Vikings coach Leslie Frazier will let us know Wednesday who will start at quarterback for the team against the Packers.
Between now and then, he and his coaching staff will be evaluating Donovan McNabb and Christian Ponder after both quarterbacks played in the 39-10 loss to the Bears that dropped the Vikings to 1-5 on the season. Frazier addressed the situation before taking any questions, acknowledging that a change is on his mind while also saying that the team isn’t at a place where they are thinking about 2012 more than the rest of the 2011 season. What will be the determining factor?
“We are going to talk about a lot of things, but the primary point will be what’s best for our team going forward as we prepare for our next opponent. That will be the determining factor.”
Frazier didn’t offer many hints about his thoughts. He did say that he wanted to avoid a situation where he makes a change and then feels he needs to change back to McNabb because Ponder isn’t ready to start, a worthwhile concern with the Packers on the docket. If that’s an issue, waiting for the bye in Week Nine might not work out any better as a road game in Green Bay would be Ponder’s first test.
At some point the wraps have to come off Ponder so the Vikings know if he has what it takes to be their quarterback going forward, though, and, at 1-5, it isn’t like the Vikings are risking all that much by making the move sooner rather than later. We’ll find out Wednesday if Frazier agrees but change is definitely in the air around the Vikings.