Colin Kaepernick Thread and related anthem kneeling issues/news (58 Viewers)

[squistion]

His way too long 15 minutes are almost over.

Not really, see the article link I posted earlier today in this thread how that the trade for Sam Bradford proves that even mediocre QBs are in demand.

And Kaep took the 49ers to their first Super Bowl since 1994.  And if you are saying, who cares, the team lost, look at how many chances Rex Grossman got after leaving the Bears, playing for Houston, Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta.

 

[spider321]

Not really, see the article link I posted earlier today in this thread how that the trade for Sam Bradford proves that even mediocre QBs are in demand.

And Kaep took the 49ers to their first Super Bowl since 1994.  And if you are saying, who cares, the team lost, look at how many chances Rex Grossman got after leaving the Bears, playing for Houston, Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta.

Too bad Kaep isn't even mediocre.

Yeah, but Grossman got so many chances because he's white, right?

Isnt that how this never ending, woe is me victims game is played?

 

[VaTerp]

Too bad Kaep isn't even mediocre.

Yeah, but Grossman got so many chances because he's white, right?

Talk about completely missing the point. 

 

[spider321]

I guess Vick got so many chances because he only killed black dogs.

 

[VaTerp]

I guess Vick got so many chances because he only killed black dogs.

 

[VaTerp]

I'm not going there with you tonight, Spider.  I've had some good jalepeno tequila.

But I'd ask if you really want to go where you seem to be going with your last two posts.

Cheers!

 

[spider321]

I just will never understand the perpetual victims in the black community or the perpetually guilty in the white community.

Police shoot white drug dealers and other white trash who that start fights with police officers, too.  Guess what?  We don't give a ####!  #### 'em.  Lol.

We all have struggles.  We all deal with bs.  That's life.

Cheers!

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Not really, see the article link I posted earlier today in this thread how that the trade for Sam Bradford proves that even mediocre QBs are in demand.

And Kaep took the 49ers to their first Super Bowl since 1994.  And if you are saying, who cares, the team lost, look at how many chances Rex Grossman got after leaving the Bears, playing for Houston, Washington, Cleveland and Atlanta.

There are a lot of crappy backup QBs in the league that is true. Otoh look at Tebow, he was better than several of them (I'm talking McElroy, Lindley and Barkley and a few others at the time), it did not help him. And that's not a political comment, it's a football comment. What guys like Kaep do isn't for every coach or a fit in every system. Grossman was a guy who could walk in, learn a playbook and manage a game. There are other QBs like Drew Stanton, Shaun Hill and Derek Anderson, and the McCown boys, who last way past what many people would think their talent level is because they can do that.  I don't think Kaep can do that. And he's not pure dropback which is another commodity which seems to ensure longevity. And then there is the problem of what happens when a new coach wants his prospects that he has drafted. I really thought Driskel would be that guy for Kelly, but it sure did not take long (waivers, under 24 hours) for him to get plucked by Cincy. It's the Not For Long league and Kaep is no longer a hot commodity, he's not a game manager, he's turnover and sack prone, he has a rep for a 'dead' arm, a rep as a bad egg in the locker room, he's expensive, and he's yesterday's news, a known decreased quantity. It's possible that ultimately Harbaugh was a quarterback whisperer who was the only one who could squeeze value out of him. And in SF it's interesting to me that Christian Ponder has stuck around.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Kelly was asked what gave Gabbert the advantage in the competition.

"I think the whole body of work from April until today," Kelly said. "I think his grasp and command of what we’re doing. He’s a good fit for what we want to get accomplished and I have a lot of confidence in what he can for us offensively."

That's a mental thing, folks.

 

[squistion]

Too bad Kaep isn't even mediocre.

Yeah, but Grossman got so many chances because he's white, right?

Isnt that how this never ending, woe is me victims game is played?

My analogy or comparison of Kaep to Grossman had absolutely nothing to do with race.

 

[Tool]

I just will never understand the perpetual victims in the black community or the perpetually guilty in the white community.

Police shoot white drug dealers and other white trash who that start fights with police officers, too.  Guess what?  We don't give a ####!  #### 'em.  Lol.

We all have struggles.  We all deal with bs.  That's life.

