Vikings will seek trade for Ponder.

[majorm]

Did you read more than the first few words in the post? I said he's fine as a backup in the NFL, but it's best for him, the team and the fans that's he's not the backup for the Minnesota Vikings.


Do you know how many bad QBs are around the league as backups and 3rd stringers? A lot who are much worse than Ponder.

You never want your backup to play anyway so I don't know what the big deal is. Worst case he has to come in a few games if the starter goes down and for as bad as Ponder is lets not act like he's never had a good game in his career.

If your starter goes down you're most likely screwed anyway. You're just less screwed with Josh McCown then you are with Scott Tolzien and Ponder/Jackson fall somewhere in between those two.

Sure, I read the whole post. I just highlighted and commented on the part that irked me.

[majorm]

Which is being fueled by ex-Ponder apologists that still won't just give up on the guy.

The problem is at some point he might have to play a game, and fully prepared on his A game he wasn't that good. And some people want him coming in on a week or less notice and filling in? If we need someone to win a game or two while our starter is out, I'll take any number of veteran QBs over Ponder.
Ponder: .400
Sage: .500
Tebow: .562
Young: .607
Ponder: 2 fourth quarter comebacks, 3 game-winning drives
Sage: 2 fourth quarter comebacks, 2 game-winning drives
Tebow: 6 fourth quarter comebacks, 7 game-winning drives
Young: 7 fourth quarter comebacks, 13 game-winning drives
Ponder: 77.3
Sage: 81.2
Tebow: 75.3
Young: 74.4

So, they are "unemployed scrubs". And Ponder is a solid backup. Got it. (Oh, he's making like 2.7M next year too. You could probably get any of them for veteran minimum of about 2 million less than that...)

Ponder is a scrub. Who should be unemployed...

Hmmmm. Yep. Pretty much sums it up.

[Just Me]

Yeah, don't forget the GB game! Give him another 30 starts!
If the starter goes down, you want Ponder to start? Really? There are plenty of better QBs than Ponder. Including all three backup QBs in the NFC North. And a half dozen or more free agents. Just what you want in a backup, a wildly inconsistent head case who can barely get the job done when he's give every first team snap for entire years!

Can't believe there are still Ponder apologists after his forced number of starts to see if he had it or not. We can find free agents, or any number of draft picks better than the guy. Who we could sign for a fraction of the cost. But let's pay him 2.7M to sit on the bench and blow games if he's ever called upon.

You mean he's like Josh Freeman (only cheaper).

[radar55]

Draft pick? Shoot, I doubt we can get a half eaten bratwurst for him at this point...

Don't be such a pessimist......If we are going to trade Ponder we need to set our target high and I truly believe that with the new staff in place and the fact that Ponder has playing time as a starter in this league we cant let him go for anything less than the whole brat, chips and a coke.

[King James]

We wouldn't even be able to get expired milk for Ponder.

[Purple bruise]

We wouldn't even be able to get expired milk for Ponder.

Really really clever and ooooh so funny

[VikingLord]

Ponder isn't going anywhere because the Vikings don't have any QB's on their roster. Cassell opted out and with good reason. He was never given a fair shake at the starting job. Heck, he sat and watched a guy who had just joined the team get the start on national TV against the Giants. If any of us were in Cassell's shoes, would we be eager to place any faith in the Vikings knowing the guy who orchestrated that whole scene was still in charge? And extending that, if I'm one of the few relatively experienced veterans in the FA market this offseason, would I want to go to Minnesota where the same thing could happen to me?

The far-reaching nature of what Spielman did at QB during his tenure is going to come home to roost harder than ever this season. Not only is Cassell not coming back, but I'd say it's likely Ponder will be the best starting option at QB going into the season. If Spielman brings Freeman back I'd say he's officially lost his mind, and anyone who holds out hope that Freeman could be the answer at QB hasn't been paying attention. Freeman is done with football, and no amount of money or public statements of faith in him is going to change that fact.

