Teddy Bridgewater

[King James]

Ponder's first pass as a starter was a bomb to Michael Jenkins against Green Bay in 2011.

[jackal]

250 yards per game and 2.5 tds is 4000 yards and 40 tds per season. That's first round ballot hall-of-fame territory. If Teddy can put up stats like that we should easily be a perennial playoff contender even if the defense isn't very good.

Look that is not point at all.. I don't care if Teddy's numbers are 60-70 percent of that. My point is a very good defense
is just as important or more important than an great QB IMO. Eli has had some good years but the Giants defense was
probably the reason he got two rings already.

[2greg]

they are raving about Carr just as much as the vikings are about Bridgewater right now.

I can't wait for the pads to go on!

[jackal]

Man I was watching the Videos from the Vikings Teddy throws a great pass in the (Barr Interview Video)
about 1:35 . Good spiral, nice velocity, about 35 yards to Patterson. He has a better arm than
I thought he did..

[The Breeze]

Ponder's first pass as a starter was a bomb to Michael Jenkins against Green Bay in 2011.

And if Ponder had been able to put it on him, Jenkins would have scored. It was a double move and Jenkins was open by nearly 5 yards, IIRC, but the ball was aired out some enabling the defender to make up the ground.

Still, a great play...but not a great pass.

[mosscarter]

you guys are hilarious. so he threw what, 4 balls over 50 yards in 3 years as a starter and that makes him a good deep thrower???? you put one throw up as a youtube highlight, probably because you had to pick from one of two (3 at most) because that is all he has. his first throw ever as a starter was his best play it was ALL downhill from that moment (and he didn't even lead jenkins). he never improved one bit as a pro from that play.

[Mothman]

And if Ponder had been able to put it on him, Jenkins would have scored. It was a double move and Jenkins was open by nearly 5 yards, IIRC, but the ball was aired out some enabling the defender to make up the ground.

Still, a great play...but not a great pass.

Yes, there are examples of Ponder throwing a good deep ball but that completion isn't really one of them. The play worked, and that's to everyone's credit, but the ball was under-thrown.

The best deep pass I remember Ponder throwing as a rookie was this TD strike to Harvin @Atlanta:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-fantasy/0 ... conversion

Ponder and Harvin both looked terrific on that play and if we'd seen a lot more of that kind of confidence (and throw) from Ponder, he'd still be the Vikings starter.

[The Breeze]

Yes, there are examples of Ponder throwing a good deep ball but that completion isn't really one of them. The play worked, and that's to everyone's credit, but the ball was under-thrown.

The best deep pass I remember Ponder throwing as a rookie was this TD strike to Harvin @Atlanta:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-fantasy/0 ... conversion

Ponder and Harvin both looked terrific on that play and if we'd seen a lot more of that kind of confidence (and throw) from Ponder, he'd still be the Vikings starter.

I don't even have to see that play to remember. It was brilliant pass and one of those moments where it was easy to see that Ponder has all physical the tools to succeed. It harkens back to what Musgrave or the QB coach said about him early on, "one minute he wows you, the next he wows you in the opposite way"....not an actual quote...just the gist of the meaning.

He's a frustrating dude...hopefully Crazy Teddy will have ice water for blood come sundays.

[Mothman]

I don't even have to see that play to remember. It was brilliant pass and one of those moments where it was easy to see that Ponder has all physical the tools to succeed. It harkens back to what Musgrave or the QB coach said about him early on, "one minute he wows you, the next he wows you in the opposite way"....not an actual quote...just the gist of the meaning.

I think the QB coach said that and yes, that play certainly illustrates the "wow" part of the equation.

He's a frustrating dude...hopefully Crazy Teddy will have ice water for blood come sundays.

Let's hope so... and I hope he makes good QB decisions even faster than Peyton Manning.

[Purple bruise]

you guys are hilarious. so he threw what, 4 balls over 50 yards in 3 years as a starter and that makes him a good deep thrower???? you put one throw up as a youtube highlight, probably because you had to pick from one of two (3 at most) because that is all he has. his first throw ever as a starter was his best play it was ALL downhill from that moment (and he didn't even lead jenkins). he never improved one bit as a pro from that play.

No Mossy, get a clue, you are the one that said that he NEVER threw a deep ball his whole career. Guess you were wrong

[King James]

I never said that Ponder's deep balls were pretty but people keep saying he can't throw deep even though that accusation has already been proven false. Ponder has the physical tool set. His mental process is what he struggles in. He can't consistently have a game without making a lot of mental mistakes.

[Funkytown]

No Mossy, get a clue, you are the one that said that he NEVER threw a deep ball his whole career. Guess you were wrong

Nah, I think he was implying that Ponder was never considered good at the deep throw, despite a few good deep throws in his career (which was acknowledged by mosscarter initially). Just because you do something a few times doesn't mean it can be described as one of your strengths. mosscarter's comments were made after descriptions of Bridgewater's deep throws being "outstanding." Has that ever been said about Ponder? ...ever?