Cheers!

I think we're all in agreement that there are a lot of things you will never understand.

 

[Chaka]

Guess who made the cover of Time

But he certainly hasn't done anything to advance the conversation. 

 

[Faust]

Chip Kelly, 49ers mulling over whether to start Colin Kaepernick

 

[Faust]

49ers coach Chip Kelly said the team is looking at every option at quarterback.
Kelly might not have said it, but this almost confirms the 49ers are making a quarterback change this week. Colin Kaepernick looked broken last season, but the 49ers might as well see what they have in him after watching Blaine Gabbert face plant for five weeks. It would not be surprising if Christian Ponder made starts this season as well.

 
 
Source: Cam Inman on Twitter 
Oct 10 - 11:19 AM

 

[ATB]

On one of those early Sunday round tables, they said this was likely because Kaep finally obliged to remove the guaranteed clause in his contract that he'd make 40 mill even if he were injured this year. 

Which means he was never sitting (kneeling?) because Gabbert was better, it was because they didn't wanna pay him to get sacked. 

 

[squistion]

Career suicide. 

It appears not...

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/6530/colin-kaepernick

The 49ers have formally announced Colin Kaepernick as their Week 6 starter at quarterback.
 
Coach Chip Kelly only had one choice, and he made it. Kaepernick's play went off the rails before he was placed on injured reserve last season, but he's at least had success on an NFL field. The same cannot be said for Blaine Gabbert, who has been embarrassingly bad under center, offering zero threat as a passer and fancying himself a poor man's Alex Smith as a runner. In theory, Kap is a great fit for Kelly's offense, which was most successful in college employing dual-threat quarterbacks. Kelly has gotten away from his principles, however, and seemed increasingly overmatched as an NFL coach. Kap could fail just as badly as Gabbert, but the 49ers need to take the chance. Kap will be on the QB2 borderline for this week's visit to Buffalo to face the resurgent Bills.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

As a Niners fan, meh. I suspect they're only doing this to appease the fan base, and simultaneously try to silence them by showing them what they've seen in practice all season/preseason. Maybe I'm off-base, but for the better part of 3 months I've heard that Gabbart outplayed Kaep and won the job. And Kaepernick is noticeably smaller than he used to be, allegedly due to his new vegan diet.  I can't imagine that he's suddenly going to step in and be the hero, and I cannot imagine that the organization expects that of him. It'll be interesting to watch, and as a fan, likely painful.  What can I say, but Go Raiders!"

As an owner of Buffalo D/ST, all I can say is JACKPOT! 

 

[WheelsUp]

He starts to suck under a terrible coach in Tomsula, isnt named starter under Kelly because of contract issues (clearly) and now people think its all Kaep? He has potential and upside to be a really good player.

He got a team to a Superbowl with good play, not just a game manager but a big part of the team. He was not running as much as he should have under Tomsula and in this offense he will have his time to shine with his legs. I see things differently than the majority I suppose. Until last year he was a good QB, just on a bad team of late.

 

[JFS171]

There's a plausible outcome here that Kaepernick and Chip Kelly's system were made for one another.  Read an article from earlier today that Tim Kawikami wrote that basically said the 49ers FO is painfully transparent in what gets leaked to the media... the reports of him being bad in practice were nothing new - he was a bad practice player under Harbaugh too, but was one of the best QBs in the league.  Given York and Balke hate any- and everything related to Jim Harbaugh, they view Kaepernick with a sour taste in their mouth as well. 

From the same article, a lot of the weight loss was attributed to Kaepernick's new diet, but he also had three offseason surgeries I believe, which affected his ability to work out.  Gabbert was never Kelly's guy if you believe Kawikami -- Kaepernick was just recovering from offseason surgeries and (truly) hadn't regained his playing shape.  That said, the Christian Ponder news last week was the FO leaking things to motivate Kaepernick to sign the new deal.  Well, I think Kelly's sick of Balke and York meddling too... and he's trying to win football games.

It's been a couple years since Kaepernick was a stud, and odds are stacked against him to get there again -- this is still a very bad team.  But he can run -- really, really well.  And Kelly can design runs -- quite well.  They're going to be chasing the scoreboard, and Kaep can throw deep (or used to be able to), and Torrey Smith used to be a pretty good downfield receiver.  Gabbert just sucks... period.

