My thoughts on the Ponder Pick….
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Christian Ponder is our newest QB, now every team in the NFC North has their “Franchise QB” to build around. The Vikings had to take somebody, I was surprised it was Ponder at 12, but then again, I thought Ponder was a good looking QB, and would’ve been happy with him.
People are complaining mostly because they feel he was a reach, but I’ve decided that if you want the player, why not take him. I’m definitely taking the homer view here, but everything was set up for a person who had high football intelligence, to be taken by the Vikings. With a new offensive coordinator, a new QB’s coach, and most importantly a new head coach, the Minnesota Vikings were not going to sit and wait for a QB to fall to them if they had the chance to take someone they wanted. I liked how they decided to take a chance on this kid.
There’s no doubt that they obviously had their board something like this : 1A: Locker 1B: Gabbert 1C: Christian Ponder. (No particular order)
I believe they felt they could build around any of these 3 players, and therefore didn’t want to miss on the one who was available at 12. Now, if they had traded up for Gabbert, it would’ve taken a 1st and a 2nd. There is no way the organization could do that, with no 3rd round pick. Would this have upset the fan base more? It seems to me that Ponder is going to be a fine QB in purple, as long as we can protect him (I’m looking at you McKinnie, keep working at your tennis game, get them feet movin’).
Watching Adam Schefter go on and say the Vikings are desperately trying to trade out of 12, and the immediately say the Lions are trying to trade out of 13, seemed to shoot any chance down of a trade. Personally, if you got the guy you wanted I don’t care if he’s at 12 or 25, if he is your guy, then take him.
In closing the comment from our very own thevikingpig is SPOT ON:
"Lets rationalize a little bit rather than jumping off the ledge on the Ponder pick. A good friend texted me within the last hour “I was giddy when the Vikings took Troy Williamson. And when we took Adrian Peterson I just wondered why with Chester Taylor being our best offensive player.” I can relate to that. And now how do we feel about Troy and Adrian? Do we even need to have this conversation?"
I feel like I may have sent this text as I said exactly the same thing at the time, and have felt terrible ever since.