It’s Christian Ponder Time in the Twin Cities, Vikings Bench McNabb

When the Minnesota Vikings selected Christian Ponder with the 12th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, I think it’s safe to say that most of the NFL world was shocked. There had been rumors that Ponder was drawing interest as a potential late-first round pick for some team to possibly trade up for, but going that high was something no one really saw coming.

But, the Vikings got their guy, and after six games they have decided that enough was enough out of veteran Donovan McNabb, whom some have speculated has played his last game in the NFL.

Ponder is an athletic quarterback prospect who had a lot of injury problems in his days at Florida State but showed this offseason in the Senior Bowl and at the Combine that he is an accurate passer who can make plays.

The Vikings bought in then, and they are going all in right now. The future of the Minnesota Vikings will begin on Sunday with a home game against–who else–the reigning Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

It might not be exactly the team Ponder wants to see on the other sideline for his first NFL start, but I think he will take it. That stadium is going to be revitalized after a 39-10 loss to the Chicago Bears last week on the road, and despite the poor performance I think the fans are going to be giddy to see some ray of hope when Ponder takes the field.

The Vikings’ passing offense needed some kind of boost after the first six games where they rank 31st in the NFL in passing and have more than 20 points only twice this season.

It’s going to be big for Ponder to have Adrian Peterson behind him, though after his performance against the Bears, it’s going to be key for Peterson to also step up his game, even though the Vikings are third in the NFL in rushing this season.

This move was inevitable for the Vikings, who are primed to be picking high in next year’s NFL Draft. They need to see what Ponder can do to determine what direction they go with their first round pick, and I think it’s a good move.

This is a guy who has a lot of skills and qualities you look for in a franchise quarterback, so we will see how he adjusts to the pro game. If he can provide a spark, maybe the Vikings’ team will respond accordingly.