I wouldn't invest a ton in Kaepernick to find out if he'll be great again... may or may not use a waiver add on him.  I'd use a bench spot though if he's a FA and I needed QB depth.  Remember - Tim Tebow, as utterly awful as he was throwing the football, was a fantasy QB1 for a stretch. 

 

[JFS171]

He starts to suck under a terrible coach in Tomsula, isnt named starter under Kelly because of contract issues (clearly) and now people think its all Kaep? He has potential and upside to be a really good player.

He got a team to a Superbowl with good play, not just a game manager but a big part of the team. He was not running as much as he should have under Tomsula and in this offense he will have his time to shine with his legs. I see things differently than the majority I suppose. Until last year he was a good QB, just on a bad team of late.

Bingo - I didn't go into all of that, but I think that's exactly right.  He was improving under Harbaugh.  York and Balke hate Harbaugh and fire him.  His replacement?  Hardly an offensive genius.  Ron Jeremy didn't do much of anything for the 49ers, and he certainly didn't help Kaepernick's development.  Plus the view from the FO of Kaepernick as a reminder of Harbaugh, and last year goes off the rails.  I previously mentioned all the offseason surgeries, and yes - he has a new diet - but I doubt he's the first vegetarian to play in the NFL.  He was hurt... recovering from injuries, and had a massive injury guarantee in his contract with a team that wants NOTHING TO DO WITH HIM beyond this year.  So the restructuring works for all parties, cause Kaepernick wants nothing to do with York or Balke either... but Kaepernick and Chip Kelly?  I'm intrigued...

 

[WheelsUp]

Kap and Hyde could be absolutely brutal for defenses, Kap likes to throw deep with Smith in the mix he may be able to open things up since Kerley owns it underneath. Not a bad OLine either. I think this is a huge upgrade for the 9ers, but anything else other than Gabbert in an upgrade.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

There's a plausible outcome here that Kaepernick and Chip Kelly's system were made for one another.  Read an article from earlier today that Tim Kawikami wrote that basically said the 49ers FO is painfully transparent in what gets leaked to the media... the reports of him being bad in practice were nothing new - he was a bad practice player under Harbaugh too, but was one of the best QBs in the league.  Given York and Balke hate any- and everything related to Jim Harbaugh, they view Kaepernick with a sour taste in their mouth as well. 

From the same article, a lot of the weight loss was attributed to Kaepernick's new diet, but he also had three offseason surgeries I believe, which affected his ability to work out.  Gabbert was never Kelly's guy if you believe Kawikami -- Kaepernick was just recovering from offseason surgeries and (truly) hadn't regained his playing shape.  That said, the Christian Ponder news last week was the FO leaking things to motivate Kaepernick to sign the new deal.  Well, I think Kelly's sick of Balke and York meddling too... and he's trying to win football games.

It's been a couple years since Kaepernick was a stud, and odds are stacked against him to get there again -- this is still a very bad team.  But he can run -- really, really well.  And Kelly can design runs -- quite well.  They're going to be chasing the scoreboard, and Kaep can throw deep (or used to be able to), and Torrey Smith used to be a pretty good downfield receiver.  Gabbert just sucks... period.

I wouldn't invest a ton in Kaepernick to find out if he'll be great again... may or may not use a waiver add on him.  I'd use a bench spot though if he's a FA and I needed QB depth.  Remember - Tim Tebow, as utterly awful as he was throwing the football, was a fantasy QB1 for a stretch. 

It's possible. 

This is also a team that is what, 30 mil under the cap and didn't bring in talent at the skill positions or improve the OL. 

So Keep will have the least amount of weapons than he's ever had. 

And even under Harbaugh, Kaep's biggest weakness was that he could not for the life of him manage the clock. Every game, we had deer-in-the-headlights, panic at the line of scrimmage delay of game or last second time-outs. 

And now he's going to run Kelly's up-tempo, get to the line in a hurry and execute system? I have a hard time believing he's the right fit based on that alone.  If he was the same confident, strong QB he was under Harbaugh, and Chip came in I'd say it's a great fit. present-day Kaep, notsomuch. 

