Christian Ponder Running Out Of Time

A few things I will say are absolutely true with no arguments:

• Adrian Peterson is the best player in the NFL. If the Vikings had two more wins, he'd be a serious candidate for MVP, and he probably should be anyway. Unfortunately, we have a somewhat warped idea of what an MVP is, and the MVP can't come off a 6-6 team that is probably on its way to 7-9 more than on its way to the playoffs.
• Aaron Rodgers' numbers aren't as good as they were last season, but that's an unreasonable expectation, and it doesn't mean Rodgers isn't playing at an MVP level. Despite banged-up receivers and an offensive line that lacks depth and high-end talent, Rodgers leads the NFL in quarterback rating, is still near the top in completion percentage, and is every bit the reason this team is 6-1 in its last seven games.
• Christian Ponder sucks.
• He's also not getting much help as he tries to attain his goal of not being terrible.

What isn't as certain, but is something I believe pretty strongly, is that Ponder is running out of chances to prove he is the guy Minnesota thought it was getting.

He was dead-on awful Sunday, hitting just five passes for 36 yards before a couple of stat-padding series against a prevent defense. All five completions came on a touchdown drive for the Vikings that got them on the board in the first quarter. That was it.

After a 48-yard scamper by Peterson in the third quarter -- a run that followed Mason Crosby's out-of-bounds kickoff -- the Vikings were in scoring position. Ponder rolled out right on second down, and threw across his body for Kyle Rudolph in the back of the end zone. Safety Morgan Burnett made sure the ball never got there, intercepting it to give Green Bay life in a game it was about to go down 21-10 in.

From there, it was all Green Bay, with both Ponder picks eventually setting up Crosby field goals (actual made field goals!). James Starks added a touchdown run (!) in a 23-14 win.

At 6-6, the Vikings are pretty much screwed when it comes to the playoffs, thanks to a remaining schedule that includes the Bears and Packers at home, and Houston and St. Louis on the road.

Can Peterson run Minnesota into the playoffs? In other words, can he do enough to keep Ponder's dumb mistakes from killing the team?

The answer Sunday was a negative one. Peterson went off for 210 yards, but Ponder's inaccuracy and inefficiency sunk the team.

Packers defensive tackle Ryan Pickett summed it up pretty well.

"They should run him until he can't even breathe," defensive end Ryan Pickett said. "I don't understand why they wouldn't. I ain't seen nobody stop him. No one.

"If I had him, I probably would be tempted to not even pass."

... "An average running back today would have had 50, 60 yards," said Pickett. " 'AP' had 200. It wasn't like we were getting beat up. He would just make people miss."

He's right. Vikings offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave should be taking the air out of the ball completely. If it isn't a safe play-action pass to Rudolph, it probably shouldn't even be attempted at this rate. Just let Peterson get his 200-plus yards and hope it's enough.

Hell, the Vikings were so bad Sunday -- outside of Peterson -- that they got whipped in time of possession by a team that never makes a truly concerted effort to hold on to the ball. It's hard not to feel badly for Peterson, seemingly a good guy who just plays the game at a level higher than anyone else can reach. And he blew out his knee last December.

Fear not, Vikings fans. Ponder has the answer. He wants to hang out on the ranch.

 Ponder told FOXSports.com that he has never spoken with Brett Favre, who had officially retired — for real this time — several months before the Minnesota Vikings used a 2011 first-round pick on the former Florida State standout. Ponder, though, said he has recently chatted with “people in the (Vikings) organization about maybe going and hanging out with him for a couple of days.”

“We’re going to bring that up and try to take advantage of that,” Ponder said Thursday.

Well, Ponder already knows how to make brain-dead throws into coverage. Maybe Favre can teach him the good stuff.

Danny O'Brien Named Wisconsin Starting Quarterback

It comes as a surprise to probably no one not named Joel Brennan, but Wisconsin football coach Bret Bielema named his 2012 starting quarterback on Sunday.

It's Maryland transfer Danny O'Brien.

