Four years ago, Vikings fans everywhere were shocked and confused after hearing Christian Ponder's name called when the purple and gold made him their first round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft. The Florida State quarterback seemingly came out of nowhere to be the 12th overall pick for the post-Brett Favre Vikings. Four years later, the organization cut ties with a malcontent Ponder, who ended his run in Minnesota as the third option behind center.

Now, as this offseason has progressed, news broke that after failing to receive a contract extension with the Vikings, Christian Ponder had signed a deal to play in Oakland, presumably as a backup or third-stringer behind budding star Derek Carr. The transactions brought about much praise for the Vikings' faithful, who will reluctantly remember Ponder for four up and down years and one failed playoff game. His departure, in short, has brought about excitement for a team reeling in a new era.

Was the former first rounder so bad that he could only find work as a possible second or third string on one of the most dysfunctional franchises in the NFL, the Oakland Raiders? It's hard to say, and most -- just by looking at stats alone -- would be hard pressed to draw conclusions on Ponder's capabilities as a starter. His 38 touchdowns and 36 interceptions over the course of his career are mediocre at best, and his 6.3 yards per attempt average is equally lackluster. However, it's not often that a quarterback who started sixteen games and got his team into the playoffs (which is exactly what Ponder did in 2012) gets cast away without any looks at a starting gig elsewhere.

So while the Vikings fan base rejoices over the free roster spot once occupied by the Florida State star, I'm left thinking that maybe there is still a little more to Christian Ponder than meets the eye.

As a first round pick, expectations are high. So rightfully, Vikings fans cannot be ecstatic over the box stats Ponder put up over four years in the Twin Cities. This, however, can be attributed to the offense Ponder ran. See, here in Minnesota, we've been privileged with one of the best running backs the league has seen in some time in Adrian Peterson. As such, the Vikings have run the ball frequently enough to earn themselves a top ten ranking in rush attempts per season every year dating back to 2011, Ponder's rookie year. Utilizing a star running back is logical and usually effective, but the byproduct is that we create an offensive environment where the quarterback doesn't get a chance to learn and grow. This is where Ponder's development stifled. Each year Ponder was on the team, the Vikings ran the ball more and more. It is good to take pressure off of a team's passing game by running the football, as this is seen as a common strategy in NFL play calling, but a young quarterback must learn from his mistakes.

When given the chance to throw the ball, however, Ponder didn't exactly have a star-studded cast of receivers at his disposal. To be fair, the receiver and quarterback have a symbiotic relationship. The success of the receiver depends on the success of the quarterback and vice versa. However, it is hard to backup the receiver's end of this bargain when there is no true continuity at the position. Ponder was constantly throwing to new faces year in and year out, never establishing a rhythm with any one of them. Injuries, poor coaching decisions, and personalities that didn't want to be in Minnesota to begin with made for a receiving core without a core. Ponder never had a true target, and thus he fell flat on his face when it came time to make a game-sealing throw.

Ponder, of course, made some mistakes of his own. Not every problem with the young signal caller can be blamed or pointed toward somebody else. For example, he never had great arm strength; his deep passes fiddled through the air like a wounded duck and rarely met the intended target. Ponder's pocket presence was equally shameful. Many times, Ponder bailed on plays too soon and turned the call into pure improvising, thus offensive drives ended prematurely. Coaching adjustments should have come with these faults, though. If we know Ponder can't throw the 80-yard bomb, why make him do it? The game film never lies, and upon further review, Christian Ponder was set up to fail. He never had a true chance to be the player the Vikings drafted him to be. He was misguided, misplaced and never had the tools he needed to be successful in Minnesota.

As Ponder prepares for a career in professional clipboard-holding on the Oakland sideline, it still seems baffling that a guy that has shown promise -- namely in a 2012 season that ended in a playoff berth -- cannot find work to compete for a starting job. To believe there are 32 guys who can do it better than Christian Ponder is not likely. There is still a future for an athletic, intelligent and previously successful young quarterback in this NFL.