If Florida State is to make their way back toward the top of the ACC this season, Christian Ponder and his surgically-repaired shoulder will play a major role in said rise.
After two days of spring ball, the still-limited quarterback is pleasantly surprised as to how his throwing shoulder is responding to the workload.
“I’m a lot farther along than I was expecting,” Ponder said according to the Tallahassee Democrat. “I didn’t think I’d be going through full practices during the spring. And here I am. It feels pretty good.”
While it feels “pretty good”, Ponder says he’s not yet 100 percent, estimating that he’s at about 85 percent at this point in time. If that’s indeed the case, you’d have a hard time convincing the players on the receiving end of his spring passes.
“I cannot tell a difference,” Bert Reed said. “Honestly. He throws it sometimes and it’s coming. I haven’t seen anything decrease or anything. His reads are there, his mind’s there, his arm is there – he’s looking smooth to me.
“I’d say he’s 100 percent. The way the ball is getting there. Nothing is late. He’s throwing everything.”
FSU has been a powerhouse. So when Drew Weatherford came in, as highly touted as he was, a lot was expected. He didn’t pan out like everyone had hoped. Christian Ponder came into the picture. He took a lot of criticism and crap, despite being young. All Seminole fans were used to being dominant, and with their slight decline with Weatherford at the helm, change was demanded. They got change with Ponder, but they still had high expectations. Ponder received a lot of unfair stuff, but he is a hell of a player. He can certainly take this team back to the top of the ACC… especially seeing as weak as the conference is as a whole right meow.