It doesn't take a Mensa membership to figure out one of the names on this list doesn't belong:

Tom Brady. Aaron Rodgers. Drew Brees. Peyton Manning. Christian Ponder.

The first four are names Ponder threw out Tuesday when asked for his definition of an NFL franchise quarterback. But Ponder also said he expects one day to be a franchise guy.

"Yeah, I know I can,'' he said.

Ponder will get his third straight start and sixth of the season for the 1-7 Vikings on Thursday against Washington at the Metrodome. And once again, he will be on the clock.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said last week if he doesn't like what he sees from his three signal callers the rest of this season, he will "go into the draft potentially and look for a franchise quarterback.


The Vikings this season also have started Matt Cassel twice and Josh Freeman once, though it appears the competition to impress Spielman is between Ponder and Freeman, who was signed Oct. 7 after being released by Tampa Bay.

"Christian has the lead, but can he keep it?" said longtime NFL analyst Joe Theismann, who quarterbacked the Redskins to a Super Bowl win after the 1982 season. "If you're the lead horse in a race, you're the only one who has a change of scenery. It's your job to stay the lead horse.''

Theismann knows Ponder. He said the phrase franchise quarterback is "misused and overused'' but offered what he believes the third-year man must worry about.

"I used to have a sign in front of my locker before every game,'' said Theismann, who played for Washington from 1974-85.


"It went like this: 'You never have to be the reason a team wins. You just can't be the reason it loses.' ... I do believe Christian can play, but he can't be the reason the team loses. You have to play smart football.''

Ponder is 0-5 this season as a starter. He certainly didn't help the Vikings win in his first three games, throwing five interceptions and losing two fumbles. But he has been better in his past two, although he has thrown an interception and lost a fumble.

Regardless, until the Vikings win a game with Ponder under center, he's not helping his cause.

"I think if you're not leading teams to wins, you're not going to be there very long," Ponder said. "You've got to win a lot of games, and you've got to be that guy who's there for a long time.''

Ponder then mentioned Brady, Rodgers, Brees and Manning, who all have won Super Bowls. He then was asked why he believes he can be a franchise quarterback.

"I think I fully trust my ability. ... We made the playoffs last year,'' said Ponder, who led the Vikings to four straight wins to close the regular season. "Obviously, this year has been a little tougher, but I believe in what I can do and expect that things will work out.''

If they don't, Freeman could be given another chance during the second half of the season. He had a brutal outing in his Oct. 21 debut against the New York Giants, completing 20 of 53 passes. But some believe he has a better shot than Ponder of becoming a long-term answer for the Vikings.

Freeman had some impressive moments while playing for Tampa Bay from 2009 until early this season. At 6 feet 6, he's four inches taller than Ponder and has a stronger arm.

"Josh Freeman has the physical ability to be a franchise quarterback,'' said CBS analyst Steve Beuerlein, an NFL quarterback from 1987-2003. "With Ponder, the jury is still out. ... Can Ponder be a guy who can be a serviceable productive quarterback? He's shown that on occasion, but now he has to show that more.''

There is urgency for Ponder to do that. But Vikings coach Leslie Frazier has told Ponder he can't play while having a fear of being replaced.

Frazier made Freeman inactive against Cowboys, making Cassel the backup. Frazier wouldn't say Tuesday who would be Thursday's backup.

"Christian knows from me that we want him to succeed,'' Frazier said. "He has no reason to look over his shoulder and say, 'If things happen negative, like an interception (Thursday), you're going to be pulled -- or sack-fumble in the end zone, you're going to be pulled.' He doesn't have to worry about that. He has to worry about playing well. That's all he has to worry about."

As the season winds down, though, Ponder might have to worry about what Spielman thinks.

Follow Chris Tomasson at