Christian Ponder's effort to bring the Minnesota Vikings back from a 27-14 deficit against the Washington Redskins Thursday night might have cost his team a quarterback. Ponder was forced from the game after taking a hard hit on a pylon dive at the end of a 15-yard scramble. Source: NFL.com SteveRobWhatever's Take: Ponder has been ruled out of the game with a shoulder injury. Matt Cassel has come into the game as his replacement. Ponder finished the night 17 of 21 for 174 yards and two touchdown passes. Ponder was trying to throw the ball on the sidelines but was into the locker room shortly after. There's been no further word on the severity of his injury.
I think now would be a better time to evaluate Josh Freeman. I heard that the game plan they gave Freeman on his first time around was more or less a "preseason game plan." Minimal reads, no audibles...very vanilla. Now that he's had some time to adapt to the Vikings playbook, may get a better idea of "who he is."
It was stupid for Ponder to risk himself for a yard or two at best. Had he run outside rather than crashing into defenders he'd have played the whole game.
