Time for Christian Ponder to Show He’s Ready

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) - Christian Ponder did little in the preseason to show how much progress he's made as the Minnesota Vikings quarterback.

He played sparingly in the first two exhibitions and looked pretty rough in the third game against San Diego. Of course, preseason games don't count.

Now, they do.

As Ponder prepares to begin his first full season as a starter on Sunday against Jacksonville, he says another year and a full offseason have done wonders for his comfort and confidence. The Vikings showed their faith in him in April when they passed on a quarterback with the fourth overall pick in favor of left tackle Matt Kalil.

Ponder says he played poorly as a rookie and is determined to reward the franchise's faith in him with a much better 2012.