Don't tell Donovan McNabb that his days as an NFL starting quarterback are over.
The Minnesota Vikings' beleaguered signal caller said he "absolutely" expects to be the starter when the Vikings host the Green Bay Packers next Sunday, despite being benched for the fourth quarter of Minnesota's 39-10 loss to the Chicago Bears Sunday night in favor of rookie Christian Ponder.
"We're down 39-10, you take guys out," McNabb said, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "[Adrian Peterson] came out. A lot of guys came out. The kid's got to get some reps."
After the game, Vikings coach Leslie Frazier was asked if McNabb would be the starter next week.
"We've got to sit down and talk about a lot of things," he said, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Before coming out of the game, McNabb was 19 of 24 for 177 yards, but the Vikings struggled to score points in dropping to 1-5. McNabb didn't throw an interception, but he was sacked five times, including once for a safety.
"We were getting Donovan killed," left guard Steve Hutchinson told the Pioneer Press. "Maybe they tried to save him."
"It's just something every single play," McNabb said.
As for Ponder, the No. 12 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft completed 9 of 17 passes for 99 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The former Florida State Seminole said he was just happy to be playing.
"I'm just grateful for the opportunity that coach [Leslie Frazier] let me go in," Ponder said. "I thought I made some plays and I thought I missed a couple of throws. It's hard to have fun when you're losing that bad. But I was grateful."
