Ally wrote:Everyone is going to think I'm crazy, and I am, but I think that there will be an open competition during training camp and Ponder will win the starting job. I think Norv is going to help him tremendously and he will be able to beat out Cassel for the job though I think it will be a close competition. I don't know how Bridgewater will look yet but I doubt he's ready to start. He needs time to sit on the bench and learn - maybe a year but most likely two. Whoever ends up starting, they will be the best player we have and I'll support them 100%.
Ponder has so many issues though it's hard for me to believe Turner and time will fix enough of them to vault him into the starter's role on his merits. He struggles to read the field, often locking on to one guy and/or flushing from the pocket early. He doesn't use his eyes to mislead or misdirect defensive backs; conversely, his eyes often tell them exactly where he intends to go with the ball, maling their jobs much easier. Mechanically he rarely throws from a solid base, often falling or leaning backwards or not transferring momentum from his legs, leading to a lot of even simple passes that float on him and/or hit the dirt. We've even seen a fair number of jump passes from Ponder, which one just doesn't see from successful starting NFL-caliber QB's. If the QB has to jump to throw, he has no business throwing as the pass is too risky to begin with. Ponder doesn't seem to get that yet. He also struggles with confidence, rarely throwing unless his primary read is wide open, and it's even more rare to see him throw a covered guy open. He's also late on a lot of deep routes, forcing wide open receivers to slow up and/or even have to come back to the ball.
There are just so many issues there. For Ponder to be the best option heading into next season would have to be one of the most miraculous offseason turnarounds for a QB in the history of the NFL based on what we've seen so far, and I'd say it will take a lot more than just Turner's tutelage to make that happen.
While I don't think Bridgewater will win the job in camp, I'd say the odds are better we'll see him starting at some point next season than Ponder ever starting again, anywhere. I think the only way Ponder sees the field next year is if both Cassell and Bridgewater get hurt.
