Aside from some of the things you already discussed, some of my favorites are;
A) on how If he hadn’t have been hurt he might have seriously considered entering the NFL Draft,
2) on how he plans to play on both sides of the ball (offense and defense) next season and his fathers advice re: Peyton Manning, and
D) on his future educational plans which could possibly include taking ballroom dancing or underwater basket weaving classes in the fall.

Not only a smart and great athlete, but also has a good personality. However, he should take a public speaking class to become aware and learn to stop his use of “aaahhh” in between sentences. But this being his only flaw, I can live with that.

Wasn’t that the basis for the 2006 team motto?

“FSU Football: Luv that Chicken!”

They were bloated up on honey fried chicken.

I think Ponder would have went pretty high in the draft this year if healthy. Glad he is back though. He will probably make more money after this season.

Viloria and his boys are on these kids big time. The players aren’t too happy, which means you know it’s working, and the ineffectiveness of the previous staff’s (if you want to call it that) nutritional plan. You know who Viloria’s boys are. They’re the ones riding the players at the training table. I couldn’t pick out Stroud’s guys on campus for the life of me.

but I think you meant to say “The famous Gulf Breeze surgeon, James Andrews.”

He said the drills are more football-specific and you can see the changes in the guys after only a few weeks.

I was always amazed as a student eating with the players and seeing very little guidance on the part of the nutritional staff. I’d like to stop by there again for lunch and see what changes have been made.

Is the new emphasis on these areas limited to the football program?

Ponder seems settled in and looking forward to the next year. Also loved the insight into the new program and the changes around campus. The first game of the year couldn’t come soon enough.

How different are things under new head coach, Jimbo Fisher?
"There’s been a big change. Everyone’s being held accountable. … Nutrition-wise for us, we basically have our meals picked out for us now. The whole cafeteria’s changed; we’re eating healthy. These fourth-quarter drills are different (than mat drills). The whole weight room’s different. A lot of small things like that have totally changed. The whole attitude has changed. Just having all these new fresh faces in, it’s a lot of different and I think it’s different in the sense that it’s being better. There’s a lot of excitement around this whole deal, so we’re excited.’’

How are the fourth-quarter drills different than the mat drills that had been the cornerstone of the off-season conditioning program for years?
"There’s a lot more running involved. They’re a lot more geared toward what we’ll do on the football field. A lot of drills that focus on the actual football aspect of it. It’s still difficult. The good thing is we’re not getting up a 5 in the morning, which I think is beneficial for us. You’re able to get more out of us at 3:30 in the afternoon than at 5 in the morning. The whole attitude’s great. I enjoy them a lot more than mat drills. It’s still difficult, it’s still hard, but I think it’s definitely better than mat drills.’’

How will you be different in 2010 after setting the bar pretty high last year?
"There’s always room for improvement. I can always do different things to make myself better – study more film every day. But right now for me, it’s just trying to get back on my feet. Getting comfortable again and working toward that spring ball date. It was kind of a unique opportunity getting hurt and kind of stepping back from certain things and stepping back from the program, kind of having an outside view in of everything that went on. There’s a lot of things we can do, a lot of leadership needs to be developed on this team. It’s those small things we can do to make this team better. Personally, it’s getting more comfortable. I’m already comfortable in the offense, it just gets down to perfection. That’s what I’ve got to strive for and make myself better.’’

You’re getting some buzz about the Heisman Trophy. Is that in your sights?
"That’s something I don’t focus on. I’d love to have that opportunity but for me, if I take care of what I need to on the football field, that aspect will take care of itself. It’s not something I’m working toward. I’m working to win football games. When that happens, all that other stuff will take care of itself.’’

What are the expectations for ’10?
"For us personally, we have high expectations for ourselves. Our goals are the same. We want to go out and win the ACC championship game and win a national championship game. Obviously that’s tough to do; it’s tough to win. We know that. That’s why we’re working hard starting now. Obviously to win a national championship, a lot of things have to come together. But for us, we’re doing everything we can to be prepared for that opportunity and we’ll see what happens.’’

He is looking forward to the start of spring practice on March 16, even though he knows he will be prudently limited in the drills.

"It definitely doesn’t feel normal yet,’’ Ponder said. "I trust the trainers. I’d love to play in the spring game (schedule for April 10). I don’t know if that’s a viable option, we’ll see what happens. That’s my goal right now to work toward that spring game.’’