Norv Turner is aware that the Minnesota Vikings' offense is a work in progress. After a disappointing 2013 season, the team is in need of many changes and it all starts with the quarterback. After Matt Cassel opted to void his contract in 2014, all eyes are on Christian Ponder. Turner likes what he sees.
The new offensive coordinator has spoken with Ponder and watched tape of what the starter can do on the field. While many assume the Vikings will try and either trade Ponder or simply release him, Turner believes the quarterback could contend for a starting role once again.
"The hard thing in this league is you can be playing good and doing a lot of good things and at that position, if you have a negative play or a sack, fumble or interception, a play like that at the wrong time, it takes away all of the good things you've done," Turner said, via the Minnesota Star Tribune. "I've been impressed with Christian and the things he does in terms of his movement. He moves extremely well on the run. He's made a lot of big plays. The starting point with any quarterback to me is eliminating those [bad] plays. That would be one of our starting points."
Turner does not necessarily put a lot of stock into the term "franchise quarterback". Turner believes that a team can win with a guy that has either seen a lot of struggles or is not well-known enough to garner a lot of respect.
"The guys I have been around that are so-called franchise quarterbacks, weren't considered franchise quarterbacks until they started winning," Turner said. "You have to get a guy in that everyone believes in and you start out and put good people around him and find out how far you can go."
Many felt Ponder had the right tools this season. The team beefed up their wide receiving corps and with Adrian Peterson in the backfield, things were looking up. However, the offensive line struggled. Peterson missed time for injuries. Ponder failed as a result. Turner agrees that the Vikings are in need of a young quarterback, but he believes Ponder could easily compete for the starting job. He believes it is hard to expect a rookie to have success right away, noting that time to develop is key.
"No question, it's a tough position and there's some guys that get put in a unique situation and have success right away," Turner said. "There's not a lot of them. Most guys it's a process and there's some struggles along the way to becoming the player they want to become."
The Vikings are expected to draft a quarterback this year, but maybe not until a later round. Turner appears to like what he sees in Ponder. Maybe the team will not be giving up on the quarterback as quickly as assumed.
