Wanted: Franchise Quarterback

The Vikings will tell you that Matt Cassel only played because Christian Ponder was hurt, everyone else will tell you the truth, it was time for a change.

Given every chance to succeed and complete confidence from the team, coaching staff, and his teammates, Christian Ponder has shown he does not have what it takes to be a successful NFL quarterback.

Matt Cassel isn’t going to the Pro Bowl, but on Sunday he showed that he deserves to be a starting quarterback. He looked decisive, threw the ball with the velocity, and took chances downfield. Three things Christian Ponder either can’t or won’t do.

Matt Cassel is just another name in the long list of veteran free agent quarterbacks to become starters for the Vikings. The Vikings have relied on free agency to find their starting quarterbacks going back to the 80s. Since Tommy Kramer was let go following the ’86 season, the Vikings have drafted four quarterbacks, and rarely have things worked out. Christian Ponder failing is disappointing but it shouldn’t be surprising.

Rich Gannon was drafted in 1987, didn’t start a game until 1990, and was no longer on the team following the 1992 season. He was selected in the fourth round so this kind of career arc is not surprising.

Daunte Culpepper was drafted 1999, became the starting quarterback in 2000, went to three Pro Bowls, suffered a devastating knee injury, and forced a trade which sent him to Miami in 2006. Easily one of the best quarterbacks the Vikings drafted, Culpepper might still be playing had he not been injured and decided to become his own agent.

Tarvaris Jackson was drafted in 2006, started 20 games over the next five years, and was let go following the 2010 season. Never looked like a starting NFL quarterback, played like one once or twice.

Christian Ponder was drafted in 2011, underwhelmed his rookie season, underwhelmed in 2012, and was benched is currently nursing an injured rib on the sidelines. Pundits and fans scratched their heads when he was drafted and they still are.

Rich Gannon was never plan A, Daunte Culpepper was almost a franchise quarterback, Tarvaris Jackson was a mistake, and Christian Ponder would make a fine back up.

Other than Culpepper, the other draft choices were poor selections. No one but Brad Childress saw Jackson as a starting quarterback and no one saw Ponder as one except for the Vikings.

The coaches have changed, the front office has changed, but the situation has not. The Vikings are still looking for their franchise quarterback and they have wasted the prime years of Adrian Peterson’s career looking for their guy.

At some point the Vikings need to find a quarterback that can effectively play the position for several years. Signing a different veteran from year to year to cover for an inability to draft might win some games, but it won’t win you any Super Bowls.

After this season Christian Ponder will be gone and the Vikings will back in the mix to draft a quarterback. If history is any indication, they will probably pick the wrong guy. Other teams will draft Pro Bowlers, future hall of famers, and day one starters while the Vikings will be stuck with a passer they need to make excuses for until they find excuses to bench him.

Maybe they don’t get good enough draft picks, maybe they are unlucky, or maybe the truth is that the Vikings haven’t seen a franchise quarterback in Minnesota for so long that no one knows what one looks like.