Donovan McNabb Is Done and the Christian Ponder Era Has Begun

On Sunday night, the country was promised a bad football game between the Vikings and Bears at Soldier Field.  Said promise was ultimately granted. Two teams that won’t sniff the playoffs battled it out in a meaningless NFC North matchup that definitely won’t be played on the NFL’s “Greatest Games” segment. The highlights and statistics will be packed away in the league’s large warehouse to be cared for by “Top Men.” All will likely forget the entire meeting except Donovan McNabb and Christian Ponder.

In the fourth quarter, with the game clearly over, the rookie Ponder replaced Viking quarterback McNabb. McNabb saw it as a substitution in a game that was clearly out of hand. “We’re down 39-10, you take guys out.” he said. “[Adrian Peterson] came out. A lot of guys came out. The kid’s got to get some reps.”

Apparently, he is a glass full kind of guy because it looked like a clear example of an aging star being benched in favor of the future. Ponder’s performance could be deemed mediocre; some hit the ground, while a few made it to the hands of receivers. In the grand scheme of things, the results didn’t matter. Vikings’ coach Leslie Frazier wanted last year’s 14^th overall pick on the field in a real game getting his virgin feet wet. He felt it was time to see how his team performed with No. 7 behind the center. The Christian Ponder era is upon us in Minnesota. Or is it?

Criticism is like a second language to McNabb. Throughout his career, he received jabs from diva wide receivers like DeSean Jackson and Terrell Owens, and scrutinized by blowhards like Rush Limbaugh and Bernard Hopkins. The expletives and Bronx cheers have rained upon him from Philly fans for years.

Despite all of this, he still has a job. For how long, who knows? Coach Frazier said his decision on who to start is based on “what’s best for our team.” He followed up one cliché statement with another by saying he hasn’t given up on a successful 2011 season. It is part of Frazier’s job description to drop clichés even if they sound delusional.

The Vikings are 1-5 and in search of an identity. In order for Frazier to even think about keeping his job, Ponder had to start.

Minnesota sports fans who enjoyed prosperity are now witnessing the evaporation of anything remotely positive to cheer for. Once playoff contenders, the Timberwolves are one of the worst NBA teams year after year. After enjoying small ball success, the Twinkies dropped from being the best to the worst in the AL central. The Vikings are…well, who are the Vikings?

With one win, the Vikings take on the Packers next week where they will likely be steamrolled over like Ricardo Montalban in The Naked Gun. The decision has been made: the 23-year-old Ponder will not be babied, and will take over on the field. The Vikings’ season is over and management realized they needed to prepare for the future. In the city of Chicago where his life began, McNabb’s career ends. He is no longer effective. All the Chunky soup in the world couldn’t save his job. Even his mama would agree with that.