Jump to content
SiouxSports.com Forum

Vikings


Fetch

Recommended Posts

GB did not win - the Vikings lost it

Time to try Web

Ponder is not getting it done

Can't find a open receiver - his fundamentals are terrible - foot work is spaztic

Can all of our receivers be that bad ? Not getting open ?

Terrible calls & play in the red zone (Coaches ? ? ?)

AP is one of the best running backs of all time

Defense has improved

Sure we miss Harvin but give us a break :sneaky:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ponder is struggling and probably needs to sit down, watch and learn. But it doesn't help that their only legitimate receiver (Percy Harvin) was out again yesterday. This team had an awesome draft in April and they need another awesome draft next April. They need some legit receivers, more depth on defense and probably another QB prospect in case Ponder doesn't work out in the long run. The team is much better than last year, but is still a couple of drafts away from being championship contenders. I honestly don't want them to sneak in the playoffs and lose the first game. It's better if they finish 7-9 and get better draft position for next year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The game plan they preached during the off-season made sense, they signed Carlson to a decent contract saying they were going to have a double TE passing attack with Rudolph to help keep the defense from stacking Peterson. They signed Simpson saying he would stretch the field and give Harvin room underneath to work and also help keep the defense from stacking Peterson.

They haven't done any of that, instead they have only been looking for Harvin and occasionally Rudolph, and Peterson has had to carry the load by himself most of the time, if he wasn't superhuman they probably would be about 1-11.

Ponder has gone steadily downhill this year, and with Peterson, Harvin, and Rudolph in the lineup this offense should be able to keep teams on their heels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For clarity, I am not a Vikings fan. But, I tend to look at my favorite team and all other teams through non-biased glasses.

There have been a lot of excuses for Ponder, but most are now seeing that he isn't the answer. First it was he need more games to get a feel for the NFL. Then it's not having good enough receivers. Then it's something else. Look at Luck in Indy. You're probably thinking that you can't compare Luck to Ponder...Luck came out of college with much more fanfare and promise than Ponder. But, Ponder was still the 12th overall pick of the 1st round. Luck's only notable receiver is the 150 year old Reggie Wayne. However, Luck still is still getting the ball downfield....WITHOUT the league's best running back. Also, Luck is only in his first year, whereas Ponder is in his second, that should be a huge leg up.

You have to allow for mistakes with young QB's. You want them to try and see what plays they can make and which ones they can't. Not many will realize that Luck had 3 INT's, but that he had 4 TD's and won the game. Those INT's are part of the learning curve of a good young QB. Ponder isn't taking any chances downfield whatsoever, which means he shouldn't be throwing any INT's, yet he still threw 2 yesterday. If you don't have the guts to throw it down the field, but you're still turning the ball over, you're in trouble. You don't need great WR's to be a capable NFL QB. QB's make the WR's look good more often than not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"GO PACK GO!!!"

My youngest daughter was at the game yesterday & she texted me that several times

I don't know where I went wrong or maybe she saw me cry a few times being a Vikings fan & wanted to be a fan of a winning club ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"GO PACK GO!!!"

My youngest daughter was at the game yesterday & she texted me that several times

I don't know where I went wrong or maybe she saw me cry a few times being a Vikings fan & wanted to be a fan of a winning club ?

Real fans stick with their teams.......win or lose. And Vikings fans have definitely learned how to stick to the program during bad times.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like they said on tv yesterday AP is going to need back surgery after this year - from carrying the whole team

It just feels like such a missed opportunity. We're wasting his prime years, where if we had any pass threat this team could be an offensive juggernaut. I'm not a huge Webb fan, but don't see much downside to giving him a shot.

Even in a win, Ponder went 11/17 for 91 yards. In the last three games his QB rating was 58.2, 41.9, and 53.8. Here's a good article from before the Chicago game about Ponder's last six games:

A Look At Ponder's Most Recent Six Games

Both the Bears and Packers losses were winnable. I just don't see what we hope to learn from 3 more weeks of Ponder before inevitably cutting him loose in the off-season. He might luck out and squeak into the playoffs, but then are we just cursed with another year?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The other thing I find frustrating is that they say they're sticking with Ponder so he can continue to develop and learn. Well...when your game plan is to turn and hand the ball to AD 30+ times, what exactly is Ponder learning? Basically they're telling him just to be ready to throw a check-down on 3rd and short.