So that leaves the Vikes with Ponder and probably a 2nd-tier vet FA and a draft pick, and let's all face it, nobody worth the pick will be there when #8 rolls around. If Spielman uses that pick on a QB, he'll be reaching again and this whole sequence starts over. It'll be x games of Ponder, followed quickly by someone who had no business being drafted at #8 in the first place. Then we'll sit there for another few years while Spielman et. al. try to "develop" their high pick.

I am more convinced than ever that in order for Spielman to fix this he's going to have to trade, and not trade down for more picks, but either trade outright for a young, promising QB or even an established vet who might have fallen out of favor, or he's going to have to trade up to get one of the bona-fide QB's in this year's draft. Hoping he can sign a vet in FA isn't going to work unless he overpays. No vet with a brain would consider coming to the Vikings as things stand right now. Standing pat at #8 isn't a viable option either unless he wants his nickname to become Reachin' Rick.

And speaking of trade partners, this is going to sound crazy, but if I were Rick I'd try to swing a deal with Cleveland. Cleveland is reportedly in love with Manziel and they may indeed try to move up to #2 to ensure they get him, but they might also be interested in compiling even more high picks as they have a lot of needs and they have a viable vet in Hoyer. Spielman could either try to swing a trade to move up to #4 to ensure he gets Manziel, or, barring that, see if he can swing a deal to get Hoyer. I don't know what the Browns might want for Hoyer, but Hoyer played well last year before being injured and I'd be comfortable with him as the starting QB heading into next year. That move would also allow Spielman to get some other help, say at LB, while still taking a flyer on a guy like Murray or even Mettenberger in the 4th-5th rounds where both are likely to drop due to their late-season injuries. So he gets the vet (hopefully for the first of the 2 3rd-round picks) and he gets a younger developmental prospect, OR he gets a shot at one of the 2-3 rookies (I'll include Bortles there although I don't think he belongs with Bridgewater and Manziel in that group). Either way, he gives himself some legit options other than Ponder.

[Mothman]

Ponder isn't going anywhere because the Vikings don't have any QB's on their roster. Cassell opted out and with good reason. He was never given a fair shake at the starting job.

I seriously doubt he opted out for any reason so petty and since he started the last month of the season, despite the presence of other healthy QBs on the roster, I'd say he had his fair shake at the starting job.

As for Ponder, it's early February and that makes it way too early to definitively declare that he's not going anywhere. He might still be a Viking next September but right now, the QB situation is fluid. The Vikings don't have any other QBs on their roster right now but they will. Free agency and the draft are still ahead of us and since we know the Vikes will have more than one QB on the roster going into camp, we also know they'll be signing some QBs. They might keep Ponder and sign 2 or they might cut or trade him and sign 3.

So that leaves the Vikes with Ponder and probably a 2nd-tier vet FA and a draft pick, and let's all face it, nobody worth the pick will be there when #8 rolls around. If Spielman uses that pick on a QB, he'll be reaching again and this whole sequence starts over. It'll be x games of Ponder, followed quickly by someone who had no business being drafted at #8 in the first place. Then we'll sit there for another few years while Spielman et. al. try to "develop" their high pick.

On top of all that, I hear a portal to hell is opening up in Minneapolis and the Vikings could get sucked into it!

Hoping he can sign a vet in FA isn't going to work unless he overpays. No vet with a brain would consider coming to the Vikings as things stand right now.

Yeah, because what veteran QB would want to play for a head coach with Zimmer's resumé as a DC and an unaccomplished offensive coordinator like Norv Turner? No QB has ever excelled under that guy. What veteran QB would want to play with Adrian Peterson in the backfield and Greg Jennings, Cordarelle Patterson and Kyle Rudolph as targets? They'd have to be crazy to consider a situation like that.

And speaking of trade partners, this is going to sound crazy, but if I were Rick I'd try to swing a deal with Cleveland. Cleveland is reportedly in love with Manziel and they may indeed try to move up to #2 to ensure they get him, but they might also be interested in compiling even more high picks as they have a lot of needs and they have a viable vet in Hoyer. Spielman could either try to swing a trade to move up to #4 to ensure he gets Manziel, or, barring that, see if he can swing a deal to get Hoyer. I don't know what the Browns might want for Hoyer, but Hoyer played well last year before being injured and I'd be comfortable with him as the starting QB heading into next year. That move would also allow Spielman to get some other help, say at LB, while still taking a flyer on a guy like Murray or even Mettenberger in the 4th-5th rounds where both are likely to drop due to their late-season injuries.