It'll be interesting to see, that's for sure. I'm not wildly optimistic about it, but at least it'll be something interesting for a change. 

 

[JFS171]

It's possible. 

This is also a team that is what, 30 mil under the cap and didn't bring in talent at the skill positions or improve the OL. 

So Keep will have the least amount of weapons than he's ever had. 

And even under Harbaugh, Kaep's biggest weakness was that he could not for the life of him manage the clock. Every game, we had deer-in-the-headlights, panic at the line of scrimmage delay of game or last second time-outs. 

And now he's going to run Kelly's up-tempo, get to the line in a hurry and execute system? I have a hard time believing he's the right fit based on that alone.  If he was the same confident, strong QB he was under Harbaugh, and Chip came in I'd say it's a great fit. present-day Kaep, notsomuch. 

It'll be interesting to see, that's for sure. I'm not wildly optimistic about it, but at least it'll be something interesting for a change. 

I guess I'd say we're kinda on the same page then... I just don't know that he's THAT different a guy.  I'm not going to hold a season with Ron Jeremy as HC against him... and since then he's battled injuries.

I see this somewhat the same way as I saw RGIII in Cleveland.  There's talent there... and the system would seem to be a good match for the talent.  If it works out, there's ceiling as well.  Will it?  I'm not sure... but I'm intrigued to see what happens.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I see this somewhat the same way as I saw RGIII in Cleveland.  There's talent there... and the system would seem to be a good match for the talent.  If it works out, there's ceiling as well.  Will it?  I'm not sure... but I'm intrigued to see what happens.

Great analogy there - Sadly the comparison might go deeper.  Look what happened to RGIII behind that porous OL. 

With the team restructuring his contract, it's almost like they expect an injury. And in a brutal matchup at Buffalo, I think it could be ugly. 

Believe me, I'm hoping for the best - when he's on his game he's a lot of fun to watch.  I'm not sure he can still be that guy but I'm also intrigued to find out. 

 

[Stealthycat]

I would never wish bad things ... but I don't wish you well 

I never knew Kelly was talking about Colin .... that's the way I feel too baby

 

[JFS171]

Great analogy there - Sadly the comparison might go deeper.  Look what happened to RGIII behind that porous OL. 

With the team restructuring his contract, it's almost like they expect an injury. And in a brutal matchup at Buffalo, I think it could be ugly. 

Believe me, I'm hoping for the best - when he's on his game he's a lot of fun to watch.  I'm not sure he can still be that guy but I'm also intrigued to find out. 

Yeah - just reading the article from Kawikami made me think a couple of things about the situation...

1) York and Balke are really, really petty... they don't like Kaepernick as a person, they wanted Gabbert to be the guy, and they're still Chip's bosses at the end of the day
2) Kaepernick was bad in 2015 - no doubt, but the surrounding cast was also pretty awful, the game plans were awful, the coaching was awful.  Train wreck all around... there's only a handful of QBs in the league that can produce in a situation like that.  Also, Kaepernick deserves some of the blame as he played terribly, but it's not like the situation was perfect and he sucked.
3) Multiple offseason surgeries likely had as much to do with the weigh loss and loss of strength as the diet change did.  Again, these guys have access to world class nutritionists... I'm sure he's not the first vegetarian to play in the NFL.  By some of the beat writer tweets, he's got a work ethic too - reportedly the first guy in the weight room every day, which tells me he's trying to get back to where he was.  Given the petty and disparaging steps York and Balke have taken in the past with Harbaugh and Kaepernick, it's easy to think that the "well he's vegan so he's too skinny now" narrative was just that - some petty narrative to take a shot at a guy they don't like.
4) The Christian Ponder report, if you believe Kawikami, was almost a direct shot at Kaepernick trying to force him to sign the restructured deal. 
5) The restructured deal itself doesn't tell me whether they do or don't expect him to get hurt or fail or anything else.  When SF started their coaching search, it was rumored they wanted someone to fix Kaepernick.  People thought Kelly and Kaepernick were a match made in heaven.  Now that the FO has disparaged him a bit and news leaks have suggested he's a skinny waif who sucks at practice and whose teammates hate him, we seem to forget the Kaepernick + Kelly system = fantasy goodness equation.  As to why they restructured - it makes good business sense.  I don't remember the exact figures, but I think Kaepernick's old deal guaranteed his 2017 salary if he sustained an injury this year -- $17-20MM if I remember correctly.  They don't want him around - he's Harbaugh's guy, remember.  Kaepernick probably hates these two as well -- so giving him his freedom next year and some more money now is a good deal for him.  Getting out from under next year's guaranteed $$ in case he gets hurt is a good deal for the team.  Deals get done when it makes sense for both sides.

