Christian Ponder: Analysis of Minnesota Vikings 2011First Round Draft Pick

Christian Ponder – QB

Florida State  6-3 , 230lb

OK, so I’ll admit that when the Vikings drafted Christian Ponder I said, “What the F#%$?”  Why would you do that when you have Prince Amukamara on the board.  I was a little frustrated to say the least.  I looked at Ponder as a possibility back in January but had written him off due to the injury to his throwing arm and low stats in 2010.  Even though the numbers were low I noticed that he completed about 60% of his passes and threw for 20 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions but still I thought of him as damaged goods.  Well, I was wrong.  After continuing my research on this kid I have two very bold predictions to make:

1)      Christian Ponder will be the most successful rookie quarterback in 2011!

2)      Christian Ponder will be a candidate for offensive rookie of the year alongside AJ Green and Mark Ingram.

Here is why.  Ponder ran a system in Florida State that is very similar to the offensive scheme of the Atlanta Falcons so he already knows a lot of Bill Musgrave’s playbook.  What he doesn’t know he has the intelligence and work ethic to learn very quickly.  While playing with his throwing arm injured in 2010 he still maintained accuracy.  Sam Bradford has been durable after having a similar injury so if Christians arm gets back to full speed he will be much better than expected .  The biggest advantage that Ponder has over the other quarter backs in the league is knowing the system upon entering the NFL.  He has less to learn and is well equipped to learn it.  So the Vikings will be able to use much more of their playbook than the Panthers or Titans with Cam Newton and Jake Locker. If Rocky Balboa had an IQ of 140 and completed 60% of his passes then you would have Christian Ponder.  If  we can pound the ball with Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhardt and restrict Ponder to a minimum number of throws the Minnesota Vikings will be in the playoffs with a 10-6 record at the end of the 2011 season.  In retrospect it was a great pick.  Ponder is truthfully the most NFL ready QB simply because he doesn’t have to spend as much effort learning the system.    

Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft Final

1^st Round: 

Prince Amukamara

Prince Amukamara – CB - Nebraska

Alternate Choice:
Muhammed Wilkerson – DT – Temple
Cory Luiget – DT – Illinois

2^nd Round: 

Ryan Mallett – QB – Arkansas

Alternate Choice:
Andy Dalton – QB – TCU
Ras-I Dowling – CB – Virginia
Marvin Austin - DT - North Carolina

4^th Round: 

Chris Culliver – FS – South Carolina

Alternate Choice:
Kris O’Dowd – C – USC
Niles Paul  -  WR  -  Nebraska

5^th Round: 

Greg McElroy – QB – Alabama

Jah Reid -  OT  - USC

Alternate Choices: 
Greg Little -  WR  - North Carolina  - 
Zach Hurd – OG – Connecticut

Martin Parker – DT – Richmond

6^th Round: 

Byron Maxwell – CB – Clemson

Ricardo Lockette – WR – Fort Valley State

Alternate Choice:
Mike Mohamed – ILB - California
Loyce Means - CB - Houston

7^th Round: 

Ryan Bartholomew – C – Syracuse

Mark Legree – FS - Appalachian State

Alternate Choice:
Lezarious Levingston - DE - LSU
Adam Weber - QB - Minnesota
                              

Interesting Structure to Vikings Coaching Staff

Leslie Frazier

Great leaders often surround themselves with great men.  A great leader is often one who can delegate work to experts in their field and in turn trust them and be receptive to their advice.  It appears to me that Head Coach Leslie Frazier fits those particular shoes.  When I look at the solidarity within the  staff that coach Leslie Frazier has assembled I can’t help but acknowledge the potential football  power the Minnesota Vikings now wield.  Both sides of the ball have been fortified with what seems like a pair of coordinator instead of just one.  It almost looks to me like Frazier has assembled an interchangeable group of generals in Pagac and Singeltary on the defense; Musgrave and Davidson on the offense.  The combination of Frazier and his generals have been to a total of eight super bowls.  Offensive line coach Jeff Davidson has been to three super bowls as an assistant offensive line coach for the New England Patriots.  I personally think that this intresting power structure will be very convenient for a first time head coach.  This will be Fred Pagacs first go at defensive coordinator and he is very qualified to do so. 

