Christian Ponder knows he needs to play better to win Vikings job

Christian Ponder has been a disappointment for the Minnesota Vikings since joining the team as a former first-round pick.

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Ponder has not played well enough to hang on to the starting job, and he enters this offseason competing for the starting job with veteran Matt Cassel and the team’s new first-round pick, Teddy Bridgewater.

While Ponder will be a part of the quarterback competition, he knows that he will need to step up his game if he wants a legitimate shot. He also blames himself for allowing opportunities to slide through his fingers in past years.

“I’ll get opportunities through training camp and preseason to try to earn a spot,” Ponder said, via Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press.

“It’s not awkward — I understand what’s going on. I had some opportunities that I didn’t take full advantage of. If I would have played better, I wouldn’t be in the situation here right now. We’ll see how it plays out — football’s a crazy game.”

The most likely scenario in Minnesota is that Cassel will win the starting job with Bridgewater likely getting an opportunity down the line.

For Ponder, he will just need to show enough to make the Vikings believe he is worth a spot on the roster.