EDEN PRAIRIE — Leslie Frazier gazed out the office window at the perfectly manicured practice fields at Minnesota Vikings headquarters, fields just waiting for some action.

“Sure wish we had our guys out there right now,” Frazier said.

One in particular — rookie quarterback Christian Ponder.

The lockout has come at a most inopportune time for Frazier, who is starting his first full season as a head coach and is preparing for life without Brett Favre, who is not coming back whether he stays retired or not. Frazier has assembled a new offensive coaching staff that is itching to get going with Ponder, their first-round draft pick and quarterback of the future.

Just how soon that future gets started is out of Frazier’s — and Ponder’s — hands right now. The lockout prevents coaches from communicating with players, which means Ponder isn’t able to get the head start he needs to get ready to start from day one.

The Vikings surprised some by drafting Ponder 12th overall out of Florida State, but Frazier is convinced he has the intelligence and talent to quickly take over the Vikings offense. Fellow unproven youngsters Joe Webb and Rhett Bomar round out the current group of QBs on the roster, but that doesn’t appear to bother Frazier right now.