Ponder Cleared To Play, But Probably Won't

In the wake of the Minnesota Vikings' victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4, head coach Leslie Frazier said at the team's weekly press conference that quarterback Christian Ponder was his team's starter if he was healthy.

It appears that the Vikings' team doctors are going to give Frazier the opportunity to prove whether or not that's true.

On Thursday, Ponder was cleared to play in Sunday's game at the Metrodome, when the Vikings will host the Carolina Panthers. Ponder had been nursing a rib injury that he suffered in the loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 3, an injury that kept him out of the next game and give Matt Cassel an opportunity to take the helm.

The Vikings have made it clear that they have no intention to play the newly-acquired Josh Freeman on Sunday against Carolina. Common sense says that the Vikings will, again, start Cassel on Sunday, despite Frazier's musings earlier on in the Vikings' time off. Apparently the decision has been made, but nobody is saying who it is.

I guess you could deem this as a "developing story" going into Sunday's game. . .but I'm pretty sure we already know exactly how this one is going to develop.