Check Down Charlie

[mosscarter]

lets get something straight people: ponder blows. are you kidding me, 58 yards passing and you are supposed to be the franchise qb? the harsh truth is this, the longer we say with him, the more the team will regress. if we had daulton we would be 7-0 right now, but nobody wants to talk about that. this kid cannot get the ball downfield and its obvious. yes, our schedule is weak, but we could easily be 7 and 0 if ponder hadn't thrown for 37 yards in the first half against jacksonville, and threw 2 pick 6's against washington. this kid is horrible at best, and the sooner everyone realizes it the better. noodle arm.

[Rus]

Ponder's problems have little to do with his receivers. It's that opposing defenses know he can't throw across his body. They push a rush up the middle, they flush him out, and then instead of throwing it back across to the other side he always throws it straight up on the side he bootlegged out to. It's practically guaranteed that he'll throw to that side, and opposing defenses figured that out already. Part of the reason why a lot of his interceptions aren't pick-6's too is that when he throws into that mob on the side he bootlegged out to, all his linemen and running backs are sitting right there in front of him in protection and they can move up to make the tackle easily.

A part of the problem is that the line isn't picking up that blitz and giving Ponder a little more time to get rid of the ball from the pocket (and he gets happy feet when that happens), and the rest of it is how Ponder should, with more experience, see what's happening and take the ball out of bounds (or slide for a yard if he wants to burn time off the clock). There are a couple of plays that just don't completely play to Ponder's capabilities (with a stronger arm, he could be able to chuck it to the opposite side where there's almost NO coverage when opposing defenses stack one side of the backfield).

What Ponder needs to do is simple: If his receivers aren't getting open quickly, he needs to run the ball out of bounds when he's scrambling instead of forcing it. He's never going to pull off those across the body throws that Farve could make, so he should just play within himself and play smart. If you watch the replays, almost every one of his interceptions wouldn't be interceptions if he did that. He'd probably lose a down and only pick up at best a yard or two (he won't get lucky because all the defensive backs are sitting on that side right in front of him), but that's a whole lot better than an int.

Like it or not, Ponder haters, but there's always something that young quarterbacks have to fix, and that's definitely one of those things. You'll also need to come to terms really quickly, unless of course, you plan on jumping off the bandwagon, that the Vikings best chance at winning is in his hands. Not Joe Webb's, not some super hero quarterback currently bagging groceries or coaching high school football.

[Cliff]

What I can't figure out is that it seemed like Ponder's best passes came on the move last season. Now this year if he's running the ball is going all over the place. One of his INTs yesterday had nothing to do with throwing into coverage. Rudolph was wide open and Ponder chucked it over his head.

His throws were very paniced on the move and so the ball comes out erratically. I don't think he needs to just run it out of bounds or throw it away every time he's on the move, he just needs to calm the heck down and put some touch (normally one of his strongest areas) on the ball.

He just doesn't respond very well to pressure and the Arizona defense is pretty good at getting after the QB (they're tied with the Vikings for 3rd in sacks right now). I do feel pretty confident that he can overcome that problem, but right now it is definitely a problem. Hopefully he gets it figured out soon. The schedule gets tough and he won't be able to get away with playing like that in very many more games.

[Mothman]

What I can't figure out is that it seemed like Ponder's best passes came on the move last season. Now this year if he's running the ball is going all over the place. One of his INTs yesterday had nothing to do with throwing into coverage. Rudolph was wide open and Ponder chucked it over his head.

He was throwing across his body and I think it's easy to be inaccurate in that situation. The QB's momentum is carrying him one way and he's throwing in the opposite direction at a moving target. It's a recipe for a disaster, which is why QBs are taught not to do that!

[mansquatch]

I talked about this in the post game thread, but IMO the issue we've seen the past two weeks is that Ponder forgets how to take a coverage sack. On one of his picks he left the pocket, but overall held the ball for over 6 seconds. He needs to remember that he can fall back on his defense and just take the sack or run out of bounds. This has nothing to do with arm strength, accuracy, WR not being open, staring down WR, or mechanics. It is purely a mental issue.

He got away with some of these throws earlier in the season, but now teams are seeing tape on him and it is biting him. The good news is, IMO, what I said above: This is a mental issue.

[mosscarter]

hey acoustic: he did the same thing against indianapolis, and that is what i meant for my references. he did not even show up for the first half whatsoever. he stinks, and the sooner people realize it the better.

[Just Me]

hey acoustic: he did the same thing against indianapolis, and that is what i meant for my references. he did not even show up for the first half whatsoever. he stinks, and the sooner people realize it the better.

So is Cam Newton good in your estimation, or does he 'stink' too?

[PurpleKoolaid]

He was throwing across his body and I think it's easy to be inaccurate in that situation. The QB's momentum is carrying him one way and he's throwing in the opposite direction at a moving target. It's a recipe for a disaster, which is why QBs are taught not to do that!

Doesnt seem to bother Rogers. Some QB are quite capable of it. But then, they have a little arm str.

[PurpleKoolaid]

So is Cam Newton good in your estimation, or does he 'stink' too?

He doesnt have alot of class. And he needs to keep his mouth closed after games.

[Just Me]

He doesnt have alot of class. And he needs to keep his mouth closed after games.

Agreed, but is his play "good?"

[PurpleKoolaid]

Im not 100% sold on him. Are you?

[purplehaze]

Well, check down charlie vs the Bucs. Again, same scenario. HE SUCKS! Freeman (104.1 rating) Check down charlie (72.9).

I seriously have never seen a QB quite like this. Besides being terribly inaccurate (especially his deep ball punt) I have never seen anyone who's first move IMMEDIATELY is to leave the pocket on every pass play. I seriously right now don't understand how he made it on our team. I would love to eat crow but no way in hell is this guy our future QB. Sorry I would love to eat a crow sandwhich but it ain't gonna happen.

[Demi]

Freeman's rating was high because of the TDs and no turnovers. He was just as inaccurate as Ponder tonight.

[CalVike]

I have never seen anyone who's first move IMMEDIATELY is to leave the pocket on every pass play.

You have hit on a concern of mine. Last year I thought he stepped up in the pocket at times and made decisive, impressive throws. This year it seems rare that he steps up in the pocket and is really quick to roll out. Given the anemic results in recent weeks, it is a concern.

[mansquatch]

IMO, he was REALLY bad last night. He is not playing with confidence. Seifert made a great comment he said "Ponder is leading his throws, not driving them." He also doesn't trust his WR. For some reason he is trying to force the ball when he has other folks wide open. He was missing throws in the backfield.

This is all Rookie QB stuff. As aggravating as it is to watch, we have to remember he is still just a few games into his 2nd 16 games due to his late start last year. The BAD playcalling is not helping him, given the above I do not get why they are not using AP to better manage down and distance.

I'm hoping this 10 day break can be like a mini-bye week and they can get their pooh together. If they play like they did yesterday we'll be lucky to finish 7-9.