Appearing on a conference call with Denver reporters today, running back Adrian Peterson was asked a question about Teddy Bridgewater's progress. While answering it, he compared him to Christian Ponder, in the process pointing out why Ponder was ultimately ushered out of town.

"If Christian Ponder had that same poise he would probably still be here playing," he said. "That's how big I feel like it is at the quarterback position."

While I'm sure some folks will construe that as a shot at Ponder, it was a pretty fair assessment of the biggest thing that held Ponder back as a passer after the Vikings selected the quarterback in the first round in 2011.

Ponder displayed mobility and a decent arm here, but too often when defenses were able to turn up the heat on him in the pocket, he melted.

Bridgewater, meanwhile, does not possess a rocket arm, either. And like Ponder, he has some wheels, too. But the biggest reason why the Vikings feel so good about Bridgewater is his poise, whether it's when the pocket collapses or how he responds to any adversity that he faces.

And while praising Bridgewater for that poise, Peterson made the obvious comparison to his former teammate, who is currently a free agent.

"That's something that [Bridgewater] has — he's very competitive," he said. "He doesn't get down on himself too much. He knows that, hey, you have to go to the next play and keep looking forward and not dwell. [You've] got to have a short memory when you're playing the quarterback position."