During yesterday's game, the Vikings got the ball with just under two minutes left in the first half and a couple timeouts. Most teams would love to have that opportunity to put more points on the board. True to form, the Vikes did nothing with it because they don't have a QB capable of moving them down the field. In fact...they gained only about 15 yards and Ponder got picked on a deep ball with :32 left in the half. I guess it was a good as a punt...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both the Bears and Packers losses were winnable. I just don't see what we hope to learn from 3 more weeks of Ponder before inevitably cutting him loose in the off-season. He might luck out and squeak into the playoffs, but then are we just cursed with another year?

We are stuck with Ponder as long as Frazier is coach, he can't admit he's not the answer. We're in the same boat as Jets fans are with Rex Ryan and Sanchez...Sanchez is terrible and everybody knows it, but Ryan won't go elsewhere (not that Tebow is the answer either, but they need to do something).

And winning games like they did yesterday is not going to push Frazier to make a move either, with Minnesota holding on to a slim playoff possibility and a winnable game with St. Louis next week there is no doubt Ponder will be finishing up this year and starting next year.

The game yesterday pretty much summarizes the whole Viking year:

Peterson breaks off some big runs early and they take a lead

Frazier immediately switches to his not-to-lose mentality and puts his balls in his pocket early

Chicago starts coming back

Vikings luck out and get a pick 6, up 14

End of the Vikings offense, we are now committed to running out the clock with 3:27 left in the third

Chicago moves the ball and looks like they will close the gap and a miracle happens...Hester drops a TD pass with 4:00 left

Vikings do nothing on offense for the 8th straight drive

Chicago gets it back and scores and can't recover the onside kick

I have no doubt in my mind if Hester catches that pass this game ends up in OT. Notice how that whole summary you didn't see Ponders name once? That's because he did nothing to win this game.

The only way Ponder isn't under center starting next year is if they somehow end up with a free agent or someone who's cut loose and the one that comes to mind...and I hate to think about it...is Vick. That's the kind of move this team is famous for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It just feels like such a missed opportunity. We're wasting his prime years, where if we had any pass threat this team could be an offensive juggernaut. I'm not a huge Webb fan, but don't see much downside to giving him a shot.

Even in a win, Ponder went 11/17 for 91 yards. In the last three games his QB rating was 58.2, 41.9, and 53.8. Here's a good article from before the Chicago game about Ponder's last six games:

A Look At Ponder's Most Recent Six Games

Both the Bears and Packers losses were winnable. I just don't see what we hope to learn from 3 more weeks of Ponder before inevitably cutting him loose in the off-season. He might luck out and squeak into the playoffs, but then are we just cursed with another year?

This statement makes me think about the Barry Sanders years in Detroit. Hopefully we can get him some help in the offseason. This team isn't that far off, but unfortunately one of the two pieces (QB and WR) we need help in is a pretty big one (QB).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but as I recall Childress made the decision to draft T-Jack, whereas Spielman made the decision to draft Ponder. I kind of want to give Frazier the benefit of the doubt that he's just carrying out orders in continuing to start Ponder despite all the evidence that the guy is not an NFL quarterback. Frazier doesn't strike me as being anywhere near as stubborn and hard-headed as Childress.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but as I recall Childress made the decision to draft T-Jack, whereas Spielman made the decision to draft Ponder. I kind of want to give Frazier the benefit of the doubt that he's just carrying out orders in continuing to start Ponder despite all the evidence that the guy is not an NFL quarterback. Frazier doesn't strike me as being anywhere near as stubborn and hard-headed as Childress.

That might be true, but he can't let his own career be flattened because he won't pull the trigger and at least look at somebody else. He's had chances to put Webb in against Chicago a few weeks ago and TB before that and hasn't, they play at Houston in 2 weeks, chances are that game will get out of hand and he will have a chance to let Webb take some snaps, if they get significantly down and he doesn't give Webb some snaps then he never will.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...