Vikings Message Board.Com

The Breeze wrote: I'll second that. Either way the team is moving in a good direction~

Which direction is that? Younger?

The Breeze wrote:@ Melanie:

It's entirely possible that Ponder could be the Nick Cage of the NFL. That first pass he made his rookie year against GB on the double move to Jenkins could be his finest moment.....just like Cages performance in Valley Girl.

However, Ponder has yet to have his 'Raising Arizona', which would have to rate at least an NFCC game IMO.

How can you say Cage's finest moment was his performance in Valley Girl and then acknowledge the greatness of Raising Arizona a sentence later? Shame on you! Raising Arizona was everyone's finest moment... even people who weren't in it. It's that good.

Parole Board chairman: They've got a name for people like you H.I. That name is called "recidivism."
Parole Board member: Repeat offender!
Parole Board chairman: Not a pretty name, is it H.I.?
H.I.: No, sir. That's one bonehead name, but that ain't me any more.
Parole Board chairman: You're not just telling us what we want to hear?
H.I.: No, sir, no way.
Parole Board member: 'Cause we just want to hear the truth.
H.I.: Well, then I guess I am telling you what you want to hear.
Parole Board chairman: Boy, didn't we just tell you not to do that?
H.I.: Yes, sir.
Parole Board chairman: Okay, then.

PurpleKoolaid wrote: Which direction is that? Younger?

North.

Mothman wrote: How can you say Cage's finest moment was his performance in Valley Girl and then acknowledge the greatness of Raising Arizona a sentence later? Shame on you! Raising Arizona was everyone's finest moment... even people who weren't in it. It's that good.

You caught me! H.I. is one of my favorite characters of all time. "I'll be taking these huggies and whatever cash you might have in the register"

I can't even make up a good excuse for myself. My homer powers must be weak today.

Mothman wrote: North.

Tribes that use medicine wheels often designate the North as the place of resurrection and renewal....so, I'll support a northern migration.

But I was refering to the draft and the culture of the team...it's character.

The Breeze wrote:You caught me! H.I. is one of my favorite characters of all time. "I'll be taking these huggies and whatever cash you might have in the register"

I can't even make up a good excuse for myself. My homer powers must be weak today.

You're forgiven. H.I. is one of my favorite characters of all time too and that's probably my all-time favorite comedy. Now I want to go watch it!

The Breeze wrote:Tribes that use medicine wheels often designate the North as the place of resurrection and renewal....so, I'll support a northern migration.

But I was refering to the draft and the culture of the team...it's character.

My answer was simpler.

However, I learned something from yours!

Cage was pretty great in "Wild At Heart", but that could be because I love David Lynch

what about leaving las vegas? cage got his break because of his pedigree lets be honest. there are a ton of movies he is downright horrible in.

mosscarter wrote:what about leaving las vegas? cage got his break because of his pedigree lets be honest. there are a ton of movies he is downright horrible in.

Cage was great early on in smaller budget, clever films (Arizona, Wild at Heart, Matchstick men) but he started taking terrible roles in over the top action summer blockbusters and it all went downhill from there.

Love the Cohen bros. dialogue included up thread. Lynch is great that way too. The junior highschooler in me has always found Cage's line in Wild at Heart hilarious: "I've got a boner with a capital O".

The All-22: Christian Ponder’s confusion against Buffalo’s defense speaks to a larger issue

NFLN is re-broadcasting the Vikes game (again) and as I was eating lunch, I re-watched the play Doug Farrar covered at the link above. Watching the play again, very carefully, reinforced that Farrar's column is little more than a misleading hatchet job.

As I suspected, the broadcast footage provided no indication of what was happening downfield so unless Farrar was at the game (it seems unlikely that a Seattle-based writer would be in Buffalo for a preseason Vikes/Bills tilt) or had access to coaching film (if he did, why didn't he use more informative screencaps from that?), I doubt he had any idea what Ponder was looking at downfield. The broadcast certain't didn't show us.

The screencap in which Farrar claims Ponder doesn't want to throw to Jennings is taken immediately after Ponder reached the top of his drop. In other words, he wasn't ready to throw to anybody yet. A split second later, Jennings is off screen and isn't seen for the rest of the play so it's impossible to tell if he was open. Meanwhile, what Ponder is doing in that screen cap is taking the first step up and getting ready to run for a 14 yard gain that put the Vikes in position to attempt a FG.

