Weatherford Out, Ponder In As FSU Starting QB
Posted by NoleCC
Bum shoulder or not, Christian Ponder is the starting QB for the 2008 FSU Seminoles. Ponder, a redshirt sophomore, will lead FSU instead of Senior Drew Weatherford or fellow redshirt sophomore D’vontrey Richardson.
To D’vo: Your time is coming my friend. Whether it’s at FSU or elsewhere, depending on how Christian Ponder does.
To Ponder: Just do your best. Take care of your shoulder, and lead the team. The ACC is wide open this year.
To Drew Weatherford: Drew, I’m one of the few fans that thought you deserved one last shot. I still think you’re going to get in there and play, but if you don’t I know you have the character to handle this news. Throughout your career at FSU, you’ve been thrown in and out of starting QB, spent a lot of time on your backside and cheered on guys that didn’t give you the same effort they gave Xavier Lee. I hope you do well with the playing time you get this year, and I hope you continue to be the great teammate that everyone says you are. Regardless of stats, #11 will always be one of my favorite QBs.
Thoughts? Comments? I know the readers want to speak up, let’s hear it. Is Ponder the right choice? How much time will D’vo see? Will Weatherford play?
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Ed on 
ecwforever on 
Personally, I am shocked that Drew isn’t going to get any PT. Jimbo’s quotes are Sabanesque here. Barring some crazy turn of events, this decision looks final. Jimbo said there is no plan to work Weatherford into the game, that Ponder doesn’t have a short leash. Early reports are that Drew received scarce reps at practice. I’m actually against that. We need our backup to be involved in the game-plan in case of injury.
This is our take at FSUncensored.
FSU announced that Christian Ponder will make his 1st career start for the Florida State Seminoles. Ponder gained national notoriety for graduating from college in just two years. He is a redshirt sophomore and a native of Colleyville, TX. He was rated as a three star prospect by rivals.com. Ponder had a brief stint in last year’s Virginia Tech game, a 40-21 Loss. Ponder played great in leading the ‘Noles back after Weatherford was knocked out of the game, but also threw a crippling interception, and had another that was picked off by a defensive lineman who hurdled the Florida State offensive lineman who fell down on the play.
(Note From NoleCC, Scalper… feel free to link something like that!… I’m providing it for you… that comment was mega long! lol)
Check out FSUncensored’s full analysis on FSU’s starting QB
This is why I like Drew…
“Obviously, I am very disappointed in the decision, however, I am a team-first guy and I am always willing to do whatever helps the team win, whether that’s starting or helping from the sidelines,” Weatherford said. “I am a ‘Nole and I want to win. I will be ready and able when my opportunity comes.”
CC, I wanted to keep the traffic on your place. Apologize for the 1900 word comment, haha.
I don’t feel bad for Drew from the standpoint that he was beaten out by another player.
I do feel bad for Drew from the standpoint that he was Horribly coached for three years, possibly causing him to regress. With decent coaching, he could have been a Major Applewhite type, or a Craig Krenzel on Roids.
I think this may be the first time where Drew feels “robbed.” I mean that everyone always expected Xavier to “finally” beat him out. This time, however, few expected that he wouldn’t have the job.
What do you think of the way Jimbo handled this, both with the media and in practice?
Word is Drew didn’t get any meaningful reps today before leaving for class. I am against that, obviously, as I indicated above.
LOL… I appreciate the traffic Scalper, but by all means I’m happy to toss it around with other bloggers.
Major Applewhite? You get bonus points my friend, my favorite collegiate QB of all time.
I think JImbo is Jimbo, and Seminole fans had better get used to direct, honest, sometimes brutal, but always for the best. As for the meaningful reps? Let’s face it, Weatherford is not #2 on the depth chart… #3 QBs don’t get meaningful reps.
My first reaction when I read the headline was feeling a little sad for Drew….you know the guy is depressed….I do believe that he will go in at some point though, either if Ponder is hurt or the noles are stomping on western carolina…..I hope to god that Jimbo made the right choice…worst case scenerio: say ponder throws 4 picks against western in the first half…..he puts Drew in, but you know Drew’s confidence is shot from this, and he has been down all week from it…..so he puts in D’vo, but the noles are losing by three touchdowns, and it just makes D’vo more inconsisstent…….heh, I just hope Ponder tears it up…..which i know he will….look at the VT game….he was actually the number 3 guy then….xavier was suspened, drew was hurt, so ponder came in…..if a number 3 guy can be that damn good (until he started acting like a freshman) then think about how good he can be now with more reps in practice and two scrimmage games at the start of the season….
CC,
we’re up by three over Clemson when Furlong slips and a blitzing linebacker crushes Ponder, knocking him out cold.
I have to believe we turn to Drew. D’Vo likely will be prepping to run his package (of what, 20-25 plays, out of which he probably gets to run 8-12 per game?)
