REPORT DATE: July 25th
SITE: Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN
CAMP CONFIDENTIAL: It's all about Christian Ponder in Minnesota this season. Vikings general manager Rick Spielman has built a championship level club around his third-year signal caller, a player who really hasn't been able to hold his own water to this point. Ponder's accuracy as a pro has been very spotty and his decision-making egregious at times. He also seems to lose confidence very quickly when things go wrong. Ponder recognizes what he needs to improve and has diagnosed most of his problems well but often regresses to what's natural to him, and his default settings are just not conducive to solid quarterback play at the NFL level. Beyond Ponder the Vikings are loaded with the best running back in the sport (Adrian Peterson), a terrific offensive line, an emerging tight end in Kyle Rudolph as well as a much- improved receiving corps thanks to the additions of veteran Greg Jennings and rookie Cordarrelle Patterson. On defense, Minnesota has a deep line, solidified its linebacking group with the addition of Desmond Bishop and alleviated the loss of Antoine Winfield by drafting Xavier Rhodes.
PRESEASON SCHEDULE (All Times Eastern):
Aug 9 - vs. Houston, 8:00 PM Aug 16 - at Buffalo, 7:00 PM Aug 25 - at San Francisco, 8:00 PM Aug 29 - vs. Tennessee, 8:00 PM
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