I don't know what will happen - I do know Kaepernick was a good fantasy QB back in the day, and he was practically free in my leagues, so I took a shot.  Totally plausible he gets hurt, totally plausible he still sucks, but also plausible Kelly and Kaepernick are a whole lot of fun to watch, even if the rest of the team really sucks.  Remember, Nick Foles went nuts in Kelly's system.  Nick. F'ing. Foles.  He made Sanchize fantasy relevant.  Kaepernick is the closest thing to Mariotta that Kelly has had in the NFL, and I'm very, very curious to see what he does with him.

 

[JFS171]

Tim Kawakami ‏@timkawakami 2h2 hours ago

This is one thing that has been consistently repeated to me: Trent Baalke does not want Colin Kaepernick playing or on this team. But he is.

 

[thatguythere]

Yeah - just reading the article from Kawikami made me think a couple of things about the situation...

1) York and Balke are really, really petty... they don't like Kaepernick as a person, they wanted Gabbert to be the guy, and they're still Chip's bosses at the end of the day
2) Kaepernick was bad in 2015 - no doubt, but the surrounding cast was also pretty awful, the game plans were awful, the coaching was awful.  Train wreck all around... there's only a handful of QBs in the league that can produce in a situation like that.  Also, Kaepernick deserves some of the blame as he played terribly, but it's not like the situation was perfect and he sucked.
3) Multiple offseason surgeries likely had as much to do with the weigh loss and loss of strength as the diet change did.  Again, these guys have access to world class nutritionists... I'm sure he's not the first vegetarian to play in the NFL.  By some of the beat writer tweets, he's got a work ethic too - reportedly the first guy in the weight room every day, which tells me he's trying to get back to where he was.  Given the petty and disparaging steps York and Balke have taken in the past with Harbaugh and Kaepernick, it's easy to think that the "well he's vegan so he's too skinny now" narrative was just that - some petty narrative to take a shot at a guy they don't like.
4) The Christian Ponder report, if you believe Kawikami, was almost a direct shot at Kaepernick trying to force him to sign the restructured deal. 
5) The restructured deal itself doesn't tell me whether they do or don't expect him to get hurt or fail or anything else.  When SF started their coaching search, it was rumored they wanted someone to fix Kaepernick.  People thought Kelly and Kaepernick were a match made in heaven.  Now that the FO has disparaged him a bit and news leaks have suggested he's a skinny waif who sucks at practice and whose teammates hate him, we seem to forget the Kaepernick + Kelly system = fantasy goodness equation.  As to why they restructured - it makes good business sense.  I don't remember the exact figures, but I think Kaepernick's old deal guaranteed his 2017 salary if he sustained an injury this year -- $17-20MM if I remember correctly.  They don't want him around - he's Harbaugh's guy, remember.  Kaepernick probably hates these two as well -- so giving him his freedom next year and some more money now is a good deal for him.  Getting out from under next year's guaranteed $$ in case he gets hurt is a good deal for the team.  Deals get done when it makes sense for both sides.

I don't know what will happen - I do know Kaepernick was a good fantasy QB back in the day, and he was practically free in my leagues, so I took a shot.  Totally plausible he gets hurt, totally plausible he still sucks, but also plausible Kelly and Kaepernick are a whole lot of fun to watch, even if the rest of the team really sucks.  Remember, Nick Foles went nuts in Kelly's system.  Nick. F'ing. Foles.  He made Sanchize fantasy relevant.  Kaepernick is the closest thing to Mariotta that Kelly has had in the NFL, and I'm very, very curious to see what he does with him.

