Christian Ponder has heard the boos and the calls for the Vikings to change quarterbacks. So has Joe Webb.

Webb not only has to listen from the sideline; he owns a Twitter account with more than 20,000 followers. He is taking his turn as the most popular guy in town — the backup to a struggling starter — as some of the Vikings faithful want him to reprise his role from the end of last season, when he replaced Ponder in three games and sparked the offense in two of them.

Only the Vikings are less willing to give him that role this season. Coach Leslie Frazier repeatedly has backed Ponder, saying he hasn’t thought about lifting the second-year quarterback. So Webb knows there isn’t much to be gained from paying attention to the fans, but there is more to be earned from a team standpoint by deflecting them.

Asked if the fan support makes him feel good, Webb smiled before saying, “You don’t want to get caught up in those types of things. That will cause frustration in the locker room, within the players and things like that. We just try to stay positive about it.”

The third-year quarterback already has shown what he can do in relief of Ponder. He was 12 for 23 against the Lions on Dec. 11, throwing a touchdown pass and running for 109 yards and another touchdown, almost leading a comeback victory. The next week, in relief of an injured Ponder, Webb completed 4 of 5 passes for 84 yards and two scores and ran for 34 yards and a touchdown in a victory over the Washington Redskins.

Webb had an uneven preseason, completing 21 of 41 passes for 199 yards, and he hasn’t started since the final two games of the 2010 season.

Webb’s style might lend itself to frantic second-half comeback attempts, when his speed and unpredictability are accentuated. But he contends he has come a long way since his rookie season and that he is ready if called upon.

“You can’t ever let down your guard and say, ‘Ah, I might not play this week.’ You can’t prepare like that,” Webb said. “Each week, I prepare like I’m going to play.”

And fans could continue to call for him, especially if Ponder starts Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions the way he has begun his past three.

In the Vikings’ first three series against Seattle, Tampa and Arizona, Ponder went a combined 2 of 14 for 17 yards with a sack and an interception. He said after the Vikings’ loss to the Seahawks that grief from fans “comes with the territory” when “I’m not putting a product on the field that they want to watch.”

On Wednesday, Ponder couldn’t name anything specific that he needs to correct. He said his swollen knee isn’t a problem and his confidence is fine.

“Confidence breeds from preparation, and I think we’re preparing really well,” Ponder said. “We have great game plans, and, again, it just goes back to us executing, but I have full confidence in what I’m doing.”

Said tight end Kyle Rudolph, Ponder’s closet friend on the team: “Christian’s the type of guy who takes a lot of responsibility on himself, as all great leaders and quarterbacks do. Myself and a few of the guys who are closer to Christian just kind of have to relate to him that, ‘Hey man, it’s not always you.’ As a quarterback, you take all the glory and you take all the blame, so we’ve got to take some of that from Christian, as well.”

One thing it doesn’t appear Webb will be taking from Ponder is playing time, no matter how much fans want it. And Webb says he’s at peace with that.

“(Christian and I) have a great relationship,” Webb said. “There’s no beef with one another. … Fans are fans. They love the game of football. People are going to have their different opinions, so I try not to pay too much attention to it.”

Follow Ben Goessling at twitter.com/BenGoesslingPP.