FSU Football: Christian Ponder Turns Back Clock In 49ers Debut

Former FSU football quarterback Christian Ponder made his San Francisco 49ers debut this weekend against the Denver Broncos. He played like he was still at FSU.

Christian Ponder played like he was at the helm of the 2009 FSU football offense in his San Francisco debut Saturday night.

He was 7-8 passing for 86 yards and one touchdown while also scoring on a 22 yard run.

“It was fun. I haven’t had that much fun on a football field in a long time,” Ponder said postgame. “It was great just to win the game.”

It looks like Ponder was doing just that in the video below:

Ponder hadn’t played in an NFL game since 2014 with the Minnesota Vikings, the team that drafted in him the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

“What helped me the most was stepping away for a year,” he explained. “I think my confidence hurt towards the end of my years in Minnesota. I think that affected my game. I took a step back, took a breather and came back with a different approach.

“I had the mindset that I just wanted to go out and have fun. Like I said before, I didn’t have that much fun playing the last few years. It was great to get out and have fun again.”

It probably didn’t help that he played in a run heavy offense with no real big threat receivers to thow to, or an offensive line that could keep him upright very long.

Ponder signed with the Niners on August 16th and will compete with Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick.

Wifey Is Happy

Apparently, Ponder has turned down multiple opportunities to play in the NFL according to a supportive Instagram post by his wife and ESPN reporter Sam Ponder:

"Congrats to my forever guy for signing with the 49ers today. You spent the last 10 months being Scout’s best friend and Paw Patrol watcher, woodworker, painter, mover, manager, electrician, chef, teacher and volunteer. You have encouraged me to dream big, swallowed your pride, turned down NFL jobs that weren’t best for our family and taught me what it means to prioritize people over things. I say this publicly to say, manhood seems to be an elusive concept these days, but good, (albeit imperfect) self-sacrificing men are still out there. The kind who treat you the same way in the limo or on the bus, when everyone cheers them, or when everyone boos them. Go get em@cpseven💪🏼We’ll cheer you on till the very end. ❤️"

must read: Ranking FSU Football Position Groups From Worst To Best

Ponder led some excellent offenses during his FSU football days. It was too bad the defense couldn’t play to the same level during those days. Here’s to hoping Ponder can get a few more years in the league.