Ponder ready for FSU spring game today

After undergoing shoulder surgery in late November, Christian Ponder figured he would be a spectator for today's spring game.

And his opinion hadn't changed much by late February.

But slightly after 5 p.m. Saturday, when the "Gold" team's offense takes the field at Doak Campbell Stadium, Ponder will be running the show. And no one is more pleasantly surprised than him.

"A couple weeks before spring ball started, they still told me I was going to be limited," Ponder said. "They weren't expecting me to scrimmage. They weren't expecting me to go against the defense. It was just going to be 7-on-7 and throwing routes and stuff like that.

"To be able to do everything is pretty neat."

It's also pretty surprising to many of Ponder's teammates. When the Seminoles were running through offseason conditioning drills in February, Ponder was limited to throwing tennis balls instead of footballs.

Sophomore tailback Chris Thompson remembers watching that and thinking there was no way Ponder would be handing him the ball or throwing passes in the spring game.

"He's looking pretty good," said Thompson, who also will be on the "Gold" team. "I really didn't expect him to be playing in the spring."

The senior quarterback got to this point by blowing away the rehab schedules of Florida State's trainers and coaches. While part of that is a result of Ponder's work ethic, head coach Jimbo Fisher said it also is a testament to Ponder's strength and conditioning.

"He's in such great physical condition, his rehab is going to be faster," Fisher said.

Of course, there is a difference between being back and actually being back to his old form. Before his injury, which occurred while he tried to make a tackle against Clemson, Ponder was the Atlantic Coast Conference's leading passer.

With an average of more than 300 yards per game and a gaudy completion percentage (68.8), he was enjoying the best season by a Florida State quarterback since Chris Weinke won the Heisman Trophy in 2000.

But Ponder didn't feel like quite the same quarterback during Florida State's first two weeks of spring practice. His arm strength was coming back, but he didn't have the same accuracy or touch.

And while watching some practice film, he noticed he had developed a flaw in his mechanics.

"I started to drop the ball down, and I wasn't looking good," Ponder said, "so I started working on that at practice."

The breakthrough moment came last Saturday. During an intrasquad scrimmage, Ponder started feeling like his "old self again." He completed 7 of 11 passes for 188 yards.

Then on Monday, he had what Fisher described as his best practice yet.

"I just needed one good day," Ponder said. "And after Saturday, I kind of got that confidence back."

It was a welcome sight to Ponder, Fisher and the rest of the Florida State football team.

On Saturday, FSU fans will get to enjoy the view.

"Honestly," Ponder said, "I think my arm is stronger than it was before."