Colin Kaepernick

[D-Unit]

Originally Posted by LonghornsLegend

What was most impressive to me about his debut is that he hardly ran the ball at all which I would have never guessed. He beat that defense with his arm, in the pocket, and he looked far more natural as a QB then I figured due to all the wildcat packages he's in. I certainly don't think we should expect these types of performances on the regular, but I sense a ton of bias in your post so not sure how serious I should take you when you call him "puke".

In fact if anything he's proved that the pick wasn't terrible value. But fully agree with the second point. Look at the room he has to throw, the pocket he has to step up into, the defense to rely on, the running game which keeps defenses honest. That's an absolutely marvelous situation for any QB to play in and probably does make whatever QB look that much better.


That also doesn't mean because they have those things that they are incapable of finding a good QB, or that it somehow makes whatever QB they use less talented.

Credit should go to Harbaugh if CK succeeds in this league as a passer because all he got was a lump of clay on draft day.

[LonghornsLegend]

Originally Posted by D-Unit

Credit should go to Harbaugh if CK succeeds in this league as a passer because all he got was a lump of clay on draft day.

Well yea, I thought that as pretty obvious that he was extremely raw and his coaching would rely on his success. But yea, I'd classify him as a lump of clay if we ignored all of his physical tools that he has. Let's be honest, he isn't the first big time athlete at QB with raw passing skills to be drafted early, those guys go in the 1st round all the time, Pat White went in the second which was laughable.


He could very easily turn into a flash in the pan(I believe Troy Smith had a great first career start) but let's not diminish his skillset that he had to work with coming out. But definately, without the proper coaching, and team to develop him, I said well before he was drafted that the chances of him panning out into a starter were extremely low.

[D-Unit]

Originally Posted by LonghornsLegend

Well yea, I thought that as pretty obvious that he was extremely raw and his coaching would rely on his success. But yea, I'd classify him as a lump of clay if we ignored all of his physical tools that he has. Let's be honest, he isn't the first big time athlete at QB with raw passing skills to be drafted early, those guys go in the 1st round all the time, Pat White went in the second which was laughable.


He could very easily turn into a flash in the pan(I believe Troy Smith had a great first career start) but let's not diminish his skillset that he had to work with coming out. But definately, without the proper coaching, and team to develop him, I said well before he was drafted that the chances of him panning out into a starter were extremely low.

The 49ers should trade for Tony Romo. Harbaugh would turn him into a HOF QB and win 3 SBs.

Jason Garrett is making him into a HOF Clown.

[Ness]

Originally Posted by Armchair Scout

I doubt the 49ers actually start Kaepernick the rest of the year. I expect Smith to start the next year or two before Kaepernick gets a chance. That said, I do think Kaepernick is the QB of the future in SF and I have high expectations for his production. SF is a really good fit for him and he has a ton of talent.

I'm guessing Smith at least gets the next start and it's his job to lose, but the leash will be short. Next year who knows. They may decide to go with Colin.

[Armchair Scout]

Originally Posted by D-Unit

CK will not become a successful starting QB in this league. His best strength is as a running QB. Who cares about that? I heard the original poster call his accuracy "great". That's a lie. I hated his value on draft day and I still hate it today. SF fans are so anxious to find someone better than Alex Smith, it ain't even funny. SF has an awesome OL, an awesome running game and an awesome defense. Without that, CK would look like the puke that he is.

SF is one of the few teams in this league, if not the only one where they can make their QB look better than he really is.

I think it is way too early to declare this. Kaepernick is/was raw. In college, he was helped by the strength of his team relative to competition and over-relied on his ability to escape the pocket when he couldn't find his first option; however, he showed plenty of tools for an NFL QB. He has/had quick footwork. He shows/showed consistent ball placement and accuracy on short and intermediate throws. He throws/threw the ball with great zip and can throw out routes and other difficult NFL throws with success. He shows/showed great command of the team at the line of scrimmage. He shows/showed excellent escapability and pocket presence.

Kaepernick does need to work on post-snap reads, looking off defenders, and he needs to work on his touch and ball placement on downfield throws. His downfield throws don't allow his receivers to make plays on the ball. That needs to change. It is the biggest limitation Kaepernick currently has and could severely hinder him when teams stop crowding the box so much and start to respect his ability to pass.

Still, I see no reason why Kaepernick can't succeed in Harbaugh's West Coast offense. He can throw timing routes very well and his mobility is valuable for a run-heavy team.