So you don't think PED's had anything to do with how he looked before the weight loss.   Guy went from superman to jj walker.

 

[JFS171]

So you don't think PED's had anything to do with how he looked before the weight loss.   Guy went from superman to jj walker.

Honestly hadn't considered that... I guess it's possible, though the NFL testing procedures have been consistent under this CBA, no?  So seems strange to me that he was 'getting away' with PED use under Harbaugh and now he isn't...

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

So you don't think PED's had anything to do with how he looked before the weight loss.   Guy went from superman to jj walker.

I never even considered that - but I don't think that's the case. More likely @JFS171 is on target with the injuries that prevented him from working out. He's long been known as a gym rat, which has been cited as one of the reasons Harbaugh liked him.  Having had shoulder surgery myself, (albeit not as a professional athlete, or anything even vaguely resembling one) I can say it's very difficult to lift weights in the 8-12 weeks following while your body recovers from the procedure. Even with a pro athlete and professional trainers, surgery is surgery and I doubt Kaep was lifting - and I doubt he's anywhere near full strength now. 

1) York and Balke are really, really petty... they don't like Kaepernick as a person, they wanted Gabbert to be the guy, and they're still Chip's bosses at the end of the day

I agree - can't stand York and Baalke has run this organization into the ground. I'm no fan of either. I'm not sure what the direct bearing is other than $. York has consistently been all about money in his actions. And with the contract looming over Kaep, they could not play him and risk owing him (another) 17 mil. 

2) Kaepernick was bad in 2015 - no doubt, but the surrounding cast was also pretty awful, the game plans were awful, the coaching was awful.  Train wreck all around... there's only a handful of QBs in the league that can produce in a situation like that.  Also, Kaepernick deserves some of the blame as he played terribly, but it's not like the situation was perfect and he sucked.

Agree with this as well, but even at Kaepernick's peak, he lacked touch. He had a cannon for an arm and could sling the deep ball, but lacked touch to make the swing passes, throw a screen, execute a 5-10 yard slant, or float a ball over a pack to hit an open receiver. Time and time again, he'd pooch those throws. It's why Niner fans were so baffled by the playcalling on the final drive in the Superbowl - after being unstoppable on the ground the entire drive, they opt to throw 4 straight end zone corner fade routes from the 5? It was unbelievable to anyone who'd watched the NIners with Kaep at QB since he cannot throw that pass with touch to save his life. 

It's not like Kaepernick was a world-beater who suddenly got bad in 2015. He had great moments, but was never that great of a QB. He played in an offense that Harbaugh drew up to his strengths, which included deception plays to fool the defenses like the QB option and use his legs.  He could hit some deep passes (though he often lacked touch there too), and he had a knack for the big play with his legs. Usually that came at the expense of being able to make reads beyond his second option, and his mental clock was practically nonexistent. When you watch Roethlisburger or Brady in the pocket, they have a 6th sense about the pressure coming - Kaeperinick was either running for his life or a sitting duck on designed passing plays. 

Thinking back, it seems more likely to me that Kaepernick is a guy who came out gangbusters and became exposed the more he played. A cursory look at his stats between 2012-2014 would seem to support that...

2012 he attempted 218 passes, completing  136 (62.4%), throwing 10 TDs to 3 Ints 

2013 he attempted 416 passes, completing  243 (58.4%), throwing 21 TDs to 8 Ints.

2014 he attempted 478 passes, completing  289 (60.5%) with 19 TDs and 10 Ints 

While his % increased slightly from 2013-2014, so did his interceptions with a reduction in TDs.  While stats aren't the entire story, this certainly appears that the more the game is put on Kaepernick's arm, the worse he performed, even in his peak seasons.   I didn't incliude 2015 there as he was hurt/only started 9 games, but he continued to regress prior to injury - while the completion % remained constant (59%), his TD:Int continued to regress to 5:4  

Another pattern that emerges is his QB rating: 

2012 - 98.3

2013 - 91.6

2014 - 86.4

2015 (injury shortened) - 78.5

3) Multiple offseason surgeries likely had as much to do with the weigh loss and loss of strength as the diet change did.  Again, these guys have access to world class nutritionists... I'm sure he's not the first vegetarian to play in the NFL.  By some of the beat writer tweets, he's got a work ethic too - reportedly the first guy in the weight room every day, which tells me he's trying to get back to where he was.  Given the petty and disparaging steps York and Balke have taken in the past with Harbaugh and Kaepernick, it's easy to think that the "well he's vegan so he's too skinny now" narrative was just that - some petty narrative to take a shot at a guy they don't like.