Fred Pagac

 Coach Frazier made a smart move by pairing up Pagac with new  linebackers coach Mike Singeltary.  Since Singeltary has been both a defensive coordinator and head coach in the league he will prove to be great support for Pagac. Both Pagac and Singeltary have played and coached the linebacker position in the NFL and are old school football minds.  I think they will work very well together to make sure our defense is disciplined and always on top of their game.  The same goes on the offensive side of the ball for first time offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave.  Frazier has paired Musgrave with some one who has experience as a coordinator in Jeff Davidson.  Again, like Singeltary, Davidson will be of great assistance to Bill Musgrave.  So what I see is fresh first time coordinators being teamed up with a coach who has prior experience at that position in order to offer advice and support to the new coordinator. 

Bill Musgrave

This also adds great depth in the coaching staff.  I don’t know that NFL teams ever do this but both Davidson and Singeltary are fully capable of running the practices on their own.  This would free up a whole lot of time for Frazier, Musgrave, and Pagac to be in the war room looking at tape and devising an appropriate strategy.  I don’t know that there is another structure like it.  Frazier has really assembled something great here and as long as he maintains the respect of his coaches and players there is no limit to the success he may bring to the Vikings.

* Vikings have reportedly scheduled a team visit with Muhammad Wilkerson the DT out of Temple.

* Vikings have reportedly scheduled a team visit with Ryan Mallett the QB out of Arkansas. 

Minnesota Vikings Hire Assistant Coach

The Minnesota Vikings have reportedly hired another assistant to head coach Leslie a Frazier.  A former player at Citadel as a quarterback and a wide receivers coach Cam Turner has agrees to join the Vikings remodeled offensive coaching staff.

The Following Information Has Been Copied From: http://www.citadelsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=9700&ATCLID=1524455

2008: Played in five games, starting in one at Samford ... recorded two 100-plus yard performances ... completed 11-of-21 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown at Samford ... came in for an injured Bart Blanchard at No. 3 Florida to connect on 15-of-30 passes for 169 yards and one touchdown against the Gators, also caught one pass for 29 yards and a touchdown on a trick play ... finished the season with 36-of-61 complete passes for 386 yards and five touchdowns, and 25 carries for 68 yards ... averaged 29.0 yards a catch with a pass efficiency of 126.10.

2007: Saw action in four games ... rushed twice for eight yards against Webber International ... rushed three times for eight yards and his first collegiate touchdown at VMI.

2006: Redshirted.

High School: Named pre-season  All-American by  Tom Lemming ... was an Army All-American Bowl nominee ... named honorable mention to the North Suburban All-Conference Team ... was captain of his team ... named Big 12 All-Conference his junior year ... named Central Illinois All-Area in junior year ... named the team’s offensive MVP his junior year.

Personal: Cameron Turner ... born July 29, 1987 ... son of Ron and Wendy Turner ... comes from a strong family of football players and coaches, including father who is the former head coach at Illinois and current Offensive Coordinator for the Chicago Bears and uncle, Norv Turner, who is the head coach of the San Diego Chargers ... also uncle, Scott Weber, played at Southern Cal, while cousin, Scott Turner, played at UNLV, cousin, Dan O’Dell, played football for San Jose State ... majoring in business administration.

Minnesota Vikings Mock Depth Chart 4.0

Quarterbacks:

Joe Webb
Rhett Bomar
Greg McElroy (5^th round draft)

Running backs:

Adrian Peterson
Toby Gerhardt
Lorenzo Booker
Nafahu Tahi

Receivers:

Sydney Rice (Free Agent)
Julio Jones (1^st round draft)
Percy Harvin
Greg Camarillo
Emmanuel Arcenaeux
Jaymar Johnson


Tight Ends:

Visanthe Shiancoe
Jim Kliensasser
Jeff Dugan

Center:

John Sullivan
Ryan Bartholomew (7^th Round Draft)

Left Tackle:

Bryant McKinney
Patrick Brown

Left Guard:

Steve Hutchinson
Chris Degeare

Right Tackle:

Phil Loadholt
Ryan Cook

Right Guard:

Harvey Dahl (free agency)
Chris Degeare

Defensive Tackle:

Kevin Williams
Aubrayo Franklin (free Agency)
Marvin Austin (2nd round draft)
Letroy Guion



Left Defensive End:

Jared Allen
Brian Robison

Right Defensive End:

Cullen Jenkins (free Agency)
Everson Griffen
Adrian Awasom

Inside Linebackers:

EJ Henderson
Jasper Brinkley
Mike Mohamed (5th Round Draft)


L. Outside Linebackers:

Chad Greenway
Heath Farwell

R. Outside Linebackers:

Erin Henderson
Kenny Onatulu

Cornerbacks:

Richard Marshall (free agency)
Cedric Griffen
Antoine Winfield
Chris Cook
Asher Allen
Byron Maxwell (6^th round draft)

Strong Safety:

Hussein Abdullah
Jamarca Sanford
Tyrell Johnson

Free Safety:

Tenard Jackson (free agency)
Chris Culliver (4th round draft)

Kicker:

Wes Byrum (Undrafted FA)

Punter:

Chris Kluwe

Minnesota Vikings 2011 Mock Draft 3.0

1^st Round: 

Julio Jones – WR – Alabama

Alternate Choice: Ryan Mallett – QB – Arkansas

2^nd Round: 

Marvin Austin – DT – North Carolina

Alternate Choice: Andy Dalton – QB – TCU

4^th Round: 

Chris Culliver – FS – South Carolina

Alternate Choice: Kris O’Dowd – C – USC

5^th Round: 

Greg McElroy – QB – Alabama

Mike Mohamed – ILB - California

Alternate Choices: Zach Hurd – OG – Connecticut

                                 Martin Parker – DT – Richmond

6^th Round: 

Byron Maxwell – CB – Clemson

Alternate Choice: Loyce Means – CB – Houston

7^th Round: 

Ryan Bartholomew – C – Syracuse

Alternate Choice: Mark Legree – FS - Appalachian State

Growing Confidence in Joe Webb as the Minnesota Vikings Starting Quarterback

All along I have been preaching that Joe Webb is over rated by Vikings Fans.  I have said that he is an inaccurate passer and would be better as a receiver.  I was one of those who believed that we needed to draft a QB in either of the first two rounds.  Well I recently went back to the DVR and watched the TCF stadium game and the Tuesday night game in Philadelphia.  I was wrong about Webb.  He looks so calm back there.  It’s like the speed of the NFL game does not even affect him.  Unlike a Vikings QB who has worn the #7 for the last five years.  On a couple of short passes Joe had a tendency to throw behind guys.  I think that that will just be an adjustment issue of getting up to game time speed. Realizing how fast your teammates are when you are a starter.  He is surprisingly accurate and always looks forward even under pressure because it appears that he does not react to the pressure.  Calm like a bomb ready to explode and run one to the end zone.  I really liked how quickly he makes the decision to run.  He did miss a wide open Adrian Peterson in the end zone.  Webb made a couple really nice accurate passes in the Philly game.  He has huge hands and gets a tight nice spiral on the ball.  It looks like he floats it a little bit too much but Coaches Musgrave and Johnson can probably smooth some of these things out.  Remember Joe did not have much time to prepare.  When you watch some of his completions in slow motion you can see how good he is at recognizing when a receiver is breaking away from the coverage.  He has really good timing on his throws. He should have a TD on his record on a nicely placed ball to Sydney Rice.  I think we can use the first round to get Joe another weapon in Julio Jones.  I have flip flopped on the Webb thing and as of now I have become confident of his ability to start in the NFL. From what I have heard the locker room likes Joe a lot as a leader and a teammate.  At UAB his teammates voted him permanent captain.  Frazier says that Webb is very coachable.  If Webb can make all the throws and put on like 10 pounds without losing speed then the Vikings may already have their QB. Cam Newton who?  Go Joe Webb!

Minnesota Vikings Sixth & Seventh Round Hot List

Loyce Means #22 - Houston

1: Byron Maxwell – CB – Clemson

Ø      6-0, 202lb.

Ø      4.43 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #25

2: Jeff Maehl – WR – Oregon

Ø      6-1, 190lb.

Ø          4.56 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #25

3: Richard Sherman – CB – Stanford

Ø      6-3, 195lb.

