Demi wrote:He had just as much time as Cam and Dalton.
This is not entirely accurate. Newton and Dalton were brought in to be the unquestioned starters on their respective squads. If you recall, McNabb got all of the starting reps last year until mid-season, which does have an impact. And unlike Newton and Dalton, Ponder was playing injured for the latter parts of the season as well (thanks in large part to a poor offensive line that has since hopefully improved). But Ponder had/has his shortcomings and his decision-making and accuracy were not good enough.
Every player is better than they are. Every decision by the coaches or front office is unquestionable. Ponder just needs another year. A full offseason, two years.
I know expectations for rookies are higher now than they've ever been, but it seems as though prior to the success of Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco it was assumed that rookies would struggle for
at least a year — as they had for decades — before as they get acclimated to new teammates, coaches, system, terminology and the general speed of the game. Not every quarterback is going to be a franchise guy "overnight" (see: over the course of half or an entire season). I know in today's game fans demand it, but GMs have the patience to stick with their investment and give them a realistic chance to succeed (forming pieces around them in the process) before cutting bait.
Quarterbacks
do improve with time. They also can get worse or stay the same. The issue with Ponder is that many of us don't know where he falls. A handfull of games does not make for a good sample size to make conclusions one way or the other (IMO). I recall two players I really didn't care for (based primarily on their performance) were Shiancoe and Cedric Griffin. But after a few seasons they became very viable starters and contributors and I changed my tune. The same can be said for John Sullivan. If you search my comments, you'll find I was very critical of the guy. Now he's one of the top-5 centers in the league.
Bottom line: Ponder (like many second-year players) needs opportunities. Generally, it's said that WRs need three seasons before "the light comes on." I don't know why all of a sudden quarterbacks (arguably a more difficult, demanding position) should get any less time to prove themselves.
"Patience, Patience". Fine, you be patient. Meanwhile some of us will watch Ponder, look at his history, his various attributes, and come to a conclusion about how he projects going forward.
I suppose it comes down to how many games you need to see. For some, it's a handfull. Maybe as little as three (or zero if someone really didn't like the guy coming out of college). For others, it's 32. For the really patient ones, 46. I guess I'll always give a guy at least two years (unless they are beyond-a-doubt hopeless/awful) before forming an opinion (quarterbacks maybe more due to the demand of the position). For me, my number is probably 32, and that's probably shrunk thanks to the pain of watching Tarvaris nondevelop. Like a Sleep Number bed, everyone has their preference.
No player is ever bad, until they're cut.
Kevin Murphy is bad.
No coach is ever incompetent, until they're fired.
Two words: Brad Childress.
Can't pass any judgement or make any statements until a situation has resolved itself completely.
I don't think that's the case. I think a lot of people form opinions on players/coaches well before a decision about their future with the team has been decided. A lot of people soured on Williamson well before he left. Same goes for Tarvaris and Ryan Cook, to name a couple of recent players. Again, many want to give some players either the benefit of the doubt or at the very least time and opportunities to show one way or the other.