I do agree with you that the 49ers coaching staff does an outstanding job putting their players in a position to succeed. The 49ers would be a good team for any NFL QB to play for. That said, Harbaugh can't make up for poor QB play completely. I am optimistic that Kaepernick can succeed as the 49ers starter, but if the 49ers had ended up with Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, or Ryan Mallett (not that they actually would have drafted any of those players), I would not be so optimistic. The QB still has to make the plays on the field.

I don't expect every game moving forward to be so easy for the 49ers, regardless of who plays QB. If they remain with Kaepernick, he will have to deal with teams with better coverage safeties who will force him to make more difficult downfield throws to sustain the kind of success he had against Chicago. Still, I expect Kaepernick to have success in the NFL and I do see him as a potential long-term solution for the QB position in SF.

[phlysac]

Jim Trotter saying Kaepernick will start this Sunday...

BREAKING: Jim Harbaugh has informed Alex Smith that Colin Kaepernick will start Sunday, per source. Said decision not based on health.

https://twitter.com/SI_JimTrotter/st...51319775154177

[descendency]

Honestly, I'd like to hear how that conversation went. How did Harbaugh tell him and how did Alex take it. I can't imagine it went like this:

Habaugh: Alex, I want Colin to start next week. He's the hot hand and younger.
Alex: Ok, coach. Whatever helps us win!

[Ness]

Well, whatever. At least he made a choice quickly. I don't agree with it at this point in time, but hopefully it works out.

[Babylon]

Originally Posted by Ness

Well, whatever. At least he made a choice quickly. I don't agree with it at this point in time, but hopefully it works out.

If it's for health reasons then fine but all this chatter about either guy could start games down the stretch i just don't get it. Smith has had a good season and has put his team in a great position. On some level i hope Harbaugh gets this shoved up his ass.

[49ersfan_87]

Originally Posted by descendency

Honestly, I'd like to hear how that conversation went. How did Harbaugh tell him and how did Alex take it. I can't imagine it went like this:

Habaugh: Alex, I want Colin to start next week. He's the hot hand and younger.
Alex: Ok, coach. Whatever helps us win!

https://twitter.com/SI_JimTrotter/st...78306375868416

i have great respect for @tdespn and alex smith, and stand behind my report. harbaugh to alex: "I'm going with Kaepernick. Alex, I'm sorry."

[Ness]

Originally Posted by Babylon

If it's for health reasons then fine but all this chatter about either guy could start games down the stretch i just don't get it. Smith has had a good season and has put his team in a great position. On some level i hope Harbaugh gets this shoved up his ass.

Yeah it's pretty much a raw deal. I mean Smith wasn't Brees or Brady out there, but he was playing decent football and has helped the team win a lot of games these past two seasons, not all which were winnable by the defense. I know we all live in a fantasy football era with people wowed by big numbers and whatever, but Smith didn't really do anything to lose his job and is coming off some pretty good football himself. And if Harbaugh really is playing to use both quarterbacks down the stretch, I think that's pretty unfair to both Smith and Alex. And I'm not sure if that sits well with the players either. Didn't Tom Landry try that kind of stunt with Roger Staubach and Craig Morton? It was a while ago, but it didn't work out very well until a decision was made. Sure it's a team sport, but I still don't think it's the right move.

I like the old quarterback adage of "if you have a quarterback competition then you don't have a quarterback" via Bill Walsh. Of course even Montana was benched in his career by Walsh for Steve Young, but only after poor play after a few games I believe. The last thing I want to see is Harbaugh bouncing quarterbacks around after halves or after every other game.

The funny thing is, Harbaugh was essentially Alex Smith before Alex Smith, except he bounced around from team to team and was pretty much a journeyman. I would think that he of all people would understand how important this means to Alex. Just seems like a Mike Singletary move. For me, he barely deserves the benefit of the doubt right now. This club is 7-2-1 and in control of the #2 seed in the NFC.

Again, this decision is really surprising, but we'll see how it happens. Just praying the coach knows what he's doing.

