Vikings To Start Josh Freeman on Monday Night
By Sarita Kelly
Josh Freeman will be the starter for the Monday night game against the New York Giants. This comes three days after the debacle against the Carolina Panthers and two weeks after he signed.
Oct 13, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Josh Freeman (12) looks on following the game against the Carolina Panthers at Mall of America Field at H.H.H. Metrodome. The Panthers defeated the Vikings 35-10. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
On Wednesday, Coach Leslie Frazier said he anticipates Freeman will be under center Monday night when the Vikings face the Giants.
Matt Cassel had started the last two Vikings’ games, the first was because Christian Ponder had a rib injury, but last week, Ponder was healthy but benched. And now both will be on the sidelines come Monday night.
Freeman took the first-team reps during Wednesday’s practice. Frazier has once again named Christian Ponder as the backup.
According to the Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Ponder was asked if he would want to be traded.
“I don’t know,” the third-year quarterback said. And that is a complete 180 from the answer he gave last week.
“I would be lying if I didn’t say it’s a little disappointing and frustrating,” Ponder said last Friday when asked about the team signing Freeman. “But I’m not going to get too discouraged about it. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what the next few weeks, few months hold. We’ll see how everything plays out.”
Freeman was a 2009 first-round pick of the Buccaneers, was released earlier this month by Tampa Bay. Now he’ll have a chance to get his career going here with the Vikings.
If Freeman plays well during this 10-week stretch he could be re-signed in the offseason. This would indefinitely end the Christian Ponder era, two-plus years after the Vikings drafted him 12th overall.