go hand in hand. There's little question in my mind that Ponder will improve as he get more experience. The biggest question in my mind is how much better? Is he capable of becoming an elite QB? Is he capable of just becoming a decent NFL starter? Let's all hope so, because if not, the Vikings could find themselves back to fishing for a QB in two or three years, and those two or three years won't be fun.

[Rus]

Ponder still reminds me today of the player I thought he was like when he was drafted: Rich Gannon. The only difference between them was that Gannon was basically a wildcat quarterback that played in that type of offense in college (but he knew how to play quarterback well, as his fairly long career proved otherwise). Ponder played in a pro offense, so he's picked things up better. But as far as their scrambling and passing abilities? Dead on. They even have almost the same body type (Ponder's a little stouter). Gannon was more intense and a harder worker, Ponder seems more cerebral and a little less intense. Still a little afraid to call Ponder Young-like at this point, after last season. I understand the whole thing about Payton Manning's first few seasons being rough, but I have to say that Ponder had more to work with last year than Manning had in 98/99 and did less with it.

My comparison with Gannon in no way is intended to diminish Ponder or anything. I've always felt that Rich Gannon was one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the NFL. Even back when there was a quarterback controversy between Tommy Kramer and Wade Wilson, his teammates would grumble that Gannon was better than both of them. Took Rich almost 10 years to convince coaches (that weren't Minnesota coaches) that he was a starting quarterback. Statistically, Gannon's first season was right on par with Christian's, too (if you project Ponder out to 16 games).

That said, Steve Young's first few years (in Tampa) were bad. Look up the stats. You look at those, and all you can do is scratch your head and say "what did he do to turn THAT around?" His first two years he was throwing way more interceptions than touchdowns. His completion percentage was sub-54% (which is where Ponder's was last year). And then you notice what happened... he went to the Niners (with all those old guys who were guaranteed HOF'ers...vs. Tampa in the mid-80's). Personnel really does make a quarterback great.

[Purple bruise]

Man I like Ponder's attitude, he will be a very good QB.

http://www.kfan.com/player/?station=KFX ... d=22168579

[dead_poet]

Vikings name Christian Ponder their Vikings Children's Fund Rookie of the Year for 2011. Honored for representing himself well on+off field.

Dan Wiederer on Twitter

[dead_poet]

Jaws QB Countdown: Christian Ponder

Some of you have noticed that ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski is conducting a 30-part review of the NFL's top quarterbacks, a production that should generate considerable interest in this division as we approach the top 10. The NFC North portion kicked off, however, with the Minnesota Vikings' Christian Ponder checking in at No. 28.

(Tim Tebow was No. 30 and Blaine Gabbert was No. 29, for those interested.)

Some excerpts from the guru:

"Ponder has many of the attributes I look for when I evaluate quarterbacks. I saw pocket movement, the ability to move within the pocket, maintain downfield focus and deliver the football with accuracy. I also saw the added dimension of getting outside the pocket in response to pressure with the speed to create an explosive gain. And how about this for a rookie quarterback: Ponder’s rating was 114, the NFL’s best inside the 20. His movement was also a big factor, as was his willingness to make stick throws into those small windows, a necessity in the tight red zone area. …

As he begins his second season, Ponder needs work as a progression reader. He had a tendency to predetermine some throws, and, in addition, there were too many times he did not recognize the coverage."

Full blog post: http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_ ... ian-ponder

[dead_poet]

Fun/promising stat for Harvin:

After Ponder took over, #Vikings WR Percy Harvin closed out 2011 with 723 offensive yards & 7 TDs in last 7 games. 1,653-yard, 16-TD pace.

Evan Silva on Twitter

[dead_poet]

Fun/promising stat for Harvin:

After Ponder took over, #Vikings WR Percy Harvin closed out 2011 with 723 offensive yards & 7 TDs in last 7 games. 1,653-yard, 16-TD pace.

Evan Silva on Twitter

Wes Welker is generally considered NFL's best slot receiver, but he's not. It's Percy Harvin. I'd wager #Patriots would take Harvin, too.

[BGM]

Fun/promising stat for Harvin:
Evan Silva on Twitter

That bodes well for the future!! I am really looking forward to seeing the offense progress with a full off-season to be implemented. If Ponder can start reading coverages better, I think we'll see a dangerously good passing game.

[hibbingviking]

love ponder when he's out of the pocket. should be interesting with a full training camp and better protection and wr's. shouldnt have to score 30 points either to win, defense should be improved. he has pretty could pocket awareness and presence for a rookie.