Ponder wants to complete 75% of his pass attempts

**marshallvike** · 08-18-2012, 09:58 PM

**kyleburkle** · 08-19-2012, 12:40 AM

ponder looks good, minnesota is laughing all the way they didnt enter the matt flynn sweepstakes and just stick to the kid

**MrFlix** · 08-19-2012, 02:33 AM

If you don't put the bar high you are not gonna get somewhere. It's a goal and thats good. Just like AP's goal was to start Week 1 and we all know how many critics told him it couldn't be done. He has potential in him.

**NodakPaul** · 08-19-2012, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by singersp

10 passes is a small sample size out of an entire season. It wasn't even a complete game. It was nice to see while he was in there, but I don't expect the regular season to go as easily as a preseason game.

Of those 10 passes only one was deep. Of the 9 remaining passes how far were the passes actually thrown, excluding YAC?

Who cares how far the passes were actually thrown? The point behind the 75% goal is to minimize third and long situations. And it is working...

**singersp** · 08-19-2012, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by NodakPaul

Who cares how far the passes were actually thrown? The point behind the 75% goal is to minimize third and long situations. And it is working...

At least for 1 quarter of a pre-season game it's working, thanx to the YAC.

I don't think come the regular season we are going to see 33% of our short dumps on 1st & 2nd downs going for 19 yards+ like we did in this game, especially when Adrian Peterson is in there.

When Ponder did pass on 3rd down, we only converted once & averaged 2.7 yards per attempt.

Again, it was only a pre-season game & only a little over 1 quarter of play we're talking about.

Are small sample sizes relevant again & are pre-season games meaningful again? That seems to constantly change depending on what QB or player we are talking about.

It shows a little more promise, which is more than we had last year.

**Purple Floyd** · 08-19-2012, 10:51 PM

It's only pre season so you have to take things with a grain of salt but the thing that did stand out to me is that they were getting YAC and in this WCO that is a key thing. The way you get YAC in the WCO is to deliver the ball on time and hit the WR in stride without having to stop, reach or change his direction to catch it.

While I am not convinced this is a sure fire thing with Ponder, or even that it is happening to a large degree right now, one thing we should agree with is that is how it is supposed to look and if we are finally getting a QB other than Farve that can do it we are on the right track. We have been missing that for many years now.

**singersp** · 08-20-2012, 04:38 AM

Originally Posted by Purple Floyd

It's only pre season so you have to take things with a grain of salt but the thing that did stand out to me is that they were getting YAC and in this WCO that is a key thing. The way you get YAC in the WCO is to deliver the ball on time and hit the WR in stride without having to stop, reach or change his direction to catch it.

While I am not convinced this is a sure fire thing with Ponder, or even that it is happening to a large degree right now, one thing we should agree with is that is how it is supposed to look and if we are finally getting a QB other than Farve that can do it we are on the right track. We have been missing that for many years now.

It is a good thing to see, but is part of it because the veteran defensive players aren't giving 100% in a preseason game? Hopefully not, but were going to find out in 3 weeks.

Part of it is in play calling & I've always wanted to see more of it. Too often in the past we sent receivers out, had them stop short of the 1st down, turn wait for the ball, catch it & then turn & try to get a 1st down, only to be tackled by the defender at the point of the catch, short of the first down.

**vikinggreg** · 08-20-2012, 08:50 AM

Ponder In Command On 1st And 2nd Down

Ponder put the theory to practice on Friday night against the Buffalo Bills. He was 8 of 10 for 128 yards with 1 TD on 1st and 2nd downs, an impressive display of passing that left the team and its fans optimistic about Ponder’s continued develop and the progression of the offense. Furthermore, Ponder connected with 7 different receivers on those 8 completions, and 5 of the 8 completions resulted in a 1st down or touchdown.

**Minniman** · 08-22-2012, 11:52 AM

In context, it is a reasonable goal. Ponder simply stated that, in the Vikings ball control offense, they will need to have a 75% completion ratio on 1st and 2nd down to allow the offense flexibility on 3rd down.

That's the goal. Ponder and the coaches know it will not always work out that way. They are just looking for goals that will allow the team to evaluate their own performances. I do not believe Ponder or the coaches expect a 75% completion ratio overall for season stats. They do expect that they will not reach the goal at times and will likely lose some games because of it.

Watching preseason games, the Vikings offense may have trouble with this, as receivers have dropped many catchable balls from Ponder.

**NoCalOnline** · 09-07-2012, 06:35 PM

The good - this is a west coast aka Vikings of the 70s w Foreman offense which relies on a heavy dose of short and intermediate passes. Harvin, Carlson, Rudolph and AP r terrific targets in that scheme.
The bad - minniman u r correct. Too many drops by WRs in preseason makes me wonder even if Ponder puts the ball where Brees Rodgers and Brady do which often requires athletic adjustments, completion pct is likely to b less than Ponder's goal
The ugly - too many injuries and Simpson's suspension create real doubts if the timing and chemistry r strong enough to have an efficient passing game early