Who will start for the Vikings at quarterback in their season opening game in San Diego on September 11?
It won’t be Tarvaris Jackson and probably not Joe Webb. Certainly not Rhett Bomar, the other quarterback on the team’s roster going into last night’s NFL draft.
Unless the franchise adds a journeyman quarterback, the starter in San Diego could be Christian Ponder. In a quarterback heavy draft among the early selections, the Vikings used their No. 12 pick in the first round to select the 6-3, 227-pound Texas native and former Florida State player.
Rick Spielman, the Vikings’ personnel boss, told KFAN Radio the pick was not a “reach.” He and coach Leslie Frazier may have hoped that any of the three quarterbacks who went before Ponder in the draft might have been available to them but they weren’t about to complain about their newest QB.
“He has some tremendous attributes at the quarterback position,” Frazier said on the radio. “First of all he’s extremely intelligent. He has a great arm. He has a great feel for the passing game. He’s one of those kids that other players kind of rally behind, and at that position, that is critical.”
For Ponder to be ready by September 11 seems like a lot to expect. In the judgment of draft experts, none of the quarterbacks chosen last night, Ponder included, is ready to start in the NFL but the Vikings may have no choice if they can’t find a veteran to play in front of their young quarterbacks, Webb, 24, and Ponder, 23.
Certainly Jackson seems to be on his way out of town after the NFL settles its labor dispute with the players. He’s had numerous opportunities to establish himself as the No. 1 quarterback here. Bomar has been regarded as a deep reserve, an insurance policy added to the roster late last season.
Webb might not read defenses and make enough correct plays to stay ahead of Ponder. He was a sixth round draft choice last year and he started two games for the quarterback desperate Vikings last season. In college and so far in the NFL he’s had a mixed identity as a quarterback and wide receiver. It wouldn’t be surprising if one day he’s back at wide receiver.
With perhaps the NFL’s best running back in Adrian Peterson, it seems certain that whether the quarterback is Ponder, Webb or a journeyman to be named, the job description will be “manager.” Whoever the QB is, he will be asked to make good decisions, provide leadership and occasionally produce a timely pass.
The jersey of the Vikings’ starting quarterback on September 11 won’t say Savior, but the word Christian could be spelled out.