Minnesota Vikings: 5 Changes the Vikings Should Make with Christian Ponder

With their second win of the season, the Minnesota Vikings were able to give rookie QB Christian Ponder his first victory as a starter.

After a very ugly matchup with the Carolina Panthers, the Vikings know who they are and where they need to go from here.

The thing that ultimately kept the struggling Vikings in this game was effort. The Vikings had fight in them this week, and Panthers safety Captain Munnerlyn found that out the hard way.

The Vikings showed a lot of good things this week against the Panthers but still have a long way to go before they can be contenders again.

Here are five changes the Minnesota Vikings must make to have success under their rookie QB.

Use Adrian Peterson More in the Passing Game

Adrian Peterson is the NFL's most prolific running back.

He is far and away the best player on the Vikings roster and despite a shoddy offensive line is still having a fantastic year running the football.

Peterson's production should remain relatively high under a rookie QB, but with the arrival of a competent passer he should be included even more in the passing attack.

In 2009, Peterson's rushing productivity fell slightly with Brett Favre throwing the ball more than the team was accustomed to, even though it was the Vikings' most successful season in years.

This league has evolved into a very pass-happy one. Therefore, if you can't incorporate your running back into the passing game more than your standard play-action, it is very difficult to not become a one-dimensional offense.

Peterson showed against the Panthers that he is very capable in the passing game. He came up with key receptions on 3rd-and-long which ended up giving the Vikings offense the dimension they needed to stay in the game against an electric Carolina offense.

When you have the best RB in the NFL, he shouldn't be on the bench when you need to move the sticks—especially on 3rd-and-long.

Utilizing Peterson exclusively by running the ball allows opposing teams to load up the box and make it very difficult to establish any rhythm on the ground. This in turn allows the defense to focus almost exclusively on stopping a relatively weak Vikings passing game.

It seems like the Vikings finally figured out that they, too, can pass to the RB.

If they can continue to do this with Ponder at the helm, they will be able to keep their offense on the field and open up an entire new playbook with their best player.

They need to continue to do this for their rookie QB to have success.

Use Percy Harvin in Run Game

This one isn't so much a change as it is a key.

Percy Harvin is being utilized very well both on the ground and through the air. It is important that this continues to be the case.

Harvin is one of a handful of NFL players that is equally as useful on the ground as in the air. His versatility makes him one of the Vikings' most dangerous playmakers.

Harvin showed against Carolina that he can run the ball between the tackles just like the league's best RBs, but utilizing him out of the slot and in motion keeps defenses back on their heels.

By using this dimension of their offense, the Vikings are able to exploit defenses that load the box and establish an entire new realm of play-action options.

The change that I would suggest in this regard is to continue to vary the plays designed for Harvin to run the ball. The only two ways they've been using this strength is through end-arounds and by motioning Harvin into the backfield.

By splitting Harvin and Peterson in the same backfield, they would have two running threats and potentially two very dangerous options out to the flats and downfield in the passing game.

Winning games comes down to which team can best utilize their strongest players.

Though Harvin isn't the type of vertical threat that many offenses call for, he brings a lot to an offense that really needs to utilize its playmakers more.

If the Vikings can utilize both Peterson and Harvin to their fullest potentials, Christian Ponder will have two of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL.

Use Kyle Rudolph More Vertically

At 6'6" 265 lbs, Kyle Rudolph is the biggest receiving option on the Vikings roster.

Given that he has some of the best hands on the team, it is important that he build some chemistry with fellow rookie Christian Ponder.

The two were somewhat of a dynamic duo in training camp, but the rookie TE has seen his playing time drop a bit since Shiancoe's return from a hamstring injury. Since training camp, his role has been mostly in blocking.

Rudolph has made some pretty impressive catches in the intermediate passing game.

However, it is in the vertical passing game that Rudolph excels. By allowing the TE to become more a part of the passing game, it would not only give the Vikings a much-needed deep threat, but a sure-handed receiver that Ponder can rely on.

It is important that a QB can trust his receivers.

By giving Rudolph the experience he needs to grow into one of this offense's biggest threats, he becomes a cornerstone of this growing passing attack.

Get Rookie Offensive Linemen in the Game

When the Vikings were within a touchdown of beating the Super Bowl champion Packers only a few weeks ago, an overlooked fact was that the Vikings were down three of their five staring offensive linemen.

Starting center John Sullivan has been decent as a Viking, but his lack of durability has left him sidelined in big games.

Likewise, RG Anthony Herrera has repeatedly struggled with a knee injury that ended his season in 2010.

LT Charlie Johnson has been a disappointment since first wearing the purple and gold and will likely be replaced as well—at least at tackle.

Backup center Joe Berger replaced an injured Herrera against the Panthers. He is a decent backup at center, but he really doesn't have the lateral ability to run-block for Adrian Peterson.

Moving Charlie Johnson to this spot would allow the Vikings' offensive line do a lot more on the ground.

This move would leave the LT position completely open for rookie Demarcus Love to take over. The four-year starter from Arkansas watched Ryan Mallett's blind-side for a very successful senior season and the tackle even blocked for Christian Ponder in the Senior Bowl.

Love and rookie C Brandon Fusco have both played very well in a limited role. Their young legs give the Vikings a much more athletic line, despite lacking experience.

I wouldn't advocate for starting both players, but starting one and working the other into the game would be a smart move for the Vikings offensive line.

Ponder is athletic and aware enough to escape the pocket when he needs to. By getting these two some experience, you would be giving them the opportunity to really prove themselves over a group of aging veterans that aren't playing at a very high level.

The young linemen only allowed Ponder to be sacked once against the Packers. If given the opportunity to start, one of them might be the answer this line needs.

An offense is only as good as its line, and for the Vikings, that isn't very good.

Find an Answer in the Defensive Secondary

Despite a strong showing against the Arizona Cardinals, the Vikings secondary has been absolutely atrocious for quite some time now.

It seems just as they were finding an answer at corner, Chris Cook had to go get in trouble with the law.

His absence, along with that of Antoine Winfield, has left this Vikings secondary completely undersized and emaciated.

Not only are the corners completely sub-par, there isn't a safety on this roster that should be starting in the NFL. Husain Abdullah is the best current player in this secondary, and the only other team he may be able to start for is an equally-as-weak Chicago Bears secondary.

With Chris Cook suspended and Bernard Berrian no longer a Viking, there should be a few open roster spots to bring in some free agents.

True, most good DBs are already on a roster, but this secondary is so bad that almost anything would be an improvement at this point.

The Vikings' biggest weakness is getting gouged for big gains.

Lack of tackling ability allows receivers and running backs to get second chances against this secondary—most of the time resulting in scores.

The Vikings need to prevent these big plays to keep Ponder from having to play from behind. If they are to find success, they need to find their leaders in the secondary and they need to play up to their competition like they did against Arizona.

This is a problem that can't be completely fixed immediately, but through some key pickups and through the NFL draft, the Vikings need to address this problem if they ever want to be contenders again—especially with Greg Jennings and Megatron in their division.

Thanks for reading.