In June, O'Brien transferred to Wisconsin from Maryland, where he made 17 starts the past two seasons and passed for 4,086 yards with 29 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He graduated from Maryland in May and became eligible immediately at Wisconsin.

O'Brien beat out senior Curt Phillips and redshirt freshman Joel Stave for the starting job.

"Both Curt and Joel had great camps as well, we are very fortunate that we have 3 QB's that can play winning football for us," Bielema tweeted. 

Insert "Free agency," "QB Transfer U," or "ACC" jokes here. It'll be the second straight year that Wisconsin has taken an immediate transfer from an ACC school and named that player its starting quarterback.

Of course, Russell Wilson won the gig last season, and he did all right, leading the Badgers to a second straight Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl berth. It sure wasn't his fault that the Badgers didn't beat a beatable Oregon team in the Rose Bowl, either.

O'Brien doesn't have Wilson's track record. In fact, the former Terp has seen his share of struggles at this level. After a more-than-solid freshman season, O'Brien stumbled in 2011, throwing seven touchdown passes to ten interceptions. Maryland stunk under new head coach Randy Edsall, and O'Brien didn't appear to be a great fit in the offense moving forward.

That said, O'Brien was Wisconsin's best option from the minute he decided to play there.

You see, he doesn't need to be anything close to Wisconsin's offensive MVP. That's Montee Ball, the Heisman Trophy candidate who will hopefully be fully healthy and ready to go for the opener against mighty Northern Iowa. O'Brien also shouldn't have to worry about getting overwhelmed by opposing pass rushers, as the Badgers have yet another pretty good offensive line in front of him. With Jared Abbrederis back, the receiving corps should be good, too.

Maryland allowed 34 points per game last season, putting even more heat on O'Brien and the offense, which simply wasn't built for big numbers. This offense is built for big numbers, and the defense won't be nearly that bad.

It won't be as explosive as it was with Wilson, but O'Brien is an upgrade for the Badgers at quarterback, and the Badgers are easily good enough to win another Big Ten title.

Badger Football Rabble: August 14

With Wisconsin's football team in its second week of practice, much is going on in Madison. What won't be going on there is a significant on-field challenge, at least not until October.

(No, Nebraska fans, that's not a shot at your overrated team. The Badgers and Cornhuskers play in Lincoln. Wisconsin's home games before an Oct. 27 date with Michigan State are as follows: Northern Iowa, Utah State, UTEP, Illinois, Minnesota. Yawn.)

While all the talk over the first week of fall camp seems to have been centered on running back Montee "Heisman" Ball, who was assaulted on campus Aug. 1, and had been silent until Media Day on Sunday.

Ball, who sustained a concussion when he was assaulted, didn't dodge any questions, including those concerning his Heisman Trophy candidacy and his physical condition heading into the season.

The 21-year-old Ball said he made a last-minute decision to go out with some friends before the start of training camp.

"We weren't getting rowdy or anything. I was just heading right back to my place a block away and I was attacked. That's all I remember," Ball said. "I'm very blessed because it obviously could have been a lot worse."

The injury kept Ball out for the first week of practice, but it sounds like he'll be weened back into the swing of things, and the hope still is that he'll be available for the UNI game.

While the running back job is Ball's as long as he's healthy, the quarterback position is once again unsettled. One year after the Badgers "rented" Russell Wilson and rode his right arm and mobility to a Big Ten title, Wisconsin has rolled the dice on another transfer. Former Maryland quarterback Danny O'Brien doesn't have Wilson's track record of success, so it remains to be seen if he can make anything close to Wilson's impact. But while no one has handed O'Brien a thing so far at fall camp, he does expect to win the job.

(I know: What did you expect him to say? But at least he's not hiding from his expectations of himself.)

As far as the competition goes, well, yeah. Fifth-year senior Curt Phillips is coming off three knee surgeries, and it doesn't appear to be going well for him in camp.

On Monday, when media were allowed to watch practice for the first time, it looked like the biggest obstacle to Phillips winning the starting job might be his problem getting much zip on his passes.

