Vikings QB Christian Ponder struggles as a rookie were magnified by an increasing tendency to stare down the rush, rather than keeping his eyes downfield. That's why the team's first round pick, LT Matt Kahil, is important for Ponder's development.
"It is huge," Ponder said. "A lot of time last year, it didn't necessarily have to do with the protection. A lot of times I wasn't comfortable getting to my third, fourth reads, checking the ball down. Instead of just checking it down when a guy is wide open, I'd just run.
"That's something I have to get away from. It's easy to break the habit. It's just going to make it so much better having full confidence in the protection. Offensive line is looking good. They got stacked up pretty quickly and they've got a lot of depth now. I'm excited about that as a quarterback."
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