[phlysac]

From Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports)

Colin Kaepernick is the gospel truth. As a Seahawks fan, I'm jealous of the 49ers. It certainly helps that San Francisco has the best offensive line in the league, bar none. But Kaepernick played like a poised veteran against the most opportunistic defense in the league on Monday night. Frankly, he broke the Bears' will early on with picture-perfect spirals that repeatedly hit his targets in stride. He went through his read progressions in a quick manner, and was able to improvise to extend plays when Chicago was able to put pressure on — his TD pass to Michael Crabtree is a good illustration of that. And I'm guessing the 49ers pulled back on him running a bit because Scott Tolzien was the backup QB with Alex Smith out, and exposing Kaepernick to the physicality of rushing plays was probably a bit too costly of a proposition for San Francisco. But, if Smith is at backup this week, I'd expect the entire playbook to be at Kaepernick's disposal against the entirely suspect New Orleans defense in Week 12. Honestly, I can't stomach Jim Harbaugh, but I give him credit for being a great, outside-the-box head coach. And he's certainly no fool. He saw what we all saw on Monday night and realizes that Kaepernick opens things up so much more for this offense — he has Robert Griffin III upside, if not quite the refinement. And that's almost certainly why he opened up the QB controversy can of worms following the game by saying he's planning to ride the hot hand at QB. Because, metaphorically speaking, Kaepernick's hands are doused in Tabasco Sauce at the moment.

[ninerfan]

Originally Posted by 49ersfan_87

https://twitter.com/SI_JimTrotter/st...78306375868416

This 'controversy' is a mute point until Alex is medically cleared to play again. Until that happens the 9ers have now choice but to go with Kaep

[LonghornsLegend]

Originally Posted by ninerfan

This 'controversy' is a mute point until Alex is medically cleared to play again. Until that happens the 9ers have now choice but to go with Kaep

He has been cleared at this point.

[Brent]

Originally Posted by LonghornsLegend

He has been cleared at this point.

http://www.csnbayarea.com/football-s...47&feedID=5936

"No decision has been made," Roman said. "We're hopeful that Alex gets cleared tomorrow, physically. We're confident in both quarterbacks being on the field."

[LonghornsLegend]

Ahh ok. I read that he was, maybe they were speculating:

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has been cleared medically after concussion testing, but the team is proceeding with plans to start Colin Kaepernick on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, according to a team source.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/86...rancisco-49ers

[bigbluedefense]

So I went back and watched Kaepernick again vs the Bears.

While he had a great performance, I saw some flaws to his game. Mind you, these are correctable flaws, but flaws that are consistent with a developing quarterback.

He did a great job of lining guys up, adjusting protections and identifying the MIKE. He did a great job setting his feet, feeling the pocket, and throwing it downfield.

BUT, his main problem that could get exposed was, he very often stared down his first read. He did not look off safeties well. Luckily for him, his first read was often open so it didn't matter. And he has the arm and accuracy to fit it in there even when they're not. But I'm curious to see how teams adjust to him. He's a physical talent that's going to be difficult to gameplan for, and I'm sure Harbaugh has plenty of wrinkles to display that we haven't seen yet. I'd love to see Harbaugh use a lot of the same concepts that Shanny uses with RGIII.

But from a pure pocket passer standpoint, Kap needs to start looking off defenders, or else he could start turning it over.

Will be interesting to see how this turns out. He only had 1 start, he very well could just beast it for the rest of the season. I want to see how this plays out.

[Bert Macklin]

Originally Posted by the_legend_killer

He is on pace to finish his career undefeated as a starter.

They won't beat the Saints.

[Babylon]

Originally Posted by phlysac

From Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports)

Then play him when he comes up here for the Seattle game. Please play him.

[49ersfan_87]

I'm told by one source the 49ers' locker room was the most energized it's been all season after they crushed the Bears and that almost every player on the team wanted Kaepernick to start.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/mi...art-kaepernick

[Ness]

I never get too excited about "according to a source" reports. I always thought that was a cheap way to try and get readers to take your story legitimately.

[phlysac]

Yeah. The source went around and surveyed the other 52 players on the roster. He then compiled the results to let us know that "almost every player on the team" wanted Kaepernick.

I don't doubt that the team, as a whole, are excited and moving forward with Kaep at QB, but I don't trust any of the stories about it.

[abaddon41_80]

Sources also said last night that Smith had been informed of CK starting and Smith said that wasn't true. I don't think Smith is the type to outright lie like that but I guess he could be

[Ness]

Bottom line is that no one knows what they're talking about, which isn't surprising since no one is actually at the facilities when decisions like these are being made. Some reporters just want to be the first to jump on the scoop and probably make a name for themselves.

[YAYareaRB]

Originally Posted by Bert Macklin

They won't beat the Saints.

Debateable