Phillips was moving around fine, but still was having problem driving off his back leg when he threw.

Also on the depth chart is redshirt freshman Joel Stave. Hopes are high, but he's not there yet.

Stave did some good things and had one of the best throws of the practice, a completion of more than 20 yards to tight end Sam Arneson against double coverage. But Stave is still developing and needs to improve in several areas, including getting a quicker release.

No way Stave's a factor, but he's ahead of Joe Brennan -- last year's backup to Wilson -- on the depth chart. That apparently has Brennan a little cheesed.

Sophomore Joe Brennan was not at the team’s media day Sunday as he has been granted a “sabbatical” by Bret Bielema as “[h]e’s looking into some options outside of the University of Wisconsin to possibly transfer to.”

... Bielema, though, hasn’t completely closed the door on a return.

“I’m not for sure that’s going to happen. I’ve allowed him to take some time away from the program here, explore his options and get a feel for where he’s at and would welcome him back if that’s kind of the direction he wants to go.”

No grudge here. If Brennan is behind three guys who weren't a factor last year, he may feel he has the right to be perturbed. No reason why he shouldn't be allowed to look at his options, and no reason for Wisconsin to just cut ties because he wants to look at those options.

Expectations are high, and Bielema doesn't need to have unhappy guys, even if they're way down the depth chart.

Pondering a Quarterback Change

I've watched a lot of football in my years on this planet. I have never seen anything like what the Vikings have done over the last three weeks.

In blowing 17-7, 17-0, and 20-0 halftime leads to go 0-3, the Vikings have created a fanbase so incredibly angry and frustrated that nothing they do now will make it better.

Minnesota is in a hell of a spot, with two NFC North teams at 3-0. They've blown two extremely winnable home games, and now there is a decision this organization has to make. Now.

There is a common thread in each loss, and it's the inadequacies of the quarterback. Donovan McNabb is just too inaccurate and too conservative to run this offense. The Vikings don't have the weapons or the defense to put up with a quarterback who isn't good enough.

It's time for a change.

McNabb has done what he can. He isn't as good as he used to be, and he was never really a game-breaking quarterback who could take over games by himself. What McNabb could do well is lead an offense that is keyed by the running game, chipping in the occasional deep throw and rollout pass play. The Vikings asked him to do that this year, and he's failing miserably, because his not-really-all-that-great accuracy has dwindled in recent years. It's at a point now where he can no longer be considered the best option for this team going forward.

A huge part of this team's second-half problems is the play of McNabb, who missed on a number of key throws Sunday. The biggest was an overthrow of Bernard Berrian on a play right before the Vikings tied the score to force overtime. Berrian beat one-on-one coverage, and a good throw wins the game for the Vikings. Instead, McNabb gave his receiver zero chance to make a play, and in came Ryan Longwell for the three points.

Blame the defense for not getting off the field, or for letting Calvin Johnson make a couple huge plays. Blame Toby Gerhart for not getting a first down on fourth and short. Or blame Bill Musgrave for not calling a play for Adrian Peterson in that situation. But looking at these three games, McNabb and his scattershot play has to be considered the common thread.

Now, the Vikings need to turn to Christian Ponder. It seems early, but this season is virtually dead already, so there is little point in sticking with McNabb and not figuring out what Ponder can do at this level.

The Vikings haven't developed a star NFL quarterback in a lot of years. We don't know if Ponder can be that kind of guy, but we know McNabb is no longer capable. I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest that Joe Webb won't be that kind of player, either. He's more of a bit guy who can step in occasionally, but isn't a 16-game kind of player.

The organization drafted Ponder to take over and be a franchise quarterback. With the team off to an 0-3 start, it might as well see what he can do. He can't be worse than McNabb.

Tim Tebow Handles Criticism of Tim Tebow Better Than LeBron James Does

Say what you want about Tim Tebow. Marginal NFL-type skills? Maybe.

Inaccurate thrower? I can buy that.

