Hall of Fame former Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton has developed a reputation as a grumpy old man who always has something critical to say about his former team. Now he’s telling Christian Ponder to get off his lawn.
After first praising Adrian Peterson as the best running back since Jim Brown, Tarkenton told the Pioneer Press that the Vikings’ passing attack is a bad joke.
“I’m watching the passing game, and I’m embarrassed,” Tarkenton said. “Because we’re not trying anything. We’re playing with a kindergarten-type passing attack. We’ve got to take a risk. We’ve got a chance to make the playoffs. If we cannot throw the ball, if we’re going to throw for 90 yards and be defensive in the passing game, we’re not going to make the playoffs. Playoffs? And we’re not going to do anything if we got there.”
Tarkenton may be a little too blunt for some, but he does have a point about the passing game. One of the truly remarkable things about Peterson’s recent run, in which he had gained 1,313 yards over the last eight games, is that Ponder has just 1,093 yards over the same eight games. Peterson is beating opposing defenses even when they’re not showing the Vikings’ passing game any more respect than Tarkenton does.