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Christian Ponder Says Last Year’s Struggles Made Him Better

By Dan Zinski

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It didn’t end well in Minnesota for Christian Ponder.

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In year four of his tenure with the Vikings, Ponder found himself playing third-string behind journeyman Matt Cassel and rookie Teddy Bridgewater. His one chance to play came after both Cassel and Bridgewater were hurt, and that one game was a disastrous affair against the Packers.

Ponder ended on a pretty sour note in Minnesota, but the former #12 overall pick is starting over now in Oakland and he says those 2014 struggles only helped prepare him for what lies ahead (via Raiders.com):

"“I think it’s definitely made me better. Going through those experiences definitely toughened you mentally and you learn from a lot of those things. Being able to experience a different offense in what [Vikings offensive coordinator] Norv Turner was running when he came in last year helped, being able to look at things differently and having different perspectives on certain plays, routes and defenses and stuff.”"

Ponder was always able to spin his struggles as learning experiences but the fact is, every time he supposedly grew through adversity, we quickly learned that he was still just the same old struggling quarterback.

Knowing what to do has never been Ponder’s problem. His problem has been translating what he learned into consistent performance on the football field. Between knowing and doing, there has always been a wide gulf.

Ponder is probably in the right situation now in Oakland: playing backup to a promising rookie. Fans will like Christian Ponder as a “mentor” for Derek Carr. They’ll like him as a “solid veteran with starting experience.” They’ll appreciate that he sounds sincere and intelligent.

As long as those fans never have to see him actually play quarterback in meaningful games for an extended period, they’ll continue liking Ponder.

Next: Zimmer Has Already Threatened to Maim Danielle Hunter

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