I just don’t know Scalper… Jimbo is so high on D’vo, wouldn’t you want to throw a curveball at the other team, while you figure out if you just lost Ponder for a while? I could see Drew getting the start the following week, and D’vo doing his 8-12 play thing, but if it’s an in-game-must-win-now situation, I think D’vo is really #2.
Hopefully we don’t have to find out.
The curveball argument is compelling.
I worry about D’Vo’s psyche. If he is consistently focusing on his package of 25 plays, from which 8-14 will be called, that means he isn’t as in-tuned with the total offense. The same could be said for Ponder, who wouldn’t be learning D’Vo’s special plays, and you wouldn’t ask Ponder to step in on D’vo’s packages.
This all hinges on the coaches’ trust of D’vo’s grasp of the offense.
I was a little surprised by this one. Ponder supposedly had a shoulder issue and his stats listed from practices didn’t seem to be all that good. The raving was all about D’Vo. But i have to trust teh coaches. They see them every day in practice. I don’t.
I guess I’m a bit surprised by the decision. Honestly, I’ve been less inclined to keep track of how these guys have done in practice than in past years, but experience should hold some water. Drew’s been around a while with experience on both sides…winning and losing, why doesn’t he get the shot to go out there as the starter after so many years of poor coaching, struggling, and such a weak supporting cast?
Nothing against Ponder, but I think Drew deserves it and Ponder can wait his turn. Remember back in the day with Richt when the Nole QB’s wouldn’t get their turn until their junior year? A new QB every 2 years gave them extensive experience learning a very complicated system. Fisher is implementing a complicated system and needs these guys to learn it slowly in order to build a championship program.
Thank god Ponder is starting my little sister is more of an athlete than Whetherford..
What kevdognoles said. Drew Weatherford hasn’t shown us anything. Each year he’s been benched and it would happen again. If he starts then we’ll have another 7 or 8 win season and then have to go into next fall with three talented but untested quarterbacks fighting it out viciously for the starting job with none of them likely to look good early in the season meaning we’d have to wait until 2010 to have double digit wins and be in the Top Ten. Why wait until then? The Gators have a very good quarterback and to respond with Drew is exactly what their fans want. Now we actually have a chance in that game.
I think it’s interesting that everyone thinks our chances are so much better by removing Weatherford. I watched the same VT game last year as everyone else, and Ponder did well to start, but steadily went down hill. I guess I can’t figure out why everyone things this is an instant winning combination, especially since all indications out of practice were that nobody really went out there and “won” the job.
Im just gonna throw this out there but it seems like last year when FSU wanted a quarterback switch they were thrown into demanding situations. Most time we saw lee in the game we were down and he was put in a must score situation..I dont care who you are if you dont have much playing time and you go in under those conditions..your bound for some negative results..im glad to see that Ponder is starting and not gonna be thrown in a game where its all up to him and its all on the line…Best of luck tomorrow Ponder show us what you got!
Last time I checked, the NFL Super Bowls were being won by the likes of Eli Manning, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. I don’t see any of these guys blazing it out there with 4.4 40 times. Absolutely none of them are considered “athletes”. Weatherford is a big guy. He’s a pocket passer with a strong arm. He is tough and durable. If FSU had done like UF and recruited real linemen who can play AND think, instead of unmotivated stupid JUCO transfers who don’t know the blocking schemes, Drew wouldn’t have been playing on his ass for three years. And the dropped balls? Maybe a 3 strikes policy wouldn’t hurt. Drew earned the right to get on the field and prove he couldn’t hold the job. My advice for Drew? Follow Brad Johnson’s lead. Quit this team, head up into the mountains and get to work. You’ve got the tools to play on Sunday while Ponder’s in the booth announcing your game. Go get em’ Drew….use it as motivation.
Anon… good comment all around. Drew won’t leave the team though, although the thought of that hadn’t crossed my mind, and frankly it’s not a bad idea for his future if he wants to play pro football. I really think other things are in his future, he’s bright and connected. He’ll do well in this world, even without the NFL.
But if he wants it, I hope he goes for it, it would be great to see a repeat of Brad Johnson.
Well, it would have been a long shot for Drew even if he’d played this year, probably. But he did deserve a chance. I remember the game last year, where the FSU defense made Matt Ryan look like a high school kid, while Drew looked like a Heisman QB. My point? You can’t be a great QB without a surrounding cast….period. Too many FSU fans want to blame the quarterback when the whole team just sucked – really sucked. Incidentally, I am watching Matt Ryan play the Bucs right now…and he looks far worse than he did in that BC game against FSU. I can’t imagine Weatherford doing any worse…so I would like to see him get some snaps. He won’t get any with Jimbo calling the shots. Ol’ Jimbo…he better be right…and games against West Carolina and Chattanooga don’t tell me anything.
Well, after tonight’s game, maybe we need to recall Drew Weatherford. And for that matter, maybe even Jeff Bowden. Suddenly they don’t look so bad now that we have seen Jimbo ass-slap Ponder and Richardson all the way to 7 picks in a single game.