Pondering Christian Ponder
September 5th, 2015
Word flowing around Twitter this morning is that the Raiders will cut former Vikings and Florida State quarterback Christian Ponder today.
Joe often talks about how the Bucs should trade Mike Glennon if they can get a decent draft booty in return. Joe would take a third-round pick or two fourth-rounders in a heartbeat.
The logic is that Glennon has, at most, two seasons remaining with the Bucs. Joe believes Glennon then will flee when his contract ends in search for a chance to be a starter. But if Glennon stays and plays because Jameis Winston is hurt, then the Bucs are going to lose anyway. So what’s the point in keeping Glennon? The Bucs aren’t a Super Bowl contender in need of a stout backup.
If the Bucs were to deal Glennon now — allegedly there are teams aching for him — then they would need a veteran backup. Ponder is a guy who could be a fit for the Bucs.
He’s got experience, 36 starts since being drafted in the first round by the Vikings in 2011. He even led the 2012 Vikings to the playoffs. Also, Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has raved about how much Florida State quarterbacks had to learn, and Ponder was known for being a loyal, classy teammate after being stripped of the starting job in Minnesota.
Word out of Oakland is that Ponder was simply beat out by third-year QB and former Penn State quarterback Matt McGloin. Ponder signed a $2.25 million contract with about $1.5 million guaranteed.
Quality backups often were starters who had a couple of standout years as starters but then fizzled and recognized there fits in the league as second-teamers. See former Pro Bowler Derek Anderson in Carolina. He’s likely better than overpaid Josh McCown, but he just signed a new, multiyear deal to remain Cam Newton’s backup.
Joe is often asked about for a name to replace Glennon. Ponder is one name Joe would look into.
Again, for the reading impaired, Joe is only interested in trading Glennon if the return is solid.
September 5th, 2015 at 10:47 am
ew dude Ponder? hes a big fat bust. We need to just wait it out and when Glennon walks get our comp pick. Something that we never do
September 5th, 2015 at 10:49 am
Good argument. Will need Glennon or a Ponder if JW gets hurt – which is a strong possibility. But, as you qualify, the trade for G better be a good one.
September 5th, 2015 at 10:52 am
Lol still on this train huh? Glennon isn’t going anywhere. It’s to much of a risk. And Ponder? Really?
September 5th, 2015 at 10:56 am
Ponder…….noooooooooooooooo. Although this seems like a typical Lovie move.10-1 Lovie gets canned before week 9. 3-1 he gets canned in the second half of season. 1-1 he gets canned at season end.
September 5th, 2015 at 11:00 am
Ponder sucks as bad as Josh Freeman… I wouldn’t want Josh back and I certainly don’t want Ponder…
I do agree with you Joe… A smart team trades players while there is still value but Ponder is really bad…
September 5th, 2015 at 11:05 am
Joe loves him some first rounders.
Also Glennon will flee Lovie the career killa as soon as he get a chance!!!!
September 5th, 2015 at 11:29 am
Trading Mike Glennon doesn’t make a lick of sense. Why would the Bucs want to trade for a mediocre backup QB like Ponder when we have Glennon under contract through 2016? His whole 4-year contract only cost us $3.1 million. Bucs blew over 5 times that much on Michael Johnson … for 14 games … and got zero in return.
Mike knows our personnel, our coaches and our system very, very well. If he decides to leave in 2017 (and I fully expect that he will) the Bucs would likely get a 3rd-to-5th round comp pick for him. And oh ya, put a decent OLine in front of him and I think you’d see a much better QB, potentially along the lines of a Brad Johnson. Folks need to stop this silly talk of trading probably the best backup QB in the NFL, and start talking about trading to shore up some of our real weaknesses (like OL and DE?).
September 5th, 2015 at 11:31 am
“Also Glennon will flee Lovie the career killa as soon as he get a chance!!!!”
——–
If anything, the opposite is true. How many more Bears do we need to have before you understand that? Right or wrong, players love to play for Lovie. Now if you want to argue it’s because he is easy on them or he is loyal to them even when their skills diminish, then maybe you have a point. I can’t recall one player “fleeing” Lovie Smith throughout his career.
