Did the Vikings really just take Christian Ponder at #12?
Did that really just happen?
Yesterday was supposed to be a good day. I had Twins tickets for the noon game, and the NFL Draft to watch in the evening. Unfortunately, a day that was supposed to be all about hope for the future offered none, with the Twins getting crushed and the Vikings pulling off the rare feat of uniting their fanbase in opposition of their pick.
Now I know that every rube fan out there suddenly transforms themself into a draft expert one day a year, and half eventually turn out to be wrong, regardless of the argument. We all get to weigh in with our two cents, and the resulting debates are part of what makes being a sports fan interesting. The draft is perfect fodder for throwing out over-the-top proclamations about who ends up a star or bust. These things are never settled until years down the road, and by that point it's tough to remember who was saying what about a guy when he was picked. I've been on the right side of a few of these conversations, and the wrong side of an equal amount. What strikes me most about the Ponder selection is the total lack of support, at least among the fans I know. In my opinion, this guy should've been picked significantly lower, perhaps even in the 2nd Round. I'd feel a lot better about things if more people were saying I was nuts.
Obviously any Vikings fan hopes that Christian Ponder turns out to be an excellent NFL QB. No criticism of the selection should be misconstrued as hoping the guy fails. And if you feel like brightsiding this whole situation, there are some things you can grab on to. For my part, I will say that Ponder is exactly the type of quarterback I like. A pocket passer with good size and enough mobility to be elusive, but not so much that he was able to use it as a crutch to avoid learning how to throw. Also working in his favor is the fact that he played in a pro style offense, removing the concerns that come with evaluating how a spread QB will translate into the pros. By all accounts he's extremely intelligent, good leader, plays through pain, many good things have been said.
Unfortunately, for all of those traits, there are also quite a few glaring negatives, starting with a history of injuries. Now the injury thing is notoriously tough to peg, in recent history we've seen a couple Vikings draft picks who've arrived with the "injury-prone" tag. One proved it false in resounding fashion (Adrian Peterson), the other has made it appear quite warranted thus far (Chris Cook), although sufficient time hasn't passed to pass full judgement. What I think we can agree on is that the thought of the Vikings offensive line trying to keep a fragile QB healthy is not very reassuring.
Negative point #2 is the fact that when Ponder did play in college, he didn't exactly blow people away. There were some nice wins and gaudy stat lines peppered in, but in general, he was just north of average. His signature performance in 2010 would have to be throwing for 264 yards and 3 TDs in a 37-35 loss versus North Carolina. The point has been brought up that the Tarheel defense included a lot of NFL-caliber talent. Problem there is, the defensive end who went 14th overall yesterday was suspended for that game, as were several other players. If we want to take positive omens from college performances, then you also need to factor in the 11-of-28, 2 INT turd that Ponder laid on the road against Oklahoma, a team that probably best approximates the defenses he'll be facing at the next level. Neither game tells the whole story, but you can't cherry-pick the one that backs up your opinion. The biggest thing for me was watching the draft with a Florida St. fan last night who had seen just about every game Ponder played the last few years. He was a fan of the guy, thought he might amount to something, but was still shocked to see him go where he went. Not what you want to hear from a confirmed Ponder supporter.
It's not killing me to have Christian Ponder as the Vikings QB of the future, and I think most fans would agree. What is killing me is where he was selected, and the future implications that it carries. By using a high first round pick on a quarterback, the Vikings have essentially locked themselves into starting the season with him under center. There's is no way they can justify making a trade for a veteran at this point, given what they've already invested in the position and their needs in other areas. While everyone seems to agree that it was early, the justification that's been offered by a few writers is that they had to pick a QB, because they had no other options. I have a problem with this line of reasoning, because although nobody wants to go to war with Joe Webb and Rhett Bomar at the top of the depth chart, thinking "we have to draft X regardless, because we have no one at the spot" is exactly what led to Troy Williamson at #7. There are guys who were discussed as being on par with Ponder that are still on the board, it's tough to believe there wasn't a middle ground here.
Finally, the optics on this thing are just terrible. Maybe Ponder is truly the guy the Vikings brain trust coveted, but it looks a bit like a panic move. Scoff if you want, but after watching 3 QBs go in a 5-pick span, I was reminded of a fantasy football adage: "Start the runs, don't finish them." Of course I realize that this is far from fantasy, but something in that notion still applies. They saw the guys they wanted go off the board, then grabbed the next guy left in the QB column. I'm guessing that there were 5-6 other players ahead of Ponder in the Best Available section. Watching those guys roll of the board, Fairley to the Lions in particular, and no QBs get drafted the rest of the round, poured some salt in the wound.
So what are we left with? A new face of the team to pin our hopes to, and a whole lot of bad puns. My calls around the country to other disgruntled Vikings fans last night at least yield a few moments of levity. As the title of this post suggests, there's a lot to Ponder here. Will the combination of our pourous O-line and Detroit's impressive new defensive front result in another Christian being thrown to the Lions? Or will this Christian be successful in his mission to be the savior of our franchise? Only time will tell, but the chips have been pushed all in, that's for sure.
Odd thing is, the most unsettling thought coming out of this whole things was supplied courtesy of my brother, who mentioned that the last time a team in this town drafted a guy named Christian, the results were less than stellar. This threw my mind down the path of parallels linking the two of them beyond the name. One was the 3rd overall pick, the other the 3rd QB picked in quick succession. Both were regarded as a being a few notches below the guys that preceeded them. If things hold up, that means Locker is Shaq, Gabbert is Mourning, and Christian...well he's Christian. Different sport, 20 years ago, remains unsettling.
I wanted the second coming of Prince, because the first one rocked. Instead we got Christian Part II, let's pray it isn't a sequel.
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