Vikings Seek More Balanced Offense

Jun 11, 2013; Eden Prairie, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder (7) signals to the offense in drills at the Minnesota Vikings Minicamp at Winter Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Vikings fans who are already skeptical of Quarterback Christian Ponder have something new to worry about.  Recently, Head Coach Leslie Frazier had some interesting words to say about the team’s offensive strategy and Running Back Adrian Peterson this coming season:

Jun 11, 2013; Eden Prairie, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier speaks with the media after the Minnesota Vikings Minicamp at Winter Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

“Adrian will be the first person to tell you: He’ll trade in a 2,500-yard rushing season for a Super Bowl ring. It’s not imperative that he rushed for 2,000 yards, or 2,500 yards, for us to win. Our offense is always going to run through Adrian, but we want to be able to pass the ball better than we did a year ago.”

Coach Leslie Frazier continued to  insist that the Vikings want to run a balanced offense this season.  This will be a definite change from last season, when the team was 8th in the NFL in rush attempts while only 28th in pass attempts.

Minnesota needs to be more than just “Adrian Peterson’s team” to be able to have a chance at a Super Bowl ring.  The Vikings have spent a lot of their resources this offseason on improving their passing game.  Not only did they bring in Matt Cassel to mentor young Christian Ponder, but they acquired Greg Jennings in free agency and used a high draft pick on Cordarrelle Patterson.

Even with those improvements to the personnel, Christian Ponder will face many doubters this upcoming season.  The only way to silence the critics will be to play lights-out football.  Even then, he may not win over the fan base.