VIDEO Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder will start for Minnesota on Thursday as the Vikings host the Houston Texans, while Donovan McNabb sits out the final preseason game and rests for the regular season opener.
Ponder, the twelfth overall pick in this year’s draft, is currently battling with Joe Webb for the number two job behind McNabb, and Webb is expected to play the second half.
The Vikings hope that Ponder will eventually earn the starting job, but as a rookie with a shortened training camp, he hasn’t really had a chance to make a serious bid. In three games so far, he is 17 of 33 for 207 yards, with no TDs or INTs, and he’s been sacked 4 times. With McNabb resting the final preseason game, he will get some valuable game experience.
“It’s what I’ve been looking for,” Ponder said to FoxSportsNorth.com. “It’s going to be great to get in there, establish a rhythm, start and play a full half. It’s a preseason game, but it’s still an NFL game.”
He has a good support system to learn from, and he is making the most of working with the Vikings experienced coaching staff, as well as learning from a talented veteran like six time Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb.
“It’s great for me to learn from a guy that knows what it takes, gives me some time to develop and learn everything and get completely comfortable before I have to step in,” Ponder said. “(Head coach Leslie) Frazier, (offensive coordinator Bill) Musgrave and I talked about it before the season ever started, about bringing him in. We agreed it would be a huge advantage for me.”
From the draft through the preseason, Ponder was just focused on connecting with his teammates and learning the system. Now, they are trying to move that learning up to NFL speed.
“The biggest thing we’re focusing on right now is making decisions a lot faster,” Ponder said. “The game’s a lot quicker than it was at the college level. That’s one of the biggest things we’re working on, and I think it’s one of the biggest adjustments.”
Particularly, offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave is an asset for Ponder. Musgrave is a former NFL quarterback, who played with the Cowboys, 49ers, and Denver. He had the opportunity to back up some hall of fame starting quarterbacks, including Steve Young and John Elway.
“Coach Musgrave knows what it takes to develop quarterbacks and be successful,” Ponder said. “You could just tell he’s very experienced, very knowledgeable about the quarterback position and offense in general. I think everyone in that room and on the offensive side of the ball listens to what he says and has confidence in knowing he knows what he is doing.”
Musgrave is very encouraged by what he’s seen so far from Ponder, calling him a “student of the game and terrific athlete.”
While he still has work to do in order to earn a starting job, learning behind Donovan McNabb and Bill Musgrave gives Ponder an excellent head start that not every rookie quarterback can benefit from.