Ø      4.54 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #28

4: Ricardo Lockette – WR – Fort Valley State

Ø      6-2, 211lb.

Ø      4.34 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #29

5: Loyce Means – CB – Houston

Ø      5-10, 177lb.

Ø      4.45 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #29

6: Courtney Smith – WR – South Alabama

Ø      6-4, 220lb.

Ø      4.58 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #30

7: Lazarius Levingston – DE – LSU

Ø      6-4, 292lb.

Ø      4.93 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #22

8: Mark Legree – FS – Appalacian State

Ø      6-0, 210lb.

Ø      4.49 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #11

9: Ryan Jones – CB – Northwest Missouri State

Ø      5-11, 197lb.

Ø            4.42 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #31

10: Ryan Bartholomew – C – Syracuse

Ø      6-1, 302lb.

Ø            4.93 Forty Yard Dash

Ø            34 Reps in Bench Press

Ø      Pos. Rank: #11

Minnesota Vikings Fifth Round Hot List

Greg McElroy #12 - Alabama

1: Greg McElroy – QB – Alabama

Ø      6-2, 220lb.

Ø      4.84 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #10

Here is the very last chance for Minnesota grab a quality QB in the draft.  McElroy will provide some good competition for Bomar and Webb.  I’ve recently watched the game at TCF Stadium and the Tuesday nighter in Philly and I am becoming increasingly confident in Joe Webb as a starter for the Vikes.

2: Deunta Williams – FS – North Carolina

Ø      6-2, 205lb.

Ø            4.53 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #8

Minnesota could use an upgrade at safety not to mention additional depth.  The Vikes basically have no starting free safety and virtually no depth at the position.

3: Chykie Brown – CB – Texas

Ø      5-11, 190lb.

Ø      4.49 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #21

With Chris Cook’s recent legal dilemma, Cedric Griffen being injury prone, Sheppard and Walker hitting free agency and Winfield getting older.  There is no doubt that the Vikings need depth at the corner position.

4: Lee Ziemba – OT – Auburn

Ø      6-6, 317lb.

Ø      5.50 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #14

Vikings have to start building an O-Line for the future.  Having more depth could serve a purpose in the 2011 season as well.

5: Martin Parker – DT – Richmond

Ø      6-2, 303lb.

Ø      4.95 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #16

The Vikings are going to be very thin at DT if they don’t grab one on the free agent market.  There are some good DT’s early in the draft but Coaches Fred Pagac and Karl Dunbar are going to need to add some young depth

6: Cecil Shorts III – WR – Mount Union

Ø      6-0, 205lb.

Ø      4.50 Forty Yard Dash

Ø            Pos. Rank: #1

Ø           

7: Tori Gurley – WR – South Carolina

Ø      6-4, 216lb.

Ø      4.53 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #24

Harvin, Berrian , and Camarillo are the only starting receivers under contract.  They have signed Emmanuel Arcenaeux and Jaymar Johnson to contracts but competition at those later roster spots is always a positive thing.  Especially if it means we can trade or release Berrian and depart with the 3.9 million he is due in 2011.

8: Zach Hurd – OG – Connecticut

Ø      6-7, 317lb.

Ø      5.28 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #8

The offensive line needs depth…. Period.  Herrera needs to go.

9: Alex Green – RB – Hawaii

Ø      6-0, 225lb.

Ø            4.45 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #16

Minnesota says that the offense will be very run heavy.  In that case the Vikings might look to carry four running backs or allow Green to compete with Booker for that 3^rd roster spot.  That kind of size and speed can come in handy and would provide some insurance in the case that Toby or Adrian were to get injured.

10: Alex Henery – K – Nebraska

Ø      6-2, 177lb.

Ø      4.87 Forty Yard Dash

Ø      Pos. Rank: #1

Ryan Longwell is going to be a free agent.  For the Vikings to grab the #1 kicker in the nation in the fifth round would not be a bad idea.  The Vikings have two picks in the fifth and the talent really gets diluted in the 6^th and 7^th rounds.  I think I would rather spend a 5^th rounder for a kicker than trying to find one in free agency.  Could always bring in an undrafted or two for competition at that position.