Factoid
I saw a number go by this afternoon that caught my eye. Christian Ponder of the Vikings; he played a little better last year than I had thought.
In terms of touchdown percentage (number of TD passes divided by pass attempts), he’s the 3rd-best rookie quarterback in the last 20 years, behind only Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning. That’s among first-rounders with at least 200 pass attempts.
Now, I’m not saying Ponder is another Roethlisberger or Manning. But pretty impressive. Most of his key indicator stats (rating, completion percentage, yards-per-attempt) were average in comparision with the 25 other quarterbacks in that group.
ROOKIE QBs: TOUCHDOWN PERCENTAGE
(Among first-round quarterbacks with at least 200 attempts in the last 20 years.)
Att TD Pct. Year Quarterback (team)
295 17 5.8% 2004 Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers)
575 26 4.5% 1998 Peyton Manning (Colts)
291 13 4.5% 2011 Christian Ponder (Vikings)
517 21 4.1% 2011 Cam Newton (Panthers)
227 9 4.0% 2002 Patrick Ramsey (Washington)
265 10 3.8% 1994 Heath Shuler (Washington)
399 15 3.8% 1999 Tim Couch (Browns)
216 8 3.7% 1999 Donovan McNabb (Eagles)
434 16 3.7% 2008 Matt Ryan (Falcons)
429 15 3.5% 1993 Drew Bledsoe (Patriots)
290 10 3.4% 2009 Josh Freeman (Buccaneers)
377 13 3.4% 2009 Matthew Stafford (Lions)
235 8 3.4% 1999 Cade McNown (Bears)
357 12 3.4% 2006 Vince Young (Titans)
418 14 3.3% 2003 Byron Leftwich (Jaguars)
364 12 3.3% 2009 Mark Sanchez (Jets)
428 14 3.3% 2008 Joe Flacco (Ravens)
432 14 3.2% 1995 Kerry Collins (Panthers)
224 7 3.1% 2003 Kyle Boller (Ravens)
590 18 3.1% 2010 Sam Bradford (Rams)
377 11 2.9% 2006 Matt Leinart (Cardinals)
413 12 2.9% 2011 Blaine Gabbert (Jaguars)
429 12 2.8% 2002 Joey Harrington (Lions)
486 12 2.5% 1993 Rick Mirer (Seahawks)
444 9 2.0% 2002 David Carr (Texans)
245 2 0.8% 1998 Ryan Leaf (Chargers)
—Ian Allan
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