Goofy throwing motion? Sure.

But he is a lot of things most of us can appreciate, if not admire. He is a full-bore competitor. His image is that of a fan-friendly, religious guy who just gets how to conduct himself the right way. Tim Tebow is difficult to hate because he just doesn't give anyone any reason to do so.

That doesn't mean he's immune from criticism. On ESPN Wednesday, former NFL running back and current analyst Merrill Hoge lit into Tebow's NFL skills.

"He is awful as far as accuracy goes and what's kind of even more disturbing, he's probably worse moving and running around with the football and throwing than he is from the pocket," Hoge said. "Can you get better there? A little bit. If everything is perfect, the pocket, your feet are good, all your fundamentals come into place, the coverage is what you want it, you can be successful. But that doesn't happen at the National Football League. Rarely does that happen."

This isn't a critique of Tebow as a football player. Hoge isn't saying he doesn't like Tebow the man. He's saying he doesn't like Tebow's football skills, and he doesn't think Tebow can be a successful NFL quarterback without making marked improvement in his skills.

Tebow took the high road, tweeting "Hey Merril...... 'ppreciate that" in response to the criticism.

NBA star LeBron James was apparently watching ESPN at the time. I guess he has nothing else to do with the NBA locked out until potentially the end of time.

James is clearly a fan of Tebow, and -- on Twitter -- he took the Hoge criticism of Tebow worse than Tebow did.

"Listened to Merril Hoge today on SC and he was just blasting Tebow. The man hasn't even play a full season and its only his 2nd year in," James wrote. "Guys get on that TV and act like they was all WORLD when they played. How bout encouraging him and wishing him the best instead of hating!!"

(I'll save the rant on how this is another example of the awesomeness of Twitter and how it's changed the sports world for the better. Needless to say, it's quite unlikely that we'd get such a strong -- and entertaining -- reaction from an NBA star regarding an ESPN commentator's criticism of an NFL quarterback were it not for Twitter.)

I understand James trying to defend someone he likes/respects/admires. To a certain extent, I also admire Tebow, and it's a reaction to look at Hoge's words and lash out.

But Hoge was simply doing his job.

If he sees the Denver Broncos employing a guy -- potentially -- as their starting quarterback who he doesn't believe has the skills to be a successful NFL starter, it's his job to lay that case out to his viewers. To not do that is a disservice to the viewers, and ESPN already does more than enough stuff that is a disservice to the viewers.

Debate the case Hoge made, but there's no debating his right or obligation to make that case, if that's how he really feels.

I know Kyle Orton was good last season, but the Broncos were 4-12. It's not like using Tebow as the starter will make them worse. That doesn't mean Tebow is the long-term solution, but given that teams aren't banging down the door trying to get Orton (Miami signed Matt Moore instead of making a trade), I don't think it's so easy as to just say Orton is the answer.

Christian Ponder: Pros and Cons

As I wrote Thursday, the biggest thing I felt the Minnesota Vikings needed to do in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft was trust their board and pick the best available player.

You can't trust the ability to trade back, because you need a partner to do that.

(Actually, Vikings vice president Rick Spielman told the Fan Radio Network Friday that they called every team picking behind them in the first round, and no one was interested in moving into the 12th spot. So there's that.)

With no one moving up, the Vikings were stuck at No. 12. They had two choices. Either make a pick, or repeat the embarrassment of a few years ago, when they passed on their pick and had to get their selection in as other teams were running to the podium to get picks ahead of the Vikes.

The pick was made on time, and Minnesota chose Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder. I tweeted earlier Thursday that I felt he was the No. 2 quarterback in the draft, and I still feel that way. I like his skill set and how it translates to the NFL a lot more than I like the skill set of Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert, two guys picked ahead of Ponder.

That said, there is a downside to the decision by the Vikings, and it's fair to point that out. It's probably not fair to scream, boo, cry, or throw a chair in protest, but it's fair to say that you don't like the pick. I'm not sure I like the pick, even though I like the player.

