Are The Vikings off the “Suck For Luck Campaign?”

It has been less then 24 hours when a rookie quarterback almost became the 1972 Miami Dolphins favorite player, and I do not mean Tim Tebow. If you asked any sports fan last week what the final score of the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings game would be, you would most likely get things like 40-10, 47-17, but not 33-27. 

Yesterday Christian Ponder woke up as the starting quarterback(or never slept at all), but went to bed as the "franchise" player that the Vikings have only had a few times at the quarterback position(Fran Tarkenton, Tommy Kramer, Daunte Culpepper). But the question I want to indulge in is from what we saw yesterday, does it gives the Vikings the opportunity to jump off the "Suck For Luck" campaign?

With three teams sporting a zero in the win column, and if the NFL draft was held today the Vikings would be picking fourth. Its hard to think that the Vikings will only win one game this whole year, but it could happen, because only the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos are the teams on the Vikings schedule that look to be games the Vikings could win.

Lets fast forward to next April, the Vikings go on to finish either 2-14 or 3-13, the Vikings are slated to pick third in the draft only behind the Indianapolis Colts who finish 0-16, the Miami Dolphins finish 1-15. Here comes the tricky part, either Ponder does well for only being a rookie quarterback, or does horrible which makes Vikings fans start looking for Brett Favre. If Ponder does well then the decision is very easy for the Vikings, draft Justin Blackmon from Oklahoma State with the 3rd pick. Blackmon looks to be the next Andre Johnson or Calvin Johnson. Ponder and Blackmon could bring a very dual threat to the NFC North, but then mix in Adrian Peterson; this could become a very potent offense very quickly.

Lets say Ponder is horrible, and starts to look like Ryan Leaf. Leslie Frazier will have to reevaluate his draft pick from 2011, and decide to either help Ponder develop, or jump the ship and hope that Andrew Luck is available. The Colts who have the first pick could very easily trade down. They just recently gave Peyton Manning a contract extension, and probably do not want to think about life after Manning. The Vikings and Colts could swap picks, with the Vikings giving them a 3rd round pick, and Bernard Berrian to sweeten the deal. The Vikings draft Luck with the 1st overall pick, the Dolphins select Landry Jones, and the Colts give Manning another weapon and draft Blackmon.

Who knows if this would actually happen. This is just straight speculation, but who knows in the NFL. What I saw yesterday could bring hope that the Vikings actually drafted a franchise quarterback in Ponder. I saw a guy who is poised in the pocket, uses his legs to avoid pressure, and the arm strength even the great quarterbacks would like to have. Only time will tell if Ponder will become the next Tarkenton or if he will become the next Sean Salisbury.