Why bother? If the Vikings will have to trade up from the eighth pick to get one of the bona-fide QB's in this draft, what's the point of drafting a QB later that isn't bona-fide? Isn't that just throwing a pick away?

Seriously, if no QB "worth the pick will be there when #8 rolls around" and if, as you said, "Spielman uses that pick on a QB, he'll be reaching again and this whole sequence starts over" as the Vikings "try to 'develop' their high pick", why would Murray or Mettenberger have a chance to succeed when that QB picked at #8 apparently wouldn't have such a chance? Are there only 2-3 bona-fide, viable NFL QBs in this draft or not?

I know I'm laying on the sarcasm but sheesh, it's early in the offseason to be SO negative. There are some talented QBs in this draft. There are potential trade options out there (you pointed one out) and there are potential free agent options as well, including Mighty Matt Cassel. The Vikes aren't an unappealing team for a QB to join.

[Eli]

I seriously doubt he opted out for any reason so petty and since he started the last month of the season, despite the presence of other healthy QBs on the roster, I'd say he had his fair shake at the starting job.

What's "petty" about thinking that you're a better QB than the guy the GM hopes to develop and then seeing it play out in front of you? Since that GM is still in place, Cassel has good reason to want to go elsewhere. Things are too unsettled and too unpredictable in Minnesota. If Spielman drafts a 1st round QB, we could see the same thing all over again.

I doubt very much that it's the only reason, but I wouldn't be surprised to know that it was a major factor in his decision. If Cassel really has been refusing calls from anyone in the Vikings organization, that would be a pretty good indicator.

[dead_poet]

Things are too unsettled and too unpredictable in Minnesota.

I'm not sure being a free agent is much more settling, particularly for a soon-to-be 32-year-old backup-level quarterback. A case could be made his future is even more unsettled now.

[Eli]

I'm not sure being a free agent is much more settling, particularly for a soon-to-be 32-year-old backup-level quarterback. A case could be made his future is even more unsettled now.

I'm betting that he and his agent are pretty certain he can do at least as well elsewhere. At worst, some team will pay him $3.7M to carry a clipboard, probably on a multi-year contract.

[Purple bruise]

I'm not sure being a free agent is much more settling, particularly for a soon-to-be 32-year-old backup-level quarterback. A case could be made his future is even more unsettled now.

Oh and by the way the sky is falling and the Vikings will be cellar dwellars for years to come.

[Mothman]

What's "petty" about thinking that you're a better QB than the guy the GM hopes to develop and then seeing it play out in front of you?

Nothing at all.

Since that GM is still in place, Cassel has good reason to want to go elsewhere. Things are too unsettled and too unpredictable in Minnesota. If Spielman drafts a 1st round QB, we could see the same thing all over again.

Cassel's not likely to step into a settled, predictable situation and start, is he? What team out there is stable, settled and just waiting for Mighty Matt to be their starter and lead them to glory? As dead_poet wrote above, a case can be made that Cassel's future is more unsettled now.

The idea that Cassel left based on anything that happened last year is nothing more than a guess anyway. It borders on wishful thinking. People love to ascribe motivations to players and coaches that conveniently dovetail with their own complaints. The truth is, we don't know why Cassel opted out of his contract. It could be because he was disgruntled about what happened last season, because he wants more money, a longer contract, an opportunity elsewhere, or perhaps the Vikings told to him he won't get a chance to start in 2014 either. Maybe they told him he'd have to compete for the job and he feels he already earned it. We simply don't know...

[Eli]

Cassel's not likely to step into a settled, predictable situation and start, is he?

Right. Because there are no NFL teams looking for a starting quarterback.

[frosted]

Right. Because there are no NFL teams looking for a starting quarterback.

I think the point is, the situation is never settled and predictable when a team is searching for a starting QB.

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