WASHINGTON - Last Christmas Eve near the nation's capital, Christian Ponder dropped back to pass and went down in a crowd, the last blow coming from Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher. Ponder's neck and head twisted to the right as his body fell to the left.
A concussion. One play later, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback, in his ninth NFL start, was gone from the game.
Last week, only a few yards away from that same spot, another rookie quarterback took a shot to the head. Robert Griffin III, in his fifth pro start, was trying to make too much out of a third-down scramble when he was rattled by Atlanta Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon. Griffin's day was over, and fans collectively held their breath as he lay face down on the turf for those few seconds.
Ponder feels he's learned from the experience. Here's hoping Griffin does, too.
"This game is a lot different than college, and the hits hurt a lot worse." Ponder said. "Obviously, I have to keep doing a better job of protecting myself. I think I'm getting smarter about it and learning the proper way to do it."
Ponder and the Vikings return Sunday as Minnesota (4-1) visits the Redskins for the third straight year. In 2010, midseason replacement Leslie Frazier claimed his first NFL coaching victory. In 2011, the Vikings won again, despite the double whammy of injuries to Adrian Peterson (torn ACL in his left knee) and Ponder on back-to-back plays.
Those Vikings team weren't very good. This one is, at least so far. Ponder is completing 69 percent of his passes. Peterson rehabbed amazingly fast. Frazier has a team that can run well and stop the run even better.
The Redskins (2-3), meanwhile, still haven't turned the corner. They've lost eight straight at home. They can't defend the pass. Their only wins this season came against teams whose records are a combined 2-7. This year is all about Griffin, the Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick in the draft.
