Minnesota Vikings: And the Legacy of Christian Ponder Begins

Following six consecutive weeks of poor quarterback play from Donovan McNabb, the Minnesota Vikings' head coach, Leslie Frazier, had to make a power move: either start Christian Ponder, the rookie out of Florida State, or allow McNabb to continue to make bad decisions for the remainder of the season.

Thankfully, coach Frazier chose the former.

In moving Ponder to the starting QB position, the Minnesota Vikings looked like a rejuvenated football team once again. And considering their opponent—the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers—the rookie QB made one heck of a starting debut.

Though he was picked off twice by Hall of Fame-bound cornerback, Charles Woodson, Ponder played better than McNabb had all season long. His completion percentage was a bit choppy as well—completing only 13 of 32 pass attempts—but there was no question that the young QB had complete control of the Minnesota offense.

Leading the Vikings with 219 passing yards and two touchdowns, Ponder got the Vikings' offense flowing once again—a flow that had previously been clogged by McNabb's lackluster performances.

It's difficult to ignore the loss, the Vikings now falling to 1-6 (second worst in the NFC), but if you look at the bright side, Minnesota may have just found their knight in shining armor in Christian Ponder.

Once he gets acclimated to the NFL game, which can only come with more snaps under center, Ponder could become a very solid QB in the NFL. He's got great mechanics, delivering strikes of all distances downfield, but it'll take a bit more development for this young stud to become an NFL superstar.

I can't wait, can you?