Ponder not interested in comparisons with Rodgers

Christian Ponder, the Vikings rookie quarterback who will start for the second time against Green Bay on Monday night, won't be trying to emulate anything that the great Aaron Rodgers does.

I've seen some NFL quarterbacks quoted as saying they have learned some by watching Rodgers, who is considered by many experts to be the best quarterback in the league. But Ponder shies away from that.

"I try not to compare myself. I try not to think of it as competing against the other quarterback. I'm really competing with the defense," said Ponder, who nonetheless does share some similarities with Rodgers in the style they roll out.

Ponder said it will be fun for him Monday night.

"It's going to be a challenge for me to match what he does," the first-round pick said. "Obviously, he's running a great offense over there, and we know that we're going to have to score as much as possible on offense."

Ponder's first start has been well-documented. On Oct. 23, the Vikings went right down to the wire with the Packers, losing 33-27 at the Metrodome. The Vikings had three timeouts available when they punted with 2 minutes, 37 seconds to play, but defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay rushed for three consecutive first downs to finish off the clock.

"That should help," Ponder said of having faced the Packers already. "Kind of getting a feel for what they do on defense, and obviously they're going to probably do some different things. ...

Chargers had success Ponder watched film of last week's Chargers-Packers game, when San Diego was able to pass for 375 yards in a 45-38 loss.

"San Diego was able to put up a lot of points on them, and Philip [Rivers] threw two pick-sixes, which definitely hurt them," Ponder said. "Again, I think it goes back to that we can't turn the ball over and we have to score. We have to put up some points."

Ponder doesn't think it means a lot that the undefeated Packers rank near the bottom of the league in total defense, pointing out that their scoring defense (22.4 points per game) is not that bad.

"That's just yards," he said of total defense. "I think before these past few games, they've done a great job of keeping people out of the end zone. I don't think it's going to be any different for us. They're kind of a bend-don't-break defense."

Ponder said he spent as much as 12 hours a day at Winter Park last week, including getting to the facility at 6:30 a.m. to watch film before and after practice. He added that a lot of that time was spent with his predecessor, Donovan McNabb.

Ponder understands that Lambeau Field is a unique, historic place to play a game, and he can't wait for the opportunity.

And I think there is a good chance that Ponder will lead the Vikings to victory.

Gray played hurt The great talent on the Wisconsin football team certainly had a lot to do with the Badgers' 42-13 victory over the Gophers on Saturday. But had quarterback MarQueis Gray been healthy and able to play the way he did against Iowa and Michigan State, the Maroon and Gold would have been a lot more competitive.

Gophers coach Jerry Kill said Gray practiced last week but never was able to run. "He could throw the ball in practice and he could move sparingly, but not real well because he took a helmet in the back at Michigan State," Kill said. "You take a helmet in the back and you have all that bruised tissue and, I mean, it was definitely an injury. ... He toughed it out Saturday.

"He's a tough kid. He moved around a little bit better on Friday and then pretty good as the game went on on Saturday. In defense of MarQueis really, to be honest with you, our play around him was not good enough for us to be successful on offense. That's just being honest. Our kids know that, and again, Wisconsin had something to do with that, there's no question. But our players have got to play better around him."

Kill did point out that Duane Bennett was one of the few Gophers who did make a play with his 96-yard kickoff return.

Well, if the Gophers can return to the form they showed in the weeks before facing Wisconsin, they have a chance at Northwestern on Saturday.

Jottings • The player wearing No. 12 on the Wisconsin sidelines with a headset on, motioning plays to Badgers starting quarterback Russell Wilson, was Nate Tice, the son of former Vikings coach Mike Tice. Nate, who played at Edina High School, is a third-string quarterback, acting like an assistant coach to offensive coordinator Paul Chryst, according to Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez. ... Asked if he thought Chryst, one of the top offensive coordinators in the country, would have taken the Gophers job when he was interviewed before Kill was hired, Alvarez said, "He would have walked here from Madison." However, Alvarez said the fact that the Chryst family is so close to Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi is a reason Maturi didn't hire him.

• Minnesota native Marc Trestman saw his Montreal Alouettes fall in the East Division semifinal of the Canadian Football League playoffs to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 52-44 in overtime Sunday. It was a devastating loss, as Trestman and the Alouettes had won the previous two Grey Cups.

• Tarvaris Jackson completed 17 of 27 passes for 217 yards in the Seattle Seahawks' surprising 22-17 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Most impressive was his play on the final drive; Jackson went 3-for-4 for 42 yards and completed two third-down passes, helping host Seattle run out the clock.