Back-up star Cassel led team to victory on Sunday.
Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier has suggested that Christian Ponder is still his first choice quarterback despite Matt Cassel’s efforts against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Ponder was ruled out of the win over the Steelers at Wembley after sustaining a fractured rib, and his replacement went on to lead the team to its first win of the season.
However, Frazier has revealed that while it is difficult to make an assessment on who will start on October 13 against the Carolina Panthers given the injury situation, Ponder is still regarded as first choice.
“It’s hard to be concrete when you know that Christian is dealing with an injury,” Frazier said according to ESPN. “So we’ll see what happens.”
Media reports suggest that Frazier will not commit to an answer until Ponder has fully recovered from his injury, as at this stage it looks as though Cassel may continue to deputise.
However, should the back-up star be promoted on a full-time basis, then Ponder’s future at the franchise will come under question just three years after the Vikings made him the 12th overall draft pick.
While neither player was available for comment on Tuesday, it promises to develop into an intriguing situation where Frazier will ultimately have to make a big decision.
“We’ll talk about a lot of things, but it’s more than one ballgame,” he added. “He did a good job. I don’t want to take anything away from what Matt did. We’ll do what is best for our team.
“If we thought Matt gave us the best chance to beat Carolina, then we would approach that situation as well. But if Christian is healthy, then we’ll take a look at what we need to do.”
The Vikings have a bye week ahead and will therefore have a few days to consider their options before the Panthers clash. The team is set to reconvene for practice next Monday.
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