Week 4 of the NFL season could be extremely crucial for Christian Ponder and his future with the Minnesota Vikings. As the team works to find their first win of the year, many fans are crying for Matt Cassel to be given a chance to start. While head coach Leslie Frazier stresses his commitment to Ponder, a rib injury may force him out of Sunday's game and possibly the future.
The quarterback has been limited in practice after being diagnosed with a rib injury. Leslie Frazier told reports (via the Pioneer Press) that Ponder "did a little less than we were hoping" in practice. The team is going to attempt to increase his reps throughout the remainder of the week and see how he handles it. Ponder's status is listed as questionable for Sunday's London matchup and if he cannot play, Cassel will get the start.
Ponder is not the reason for the Vikings' struggles to start the year, but he certainly is part of the overall problem. Blame can also be placed on the offensive line and their protection issues, along with the defense. However, quarterbacks of 0-3 teams normally get handed all of the blame. As the clock ticked down in the loss to the Cleveland Browns, fans began to chant for Cassel to enter the game. The switch never came.
The cat might have been let out of the bag yesterday that Cassel would be the start. In a post-practice press conference, Tom Brady was discussing his relationship with former Patriots' quarterbacks, Cassel and Brian Hoyer. He admitted that Cassel might be starting on Sunday.
"I'm friends with both those guys," Brady said, via NFL.com. "Matt Cassel, who may be starting this weekend. Brian, I text back and forth."
Did Brady just break news of Ponder's future? Many believe that if Cassel is summoned to start on Sunday and gets the team their first win, Frazier will stick with the hot hand for as long as possible. Ponder is downplaying any idea that he is seriously hurt.
"I guess the biggest concern is contact, but our equipment staff is going to do a great job. We're going to find something to protect it," Ponder said. "My mind-set is we're going to push it to the limit in a smart way. I want to play this game, and I'm going to do everything possible to do so."
Ponder is currently ranked 35th among quarterbacks. His 69.5 quarterback rating is just not getting the job done. Cassel said that he is prepared to be the starter for the team if his name is called.