Vikings Message Board.Com

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."

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.

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...

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.