As you may be aware of, the Minnesota Vikings didn’t play as expected during the 2010 regular season. With a 6-10 record and last place in the division, things appeared to be in decline. The biggest problem, it seemed, was with the quarterback position. With Leslie Frazier taking over as the Head Coach this season, things have already changed dramatically with the quarterback position.
The Vikings drafted a young, promising quarterback in Christian Ponder with the 12th overall pick in the draft. They hope that he is the future of the franchise and by how things have looked so far, they may get what they expected out of him. Christian Ponder has shown glimpses of accuracy and athleticism as well as the expected rookie mistakes. He completed 14 out of 25 passes for 147 yards and no touchdowns over the first two games. He has looked anxious at times in the pocket and has scrambled out of good protection. However, he looks good throwing on the run.
Now, thrusting a rookie quarterback into the starting position right away may not be the best thing to do. Because of this, Donovan McNabb was brought in as the starting quarterback this season once the lockout ended. He will play an important role in the development of Christian Ponder and with the success of the Vikings this season. He has looked very cautious with the ball so far throughout the first two preseason games, and that is to be expected from a veteran in a new system. He has completed 12 out of 19 passes for 121 yards and no touchdowns. He seems to be getting more comfortable with the system as time goes on, however, and we may expect more deep passes in the third preseason game.
Now for one of the most athletic players in the entire league, Joe Webb is staying at quarterback-as far as we know-this season. He will most likely be the third-string quarterback this season, because of Christian Ponder’s importance to the team and performance on the field. Joe Webb has looked nervous inside the pocket most of the time, and is eager to scramble out. One good sign of his development though, is that he is keeping his eyes down-field as he scrambles. He has completed 50% of his passes this preseason with one interception.
So far the quarterbacks on the Vikings roster have looked average at best, but expect them to improve as time goes on. Christian Ponder is a very smart kid and will pick up everything he can from McNabb. Joe Webb will continue to mature as a quarterback and should get plenty of playing time this season in wildcat formations. Donovan McNabb is an experienced veteran over many seasons and will continue to improve as he becomes more familiar with the offense.
Andrew Blessing, “Minnesota Vikings 2011 Quarterback Analysis,” Associated Content by Yahoo!