Besides, this comment:

in what lifetime could christian ponder throw a good deep ball from the minute he stepped into a viking uniform? you can't be serious.

...probably didn't mean he never threw a deep ball in his career, but that he couldn't be described as a good deep ball thrower. (Huge difference) The rest of mosscarter's comments regarding this topic pretty much imply the same thing. So, no, mosscarter wasn't wrong. Sometimes you just have to bust through that sarcasm and read between the lines. He's not alone with his excitement about Bridgewater, especially regarding the deep ball. That was one of the biggest concerns coming out of the draft. If he can figure all that out--and it looks like he is-- there is a lot to be excited about. Of course mosscarter misses the deep ball and wants it back, as many of us do, look at his screen name!

[Purple bruise]

Nah, I think he was implying that Ponder was never considered good at the deep throw, despite a few good deep throws in his career (which was acknowledged by mosscarter initially). Just because you do something a few times doesn't mean it can be described as one of your strengths. mosscarter's comments were made after descriptions of Bridgewater's deep throws being "outstanding." Has that ever been said about Ponder? ...ever?

Besides, this comment: ...probably didn't mean he never threw a deep ball in his career, but that he couldn't be described as a good deep ball thrower. (Huge difference) The rest of mosscarter's comments regarding this topic pretty much imply the same thing. So, no, mosscarter wasn't wrong. Sometimes you just have to bust through that sarcasm and read between the lines. He's not alone with his excitement about Bridgewater, especially regarding the deep ball. That was one of the biggest concerns coming out of the draft. If he can figure all that out--and it looks like he is-- there is a lot to be excited about. Of course mosscarter misses the deep ball and wants it back, as many of us do, look at his screen name!

Thanks for taking your time to explain what Mossy really meant but did not say Way to "bust through the sarcasm"

[Reignman]

Teddy was 215 lbs at the combine, so I don't think his size is as big a deal as people are making it out to be. I think Aaron Rodgers is about the same size. Ideally Teddy would be about 220-225, but I'm not sure that's something that any of us should be too worried about.

Exactly, at most TB only needs to gain another 10 pounds. Most QB's seem to be in that 6-3 224lb range. Matt Ryan is 6-4 217. Bridgewater is 6-2 214. Aaron Rodgers is 6-2 224, but he's also 9 years older than Bridgewater. If TB is as poised and comfortable in the pocket in the NFL as he was in college, man he's going to be exciting to watch.

Ponder was a piece of the team, and playing one of the most important positions (arguably THE most important), and therefore contributes to the overall performance of the team fairly significantly. He was also decent a few times, was in what I admit was a pretty terrible system, and it's hard to stick to the game plan when your defense surrenders 30 points per game.

You could also say it's difficult for the defense to hold the opponent to under 30 points per game when the offense is going 3 n out all the time. What was the average TOP the 1st half of the season? Oh yeah, it was 36 minutes to 24. Part of it was the defense not being able to get off the field (nobody's defending Milquetoasts passive cover 0 philosophy), but the other part was the offense not being able to move the chains.

Of course you must think that you know more than Zimmer or Turner because they have chosen to keep him on the team, giving him a chance to compete.

Interesting how some people look at it as a "they're keeping Ponder to give him a chance to compete" type thing, while most people look at it as more of a "he's still under contract" type thing.

Ponder didn't play until week 6. No training camp? He couldn't pick it up by week 6 of the regular season? Wait, no, the earthworm probably couldn't...he hasn't picked it up by 30+ starts.

Come on now, everyone knows 1 training camp provides at least 50 starts worth of experience. But yeah it's funny how the lack of training camp didn't seem to have any adverse effect on Newton or Dalton that year, or their careers.

The best deep pass I remember Ponder throwing as a rookie was this TD strike to Harvin @Atlanta:

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-fantasy/0 ... conversion

Ponder and Harvin both looked terrific on that play and if we'd seen a lot more of that kind of confidence (and throw) from Ponder, he'd still be the Vikings starter.

That throw wasn't that great. Harvin was covered by a LB who got out of position and misplayed the ball. If that were a safety back there the ball probably gets picked off, or easily knocked down. The throw was late and under thrown, but Harvin went and got it. You could argue Ponder led Harvin to the middle of the field, but based on every pass I've ever seen him throw, I'd say it's more likely that it was a poor throw that worked out. It happens.

Thanks for taking your time to explain what Mossy really meant but did not say Way to "bust through the sarcasm"

I agree with the Funkmeister, it was clear what Mossy meant. Yeah Ponder had some nice throws in his career, but when they come along only once every 4 games, it's not a stretch to say he's a lousy QB overall. Bridgewater can't possibly be any worse in the deep ball department.

[Funkytown]

I agree with the Funkmeister, it was clear what Mossy meant.

Thank you, sir.

The rest of your post was great, too.

Interesting how some people look at it as a "they're keeping Ponder to give him a chance to compete" type thing, while most people look at it as more of a "he's still under contract" type thing.

Good stuff, my friend. Good stuff.