September 5th, 2015 at 11:32 am
I do love my Noles. But Ponder? Oh Hell No
September 5th, 2015 at 11:37 am
Joe – if you call a 3rd round pick a “solid return” for a young yet experienced QB that is in demand – and capable of starting and winning NFL games – then all I can say is that I’m glad you are not the Bucs GM.
Factor in that his salary is less than $700k for the next 2 years – and I say that you are out of your friggin mind for pushing the Bucs to trade Glennon at this point.
The LEAST we should get for Glennon is a 2nd round pick. I say hold out for a proven and solid starting OLineman. Then and only then would I agree that its time to pull the trigger if that offer came available.
September 5th, 2015 at 11:38 am
I’m a Nole…and I say hell no.
September 5th, 2015 at 11:40 am
I do not Ponder this at all
September 5th, 2015 at 11:40 am
Joe – the former but not present but maybe future General of the MGM 🙂
September 5th, 2015 at 11:49 am
@hawaiian
You should talk to last year’s starting safties then!!! I also read an article a couple of weeks ago of how excited that the Bears will be playing an agressive Defense and shedding their old passive defense!!!!
September 5th, 2015 at 12:04 pm
@The Buc Realist,
So you read an article a couple weeks ago about how excited someone is that the Bears are playing an aggressive defense now? Exactly who were they quoting? That’s odd, since he hasn’t coached in Chicago in going on 4 seasons now, don’t you think? Especially when you consider there has been a coach in between them. What’s even more odd is that Lovie’s defenses in Chicago were usually amongst the tops in the league, yet they’ve fallen off dramatically since he left. So I’m sorry, but I’m calling BS on this. You do at times have some valid points, but when you are so obviously pulling stuff out of your arse, you lose any credibility you could have. Stick to the facts buddy.
So I should listen to the likes of Mark Barron? Did he even make the Rams as a backup? No thanks.
September 5th, 2015 at 12:19 pm
You mean waste of first round pick Barron or the “Hawk” both sour grapes from the great Schiano debalce. They got cast from the team because they sucked. Pretty much fired by trade. So I am sure Lovie is not on their speed dial just like Schiano is not on Micheal Bennett’s.
September 5th, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Joe you have the right idea but just one year too early. Two reasons: JW has to prove himself to make Glennon expendible, and secondly job security for L&L. We’re not a playoff team at full strength currently, so if Winston goes down and we have no quality backup, we spiral to 0 and whatever from that point in the season on, which means L&L are out on their butts.
So maybe next year when we have more known quantities and recognizable holes to fill, and perhaps as a bargaining chip during the draft. Then he will be one year removed from the end of his contract.
September 5th, 2015 at 12:33 pm
So if Winston goes down Lovie and the team will revert to tank mode 2. These are desperate times in Bucville.
September 5th, 2015 at 12:46 pm
I’m no member of the MGM, but I think he is a competent NFL QB if not franchise quality.
Many “experts” have claimed that MG8’s value will be at it’ highest at the end of this season. Teams will then have the right to check out a “potential” starter for just 675,000. If they like him after that trial year then they can spend the typical NFL bucks…as in triple that salary for failures like Ponder.
I would trade Glennon in a heartbeat for an actual proven OL or if it meant we could move up in the draft high enough to select Bosa.
Imagine the next draft and we still have Glennon. If we package him with one of our own picks we very well might be able to move up enough to select Joey!
If Cardale backs up that National title performance with a great season..and why not OSU and Urban are loaded…he’ll go ahead of Bosa. If another QB or two or another player can crowd into that top 3-4 and Bosa drops to 5 perhaps Glennon and another of our draft picks will land Joey.
I’m ready to roll a blunt for Joey if we can get him to come to Tampa!
September 5th, 2015 at 12:51 pm
@Hawaiian
That’s right, you should keep you head in the sand, and then act surprised like you were with the whole Jfro- debacle even though he was getting mega fined back in 2011!!!
Also you should ignore that certain guard’s weight loss was not to be in the “best shape” but it was because of a bad knee that swells and needs to be drained. And will wear-out by week 4. So when that happens act surprised and blame the blocking scheme when the middle of the O-line does not hold up!!!!
September 5th, 2015 at 12:54 pm
Well said Hawaiian Buc! Well said!
Now that is being REAL! lol
September 5th, 2015 at 12:58 pm
I’m assuming everyone started drinking early this morning? You guys are funny!
