The Vikings appear to be close to a trade to acquire Donovan McNabb from the Redskins, likely as a starter for a brief time while rookie Christian Ponder learns the ropes. Ponder says he wants to make that time very brief -- or nonexistent.
In a message on Twitter Wednesday morning, Ponder said he wants to be McNabb’s teammate and thinks he can benefit from the veteran’s presence. And then he added that he wants to prove he’s better than McNabb in training camp.
“Excited to have McNabb join. Will learn a lot from a Pro Bowler. But that doesn’t mean I’m not still fighting to start week 1!” Ponder wrote.
Ponder’s attitude is exactly the right one, but it also points to why there may be some reluctance on McNabb’s part to agree to a pay cut to get the trade done: He knows he’ll only last as the Vikings’ starter until Ponder is ready to go.
But the Vikings are probably going to give McNabb a better chance to start than any other team will. Taking the deal and trying to hold off Ponder for as long as possible may be McNabb’s best bet.