By the way, this play occurred on the 3rd down of the possession that began with Sullivan's bad snap. It was 3rd and 24 and whatever Ponder saw on the play, it encouraged him to take off immediately and run for good yardage. Farrar says Ponder is "closed down and has to scramble" and perhaps he was but the immediacy of the run suggests Ponder saw an opening and thought he could get the Vikes into Walsh's range with his feet rather than risking an incomplete pass that would force a punt.

There's no way to know if he made the best possible decision because we can't see the coverage but in the end, he made a positive play and gave the Vikes a chance to score.

Perhaps I'm the only one who cares but this but again, the column looks like a hatchet job to me. Farrar makes sure to imply that Ponder threw a screen pass intended for a guard (he didn't) but doesn't bother to point out the positive outcome of the play he's chosen to pick apart.

Sorry to be longwinded. I just hate this kind of lousy analysis.

Mothman wrote:The All-22: Christian Ponder’s confusion against Buffalo’s defense speaks to a larger issue

NFLN is re-broadcasting the Vikes game (again) and as I was eating lunch, I re-watched the play Doug Farrar covered at the link above. Watching the play again, very carefully, reinforced that Farrar's column is little more than a misleading hatchet job.

As I suspected, the broadcast footage provided no indication of what was happening downfield so unless Farrar was at the game (it seems unlikely that a Seattle-based writer would be in Buffalo for a preseason Vikes/Bills tilt) or had access to coaching film (if he did, why didn't he use more informative screencaps from that?), I doubt he had any idea what Ponder was looking at downfield. The broadcast certain't didn't show us.

The screencap in which Farrar claims Ponder doesn't want to throw to Jennings is taken immediately after Ponder reached the top of his drop. In other words, he wasn't ready to throw to anybody yet. A split second later, Jennings is off screen and isn't seen for the rest of the play so it's impossible to tell if he was open. Meanwhile, what Ponder is doing in that screen cap is taking the first step up and getting ready to run for a 14 yard gain that put the Vikes in position to attempt a FG.

By the way, this play occurred on the 3rd down of the possession that began with Sullivan's bad snap. It was 3rd and 24 and whatever Ponder saw on the play, it encouraged him to take off immediately and run for good yardage. Farrar says Ponder is "closed down and has to scramble" and perhaps he was but the immediacy of the run suggests Ponder saw an opening and thought he could get the Vikes into Walsh's range with his feet rather than risking an incomplete pass that would force a punt.

There's no way to know if he made the best possible decision because we can't see the coverage but in the end, he made a positive play and gave the Vikes a chance to score.

Perhaps I'm the only one who cares but this but again, the column looks like a hatchet job to me. Farrar makes sure to imply that Ponder threw a screen pass intended for a guard (he didn't) but doesn't bother to point out the positive outcome of the play he's chosen to pick apart.

Sorry to be longwinded. I just hate this kind of lousy analysis.

Hack writers like this guy just count on piss poor reading skills from the fan base. You pick his argument apart very well.

At the end of the day, Ponder may indeed have some throws that he doesn't have confidence in, but this example does not substantiate that argument.

Texas Vike wrote:Hack writers like this guy just count on piss poor reading skills from the fan base. You pick his argument apart very well.

Thanks but I just watched and described the play. Writers like Farrar seem to count on people just accepting their "analysis" at face value.

At the end of the day, Ponder may indeed have some throws that he doesn't have confidence in, but this example does not substantiate that argument.

Exactly. I think there are throws he's reluctant to make but I also suspect he's been coached to play smart, avoid turnovers and manage the game (in a positive sense, not in the derogatory sense of that term). On this play, it looks like that's what he did and by doing so, he put the Vikes in position to score. Regrettably, they didn't.

how is avoiding turnovers related to ponder's horrible statistics as a starter? what was it last year, 18 td's and 18 int's, that is below average.

mosscarter wrote:how is avoiding turnovers related to ponder's horrible statistics as a starter? what was it last year, 18 td's and 18 int's, that is below average.

It's also incorrect.

Ponder threw 18 TDs and 12 INTs in 2012. The latter is actually better than the league average of 14.6.