September 5th, 2015 at 1:39 pm
“That’s right, you should keep you head in the sand, and then act surprised like you were with the whole Jfro- debacle even though he was getting mega fined back in 2011!!!
Also you should ignore that certain guard’s weight loss was not to be in the “best shape” but it was because of a bad knee that swells and needs to be drained. And will wear-out by week 4. So when that happens act surprised and blame the blocking scheme when the middle of the O-line does not hold up!!!!”
——
What the hell are you talking about? How is anything you just typed related in any way to what we were discussing? Are you late taking your meds today?
September 5th, 2015 at 2:06 pm
WOW!!! Chipply Kelly just cut Tim Tebow!!!! PFT is saying that no team wants him.
September 5th, 2015 at 2:30 pm
Glennon wants to stay. He’ll be the starter in a month. Not due to injury. #3 will throw 3 TD’s,7Int’s and 5 fumbles thru 3 weeks. 20 teams would have taken Winston over Mariota on draft day. Now only 10 would. Winton is not as pro ready as most thought on draft day. Mariota is the better QB. Winston should be holding a clipboard. He’s simply not ready. Starting him week one is giving up on the season before it even begun.
September 5th, 2015 at 2:45 pm
@Hawaiian
Well, you asked for 1 example and I gave you 2 right off the bat and very recently, then you dismissed both of them for whatever reason, After that point, why stay on topic?
and besides, Meds are for crazy people, and I am not crazy, My mom had me tested!!!
September 5th, 2015 at 3:09 pm
PFT is saying that no team wants him.
If Timmy T can finally accept that he is NOT an NFL QB I want him!!!
Again Tebow is a stud athlete with an adequate arm for college but not the NFL.
I want to tap into that stud athleticism and competitve fire.
Make him an Hback or I’d even go more exotic and create a T back. Timmy lining up everywhere from TE to FB to wide out.
If the Pats were successful with double passes imagine Fameis tossing it to Tebow who then tosses it to Evan or Humphries running free behind the D.
Tebow has the best NON QB arm in the league. Tebow can block and he can run with the ball…again I concede he’s not an NFL QB but he is a STUD athlete with size! Now can Timmy concede that he’s not an NFL QB and his only way to keep playing is to accept this solution.
Extra bennie for the Glazers. An FSU Heisman winning QB tossing the football to a Heisman winning UF QB. The pub of FSU to UF would be fascinating.
September 5th, 2015 at 3:09 pm
Will one of you pro football GM/Coach wannabes please do a moron a favaor? Explain Joe’s line….” But if Glennon stays and plays because Jameis Winston is hurt, then the Bucs are going to lose anyway. So what’s the point in keeping Glennon? The Bucs aren’t a Super Bowl contender in need of a stout backup.” Sound like a subtle dismissal of the Bucs as a pro team. Winston hurt or, Winston in real life turns out not as sportswriter ready as written, same deal, different suit, Bucs are outmanned, outplayed, outcoached and out GM’d. Glennon over Ponder is a no brainer. If you have a brain think about it.
September 5th, 2015 at 3:33 pm
If someone’s qb goes down early in the season, Glennon is a lock for a 2nd round pick.
September 5th, 2015 at 6:01 pm
We drafted Christian Ponder 2.0 number 1 overall. Signing CP would be redundant
September 5th, 2015 at 6:50 pm
J…yes because Ponder won a National Championship, a Heisman trophy and only lost 1 college game in his college career, just like Jameis.
Ponder is garbage, was while at FSU and still is today.
WTF ever. GTFO!
September 6th, 2015 at 8:09 am
scott Says
“ew dude Ponder? hes a big fat bust.”
No. Busts are chased out of the league. He’s just not long term starting quality. Hence…the term “BACKUP.”
But…I do disagree with Joe on one aspect. The price for Glennon. It seems everyone but Tampa believes he is starting material (we know the truth). In our eyes, he is only worth a 3rd. But in the rest of the leagues eyes he is worth at least a 2nd…under the right circumstances.
With a little patience, the Bucs can wait for a team to lose their starter, see their backup sucks, and get that second rounder.
Unfortunately, Jason Licht lacks the skills and ability to pull off a move like that.
September 7th, 2015 at 4:53 pm
Toesonetheline Joe – the former but not present but maybe future General of the MGM LOL haHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA THANKS