Thread: We FINALLY have a franchise QB! (Official Ponder thread)

I would like to see him string two or three more good starts together before I call him a franchise QB, but I liked what I saw. His comp. % should get better as he plays more and more.

Originally Posted by MulletMullitia

Umm...his first ever start in the NFL, against a defending Super Bowl champion (undefeated) football team? Jesus. What more could he have done? Nothing more than okay? Did you even watch the game? Did you expect a Tom Brady-like performance? First of all, our pathetic excuse of a defense kept him on the field every 2 minutes. He avoided 10 sacks, made precision passes, converted on tons of 3rd downs, established the play-action, and put us in a position to beat the undefeated champions. He is smart, athletic, and poised. Look at Blaine Gabbert ("the fish out of water") on MNF right now. The pessimism on this site is so fucking depressing. The kid was our 1st round draft pick. Of course I expect him to be our franchise quarterback. The fact that he looks NFL-ready in his first start backs that up. Now let's give him a top 5 pick WR or LT, and we will be in business.

I might point out that the packers ahve the second worst pass defense in the league.

I like some of what I saw from Ponder, but drawing early comparisons to Steve young is a bit premature methinks.

At least he did better than TJ's first career start which was also vs. the Packers.

Originally Posted by i_bleed_purple

I might point out that the packers ahve the second worst pass defense in the league.

I like some of what I saw from Ponder, but drawing early comparisons to Steve young is a bit premature methinks.

At least he did better than TJ's first career start which was also vs. the Packers.

Steve Young was definitely a premature comparison. My Dad and I were talking about that today. He thinks Ponder reminds him of a younger version of his favorite all-time Viking, Fran Tarkenton. Not the best arm in the game, but that escapability is unreal. You can't teach that. Along with his poise and intelligence, I couldn't be happier. It's hard to compare him to anybody in the modern NFL, because a fair comparison doesn't exist. That mix of intelligence and athleticism just doesn't exist anymore. The big analysts comparison of Chad Pennington couldn't be any farther off. Who does he remind you guys of (in terms of a skill set comparison)? It's very hard to come up with one. I've been trying to think of one all day. I never saw Tark, so I just took my Dad's word for it.

Originally Posted by MulletMullitia

Steve Young was definitely a premature comparison. My Dad and I were talking about that today. He thinks Ponder reminds him of a younger version of his favorite all-time Viking, Fran Tarkenton. Not the best arm in the game, but that escapability is unreal. You can't teach that. Along with his poise and intelligence, I couldn't be happier. It's hard to compare him to anybody in the modern NFL, because a fair comparison doesn't exist. That mix of intelligence and athleticism just doesn't exist anymore. The big analysts comparison of Chad Pennington couldn't be any farther off. Who does he remind you guys of (in terms of a skill set comparison)? It's very hard to come up with one. I've been trying to think of one all day. I never saw Tark, so I just took my Dad's word for it.

Aaron Rodgers maybe?

Rodgers doesn't have the biggest arm in the game (definitely more than enough though), but he's a smart guy, can read a D well and has the escapability.

Once he settles down, and is able to pass from the pocket, I think he'll be good for us.

Ehhhh fuck ya'll haters. He's the future.

Originally Posted by Zeus

Wow. A 40% completion rate is the future? God, I hope not.

Ponder looked okay for a rookie. Nothing more.

Put it his way - if Ponder's stat line from yesterday was McNabb's - what would you be saying?

=Z=

+1

Definitely agreeing with Zeus here. 13-32 for 219 yards doesn't scream franchise QB to me. Especially when 1/3 of those yards came on 1 play.

He's showed promise, but he's definitely got to play a lot more games than just 1 before anyone can smartly make that call.

Yeah, I remember fans calling Greg Blue "a beast" after his first game & others comparing Jason Carter to Cris Carter after his first TD catch.

Don't believe we threw the franchise tag on either of them.

Originally Posted by singersp

Yeah, I remember fans calling Greg Blue "a beast" after his first game & others comparing Jason Carter to Cris Carter after his first TD catch.

Don't believe we threw the franchise tag on either of them.

Everone is looking for a little hope in the worst Vikings season in over 20 years.

Ponder did enough to offer that hope but it's a flight of fantasy to call him a 'franchise' QB at this point in time, though he appears to have the potential to become one.

He reminds me of Ponder; a rookie QB paying his dues and learning his craft.
He was fortunate not to have 3 or 4 more interceptions.

That's not hating, I'm quite excited with his play. But he needs time to learn and a better team around him.
Then he should become the franchise QB he was drafted to be.
As I said before, this team should be pretty good in a couple of years. I expect Ponder to play a huge role in that improvement.

Ponder had his moments, both good and bad. I would have liked to see more consistency, but thought he did a good job. Third quarter killed our team. I thought he stayed composed, owned up to his mistakes, and handled things very well.

Is he our frachise QB? Too early to tell, but I can tell you one thing. He brought more excitement to the game then McNabb did. I was really growing tired of McNabb.

A veteran QB like McNabb should have been able to do some things that in theory a rookie could not. We have offensive line issues. A vet should help disguise that somewhat. We have receiver issues. A vet should help disguise that a bit.

I thought Ponder did a better job disguising those two things than McNabb did.

Now that he has a game against the best team in the league I am waiting to hear from the "Throw him to the wolves" contingency and hear them tell me whether he has now imploded and is curled up in the fetal position in the locker room because we started him too early against too good of a team.

is his career now officially ruined by the move?