As far as pros go, there's the idea that the Vikings had little choice. They could have drafted Nick Fairley or Nate Solder and solidified either the defensive or offensive lines, and not gotten a bad value. They could have gotten Prince Amukamara and added depth to the secondary. But it would have come at the price of likely not getting the needed quarterback of the future -- whether it be Ponder or Andy Dalton, a player the Vikings like.

The lack of a third-round pick would have made it virtually impossible for Minnesota to trade back into the first round without mortgaging much of this year's draft and/or part of next year's draft. That wasn't desirable for a team that needs help at as many positions as the Vikings do. If anything, Spielman probably needs to focus on moving down in the second round if he can, so he can re-acquire the third-rounder that some moron traded for Randy Moss.

I understand the fans' negativity, though. Ponder isn't a sexy pick, and it's hard to argue (Spielman intimated this on the radio more than once) that Ponder was in the Vikings' top 12 on their board. That alone makes this a less-than-great pick. The Vikings have too many needs to be reaching off their board for a quarterback. It's an undeniably important position, but Ponder doesn't help the Vikings much if he's flat on his back, and he doesn't help them much if he's constantly running for his life because Bryant McKinnie can't block anymore.

It also pigeonholes the Vikings a bit, in that they have to make a move for a veteran quarterback when free agency and trades begin, perhaps as soon as Monday. The options aren't great, but the Vikings can ill afford to start the season with Joe Webb, Rhett Bomar, and Ponder as their only quarterbacks, and it doesn't seem like anyone really thinks Brett Favre is walking through that door again.

Of course, with Webb and Ponder on the roster (along with the underwhelming Bomar), the door might just be open ...

Brett Favre Tells More Lies, Bus-Chucks Sidney Rice

Our boy, Brett Favre, is back at it.

This time, he brought back his old bus-chucking ways to go along with throwing some lies out about his playing status.

As you already know, we're all supposed to believe Brett is undecided about playing a second season for the Minnesota Vikings. Never mind that he hasn't even tried to retire yet this offseason, the 40-year-old went out of his way to have ankle surgery just in time to miss all of training camp again.

And we all know he didn't have ankle surgery so he could turn around and spend the fall hunting, riding his tractor, and occasionally golfing.

As training camp approaches, Favre again sees fit to lie to everyone. Instead of just admitting that he got the "OK" from the Vikings to skip training camp in Mankato, he's playing up his indecision.

"I still have a little bit of time," Favre said during a post-ESPYs interview.

"I'm still, believe it or not, not completely healthy, and I may never be."

Favre had ankle surgery earlier this offseason, a procedure that he called "relatively minor" but one he also reportedly needed in order to suit up for Minnesota this season.

Dr. James Andrews, who performed Favre's surgery, said in mid-June that Favre had "a few more weeks of rehabbing" to complete before he could take the field again.

"I'd hope it (the ankle) would be a little better at this point," Favre told ESPN. "I can walk on it, but you don't walk in football."

I've yet to understand the problem. Brett is a grown man who can do whatever he wants, especially if the Vikings are going to let him. The Vikings have made no public pronouncements to the contrary, so why would anyone think they're going to force him to show up at training camp if he really wants to play?

Instead, what's likely true is that the team has signed off on Favre skipping camp, but for some unknown reason, they insist on allowing Brett to play his divatastic "I can't make up my mind" game. Maybe it's part of the deal ... let Favre try to own the media for the offseason, and then welcome him back with open arms and alleged schisms.

He looks like a fool, and he doesn't even have his pants on the ground.

If you believe Brett is going to retire, you're crazy. He didn't have the surgery to better his everyday life. He did it so he could play football again. You shouldn't believe he could possibly retire until you're watching Week 1 games and he's not in any of them.

Even better: Favre did an interview with Men's Journal. In it, he sends wide receiver Sidney Rice under a moving bus over the now-famous interception Favre threw against the Saints in the NFC Championship Game.

