The Minnesota Vikings have done all they can this offseason to show quarterback Christian Ponder their commitment to him; today they've gone one step further, eliminating Joe Webb from the quarterback picture altogether.
Webb, who started for Ponder in the playoffs while he battled an elbow injury, has been regarded as a Tim Tebow-esque threat under center. Webb is known for his blazing speed, and while he possesses a powerful arm, passing is not his strong suit.
In three years with the Vikings, Webb has only started three regular season games, but played in 17. For his career Webb is 88-for-152 with three touchdowns to five interceptions. On the ground he has been far more effective, rushing 41 times and chewing up 271 yards, an average of 6.7 yards per carry. He has scored four rushing touchdowns and has a long-TD run of 65 yards.
The Vikings traded away their best wide receiver, Percy Harvin, to the Seattle Seahawks this offseason and drafted Cordarrelle Patterson out of Tennessee to fill the role. While Patterson is a traditional wideout, Webb has the athleticism to assume Harvin's multi-faceted role.
"Coach brought me in the office and talked to me about the different plans they had and stuff," Webb said. "I haven't played [receiver] since my rookie minicamp, but I think I can adjust to it pretty good. You just have to put in a lot of work. Coach Stew [wide receivers coach George Stewart] will do a lot of that with me, so we'll see what happens."
Webb spent his sophomore season at the University of Alabama-Birmingham as a wide receiver, and also feels his quarterbacking experience can help him communicate with the other receivers and give him better insight as to what defenses are doing.
"I always relate things that I see on the field to quarterbacks - to Christian [Ponder], to Matt Cassel, to [McLeod] Bethel-Thompson, I can tell those guys what I see out there. That will help them out a lot, my quarterback experience. Also, it will help the receivers out - for instance if they see a safety rotating down, different coverages that teams prepare and things like that. I think it's going to be a big help."
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