AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!
Yeah, that was pretty much the reaction for a lot of Vikings fans last night. It was like watching Bo Pelini go off on Taylor Martinez all over again, but with more swearing. And exclamation points.
And spittle. Lotsa spittle. It was like being at a Lou Holtz impersonation contest.
But if I can invoke the great warrior-poet Mike Tice after the 2003 draft debacle (you know, where we passed. Yeah, they got Kevin Williams, but still)
"Calm down, calm down, we got our guy".
Let's talk about why Christian Ponder doesn't suck, and maybe, juuuuust maybe, the guys that do the thousands of hours of research aren't reaching.
The Vikings entered this draft with a need at quarterback greater than a supermodel needs a cheeseburger. A double cheeseburger. A bacon double cheeseburger. With a fried egg on it. So they probably preferred Jake Locker, fine. But he was gone, and the Vikings didn't have the capability to move up in the draft.
And oh, could you imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth if the Vikings had moved up and sacrificed another draft pick to get a guy with a 53% completion percentage throughout his career?
I refer you to Mr. Pelini.
It looked for awhile that Blaine Gabbert might slide down to the Vikings, but Jacksonville made a trade to get him. That was kind of surprising, because I thought they were happy with David Garrard. Just goes to show you how much I know.
Look, the Vikings need a quarterback, and if they hadn't drafted one and went out and got Donovan McNabb, we, and by 'we', I mean 'us the collective fan base of the Minnesota Vikings', would have bitched even more than we did about the Ponder pick.
"But Ted", you say, "Ponder WASASECONDROUNDPICKRAWRPISSBALDERDASHSPITSPIT", well, yeah, maybe.
So?
"But Ted", you say, "SPIELMAN SHOULD HAVE TRADED DOWN AND GOT HIM AT 20SOMETHINGRAWRPISSBOOSPITSPIT", and again I say yeah, probably. So what?
"But Ted", you say, "THEREWASSOMUCHDEFENSIVETALENTRAWRSPITSTILLONTHEBOARDRAWR', and once again I say...so what?
Here's the thing: The Vikings, who I would fathom to gues are a tad more plugged in to this thing we call the draft than we are, identified QB as their biggest need and were sure of a couple things:
1) They liked Ponder as much as or better than any quarterback in the draft.
2) There were no trade partners to slide down and select Ponder later in the first round, AND they thought that somebody would make a move in front of them to take Ponder if they slid back.
3) If they didn't select Ponder in the first, they were almost positive, based on what they were hearing, that Ponder would be gone by the time the Vikings got to their second round pick.
4) OC Bill Musgrave says that Ponder is the guy that can make his offense go. Not Mallet, not Dalton, not Kaepernick.
Sure, I'm concerned about Ponder's injury history, but the Vikings use these people called...wait for it...doctors. These doctors examine people for overall health and wellness, and they seem to think he's fine.
So here's the thing--We all agree that QB is a need. If the Vikings didn't select a QB in the first round, and Ponder, Mallet, Dalton, and Kaepernick all go off the board, the Vikings who would you wanted the Vikings to take? Ricky Stanzi? Everyone I talk to says Stanzi is a third rounder, but now the Vikes are forced to take him in the second.
Yeah, that would've gone over well. Don't take a guy in the first, then 'reach' for a guy in the second.
Let's say they didn't draft a QB at all in the draft, and go and get Donovan McNabb.
Yeah, that would've gone over well, too.
"RAWRANOTHERWASHEDUPQBSPITSPITSPIELMANSUCKSFRAZIERSUCKSMOVETOLARAWR".
Here's a novel idea: How about we give this kid a chance?
I mean, if he sucks after the first minicamp, THEN let's crucify him. That should be plenty of time to see what he can do, right?