“The previous week against the Cowboys, we did the same exact play to Rice,” Favre told (writer Stephen) Rodrick. "We were up about 25 at the time, so it was different. He came back to me on a broken play, and we got 20 yards. This time, when I let it go, I’m thinking he’s going to come back to me. As he drifted farther and farther away, I could see the corner come in from the other side, and I’m thinking, Oh, [shoot].”

“As a player you’ve got to pull the trigger,” Favre added. “You can’t say, Well, is he going to do what I think he’s going to do? He wasn’t wrong, and in some ways, I wasn’t either.”

Favre was criticized for taking a gamble at such a crucial time. Rodrick wrote: "Some say it’s the Football Gods settling the score for his yearly tease."

Responded Favre to the criticism: "They were the same people who said I’d suck all season. I don’t worry about that. A lot of plays go into a game; that was just one of them.”

It's one thing to blame your receiver when you call an audible and he runs the wrong route. Brett did that occasionally in Green Bay and with the Jets. Rarely did he pull off such an irrational explanation for such a stupid interception.

Favre thinks Rice should be a mind-reader 24/7. He blames Rice for not coming back to the ball on a play where Favre never should have been throwing in the first place. The Vikings were literally about five yards out of game-winning field goal range. I know Favre was busted up pretty good in that game, but it's not possible to argue he couldn't have run for 15 feet, fallen down awkwardly, and called a timeout to set up Ryan Longwell for a shot at the Super Bowl.

Rice wasn't wrong at all on that play, Brett. That was you. Own it and stop teaching these young guys how to be bad teammates in the media.

Especially if you're going to walk in that room and start singing the wrong lyrics to "Pants On The Ground" again.

What the Donovan McNabb Trade Means For Brett Favre

Sunday's trade of quarterback Donovan McNabb from Philadelphia to Washington was a real surprise to many people.

It was surprising that the Eagles were serious about trading McNabb. He's only 33, a franchise icon, and the leader of five Philly teams that made the NFC Championship game. He's really good, in other words, and is likely the best quarterback the team has ever seen.

It was even more of a stunner that they were willing to trade him within the division. The idea that I got out of things that have been said and reported since Sunday's announcement was that McNabb preferred the Redskins to any other team that was looking at making a trade. The Raiders might have, in the end, been willing to offer more for McNabb, but McNabb didn't want to play there.

(Can you blame him?)

So give the Eagles some credit for shopping McNabb to a division team because that's what McNabb wanted. They didn't have to do that, as these aren't like hockey and baseball contracts, where even marginal players like Derek Morris can somehow procure a no-trade clause. But the Eagles, a pretty classy organization, did as right by McNabb as they could.

(Reports were that he wanted to go to Minnesota or Arizona, but neither team was interested.)

This leads us to one of those teams. McNabb's interest in the Vikings was reported over a week ago.

Frankly, I never took it that seriously, because the Vikings would have to have an answer from Brett Favre before they moved forward with McNabb. They weren't going to take on McNabb when he would potentially be an $11 million backup who had a near-$7 million guaranteed to him in early May.

Sunday night, Twin Cities media personality (sorry, couldn't get a better term to describe him by the censors) Patrick Reusse tweeted his feeling on what the McNabb deal meant for Favre's future.

McNabb to 'Skins makes it official: Vikings know Favre's coming back. Just waiting for last offseason session to pass before announcement.

Reusse might be right. It wouldn't surprise anyone if this was true.

However, we have no way of knowing right now. Favre apparently told LaDainian Tomlinson he had "no idea" if he was returning. If this widely-believed conspiracy theory was true, why would Favre do that, when telling the truth could mean the difference between the Vikings adding Tomlinson or missing out?

(They missed out. He signed with the Jets.)

Does McNabb going to Washington mean anything for Favre?

The answer is likely "No," though that won't stop people from trying to draw a connection between the two.

The dots just don't connect naturally.

That said, look for Favre to fly from Mississippi to Minnesota around the same time in August that he did last year, and look for the fan response to be extremely similar.