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Unwelcome surprise: Vikings players react to Christian Ponder's injury

The Vikings had to use Joe Webb as their starting quarterback Saturday night but were never able to overcome the setback.

January 6, 2013 at 3:21PM

Christian Ponder walked off the field at the end of the game. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The biggest surprise of the first day of the NFL playoffs came 90 minutes before the Vikings kicked off at Lambeau Field. That's when 16-game starter Christian Ponder was declared inactive, too bothered by a stiff and bruised throwing arm to get the green light for Saturday's game.

Like the rest of the country, many of the Vikings players said they had no idea Joe Webb would be their starting quarterback until they were inside of 2 hours before kickoff.

"I didn't know at all," cornerback Antoine Winfield said. "Until I saw Joe out there warming up. That's when I knew."

It was a late twist that left the Vikings handicapped for their playoff opener, a 24-10 loss to the Packers.

Having not thrown a pass in a game since August, Webb sputtered to an 11-for-30, 180-yard passing night. He also threw an interception and lost a fumble in the third quarter. And after scoring a field goal on the opening drive, the Vikings went nine scoreless possessions before adding a late meaningless touchdown.

As for the mental hurdle of trying to ready for a high-stakes playoff contest with such a late change in plans, Jared Allen simply shrugged.

"Honestly," he said, "I don't think there was a mental hurdle for us. When you find out, you have to go with it. There are no surprises in this league. People go down, the next guy's got to step up. You can't sit around like, 'Oh, goodness!' You've got to give that guy your full support and go out there and try to win the game."

Allen pinned the blame of Saturday's loss on a defensive effort that allowed 326 total yards and 24 points and not on the late quarterback switch.

"When you hear that [news], you just keep your mind focused on what you can do," Allen said. "I can't throw the ball. I can't hand it off. So it doesn't matter what they do over there. So if I can tackle guys and get to the quarterback, I'm doing my part."

Receiver Michael Jenkins, who had two catches for 66 yards including a late 50-yard TD grab on busted coverage, also admitted surprise at the quarterback decision.

"We didn't know until game time like everybody else," Jenkins said. "But [Joe] prepared all week like he was going to be the starter. And he did everything he could. We just weren't efficient as we could have been on offense trying to win the game."

Counting to 12

Jasper Brinkley might have been the Viking caught sprinting to the sideline when the field goal block unit was flagged for having 12 men in the huddle in the third quarter. But Brinkley wasn't the one at fault. Instead, he was designated to count the Vikings on the field, a role that requires him to sprint off if there are too many out there.

"We needed to get one of our defensive ends off the field," said coach Leslie Frazier. "We had two defensive ends on the field that play the same position."

That penalty was arguably the most costly of the four flags the Vikings drew Saturday night. It came on fourth-and-4 with Green Bay's Mason Crosby lining up for a 32-yard field goal. Instead, the Packers received a first down at the Vikings 9 and completed the drive on the next play with a 9-yard TD catch by John Kuhn.

Allen was miffed at the 12 men in the huddle call, under the impression the ball had to be snapped for the defense to be penalized in that situation.

Said Allen: "The refs said that was a new rule this year. Because I don't know how a defense ever has 12 men in the huddle. We don't huddle. … So that was news to me. I guess I should let the refs explain it. I really didn't want to hear it. So I was just like, 'See ya.'"

Winfield's future?

Cornerback Antoine Winfield fought through the pain in his fractured right hand as best he could Saturday. Winfield started and never aggravated the injury but admitted afterward the sturdier soft cast he wore to protect the hand made it more difficult to jam receivers.

"The way my hand was in the cast, it wouldn't bend all the way back," Winfield said. "So my hand placement was kind of off."

Winfield, 35, has now completed his 14^th season in the league and has one year left on his contract. He said he certainly plans to be back in 2013.

"Without a doubt," he said. "I've got to get 15 in. That's a good number."

Quotes of note

Here's Vikings coach Leslie Frazier on the pride he had in this season's 10-win campaign: "The effort they gave every single week over the course of this season, including tonight. These guys never let anyone put limitations on what they could achieve. They played as hard as they could and tried to do the very best they could to give us a chance to win. And I told them that after the game. We are all extremely proud of every one of them.

And here's Frazier on the skills in Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers he admires: "He's a very accurate passer on the run. That's the thing that sticks out. When you get him moving around like you want to, he has the ability to make throws on the run. [That] creates a lot of problems for your defense. Because guys end up uncovered even when you get a good pass rush. It just creates a lot of problems, his ability to throw as well as he does on the run."