Jim Henderson / Eyewitness Sports Director
NEW ORLEANS -- Last night on the plane ride home from Minneapolis amidst the many “Who Dats" draped in Saints jerseys -- the majority of which were "Brees, #9" -- a young man sat to my right. His jersey was purple and white and read "Ponder, #7."
I never heard him utter a single word, never saw him change his dismal expression during the more than two hours on board.
The juxtaposition of the two could hardly have been more symbolic.
While the Saints breeze into the playoffs behind an MVP contender, the Vikings ponder their future.
The Vikings, like the Rams, are 2-12. Only the Colts at 1-13 are worse. If Andrew Luck is available, do the Vikings draft him and give up on their first round selection in Ponder after just a single season? Do the Rams give up on Sam Bradford, last season's offensive rookie of the year, after just two? Do the Colts take Luck even if they're confident Peyton Manning can return to the playing field?
There are few quarterbacks like Drew Brees. But if you don't have even a Drew Brees-lite, your immediate future is tough to swallow.
How quickly your fortunes can change without one!
Since the Saints beat the Vikings in the NFC Championship Game two seasons ago, the Vikings are 8-23. Since the Saints beat the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. The Colts are 11-20.
Just two seasons after they were the second and third best teams in the NFL, the Colts and the Vikings are a combined 19-43. The absence of a quality quarterback is the primary reason for the plummet of each into such an abominable abyss.
Ponder suffers from not only the scrutiny of his own play but the comparison to that of other rookie quarterbacks, like Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, and even T.J. Yates, whose performances suggest bright futures.
What does that of Ponder suggest? That he could use more help certainly in his wide receiving corps and along the offensive line. But do you address those areas in the draft with no certainty that you will be very much improved with this young quarterback who looked clueless and shell-shocked yesterday?
But fortunately for Saints fans, those problems that once were theirs are now those of others. This Christmas season you can revel in the presence of a future hall of fame quarterback enjoying his greatest season.
Under the tree next Sunday morning figure to be a lot of Brees jerseys.
Will the young man on last night's flight even wear his Ponder jersey as he stands in front of the hearth, contemplating not so much this year's Christmas stocking, but the prospect of Christmas sockings and Christmas sackings for years to come?
