Stop Picking on Ponder

  First I want to issue a disclaimer. I am a Packer fan. I have been one for many years and I intend to remain one. The following column is in no way meant to imply that I am changing sides.
  After listening to a few disgruntled Vikings fans I must, in the name of human decency, speak up. I dislike poor treatment of human beings no matter who they are. I feel that Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder is being unfairly blamed for the Vikings loss to the Packers last Thursday.
  Vikings fans were licking their chops in anticipation of their team, led by rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, marching onto Lambeau Field and marching over the hapless Packers. They longed to see the Pack humiliated on their home turf. I had heard that Bridgewater was not going to be playing in that game for some reason and emailed a guy I know, a devoted Viking fan. His response was Nooooooooooooooooo. He knew, as I did, that Ponder would be starting.
   The anticipated Packer trouncing did not happen. Instead the Packers were able to hold the Vikings scoreless until the fourth quarter. The final score was  42-10. Viking fans were furious and laid the blame for this loss squarely and definitively at the feet of Christian Ponder. One fan suggested that Ponder should be fired and that his number seven should be burned in disgrace, never to be worn again. I heard grumblings from other Vikings fans.
  I had enough. I have to speak up. I don't think that it is fair to put all the blame on Ponder without considering a few things. Christian Ponder was benched late in the 2013 season. He had not started in a game for a very long time. He had not had a lot of practice time with the receivers or running backs.  I have been told by C, who used to play football and knows about these things, that this does make a difference.
  He was also playing in very hostile territory. Lambeau Field is designed to give the home team a bit of psychological advantage. When you add the Green Bay fans who can be merciless to the opposing team, it can be tough. C also pointed out that Christian Ponder is still a young player. He is starting his fourth season in the NFL as opposed to Aaron Rodgers' nine seasons. Ponder started as a quarterback his rookie year. Unlike Rodgers he did not have the chance to learn as a backup. He's also a backup to a rookie. This has to do something to the man's confidence.
   Another reason why I don't think Ponder should be blamed for this loss is because football is a team game. The Vikings defense allowed the Packers to score 42 points. Ponder had nothing to do with that. All he could do is sit on the sidelines and watch while the defense failed to stop Aaron Rodgers, Eddie Lacy, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.
  I also don't think that Ponder can be held solely responsible for failures on offense. Yes, he is the quarterback who throws or hands off the ball, but if his running backs get tackled without gaining many yards and his receivers are beaten by their defenders it isn't his fault. He was sacked six times during the game. That kind of thing can be a little unnerving, especially for someone who must know that he has no ones confidence.
  I didn't get to watch the game until the middle of the third quarter. Ponder was looking pretty good. He was completing passes and advancing down the field where he scored the lone Vikings touchdown. He didn't look like someone who was about to cash it in. There was no way he was going to win this game, but he looked like he intended to go down trying.
   In the fourth quarter Green Bay had pulled some of their starters and put in second string players. The Vikings were doing much better. To me that indicates that the Green Bay starting defense, something that Ponder has no control over, was playing well.
  If you are going to blame Ponder for anything blame him for those things that he has control over overthrown balls, badly thrown balls and poor play choices. Don't blame him for losing the game. He did not lose the game. The Vikings as a team lost the game.