I agree this might be the case. Made him an easy target for that narrative, though I don't recall hearing this from the team - this was more external commentary. But it's possible Baalke "leaked" it. Wouldn't be the 1st time. 

4) The Christian Ponder report, if you believe Kawikami, was almost a direct shot at Kaepernick trying to force him to sign the restructured deal. 

I tend to believe Kawakami - he's been very reliable. Certainly moreso than anyone from the 49ers when it comes to information. 

5) The restructured deal itself doesn't tell me whether they do or don't expect him to get hurt or fail or anything else.  When SF started their coaching search, it was rumored they wanted someone to fix Kaepernick.  People thought Kelly and Kaepernick were a match made in heaven.  Now that the FO has disparaged him a bit and news leaks have suggested he's a skinny waif who sucks at practice and whose teammates hate him, we seem to forget the Kaepernick + Kelly system = fantasy goodness equation.  As to why they restructured - it makes good business sense.  I don't remember the exact figures, but I think Kaepernick's old deal guaranteed his 2017 salary if he sustained an injury this year -- $17-20MM if I remember correctly.  They don't want him around - he's Harbaugh's guy, remember.  Kaepernick probably hates these two as well -- so giving him his freedom next year and some more money now is a good deal for him.  Getting out from under next year's guaranteed $$ in case he gets hurt is a good deal for the team.  Deals get done when it makes sense for both sides.

I think it's likely a mix of both. There's no way in hell Kaep was ever going to take a snap if getting hurt meant paying him 17 million in 2017. This was discussed prior to the season - and that Ponder would have leap-frogged him as the QB2 in the event of a Garbbart injury because of that reason and that reason only.  And now it's come out that this new contract likely allows for separation in the offseason, so you're correct about that for sure. They didn't want him to get hurt, and they want to get rid of him. No argument from me there. 

What's bizarre to me is that they didn't take any of the trade offers that were apparently on the table for him. Denver had a legitimate offer in place. And getting something is better than getting nothing. 

I don't know what will happen - I do know Kaepernick was a good fantasy QB back in the day, and he was practically free in my leagues, so I took a shot.  Totally plausible he gets hurt, totally plausible he still sucks, but also plausible Kelly and Kaepernick are a whole lot of fun to watch, even if the rest of the team really sucks.  Remember, Nick Foles went nuts in Kelly's system.  Nick. F'ing. Foles.  He made Sanchize fantasy relevant.  Kaepernick is the closest thing to Mariotta that Kelly has had in the NFL, and I'm very, very curious to see what he does with him.

Nick Foles had a better OL, better receivers and wasn't in a totally dysfunctional environment. Nick Foles was also able to get to the line quickly, where that has been Kaepernick's Achilles heel since his 1st game.  

I'm not seeing quite as much upside as you are here. If you're desperate for a QB, maybe you add him. They should be playing from behind a lot, which in theory makes for valuable QB stat-padding. But as referenced above, the more Kaepernick throws, the more exposed he tends to be, and the more mistakes he seems to make. 

I wish you luck with the pickup - hopefully whatever happens it will be entertaining to watch. It likely can't be a lot worse than what we've seen to date. 

 

[Faust]

Greg Cosell on the 49ers QB switch and what can help Colin Kaepernick succeed

 

[thecatch]

He starts to suck under a terrible coach in Tomsula, isnt named starter under Kelly because of contract issues (clearly) and now people think its all Kaep? He has potential and upside to be a really good player.

He got a team to a Superbowl with good play, not just a game manager but a big part of the team. He was not running as much as he should have under Tomsula and in this offense he will have his time to shine with his legs. I see things differently than the majority I suppose. Until last year he was a good QB, just on a bad team of late.

Kaep was bad during Harbaugh's last year too. 

 

[JFS171]

@Hot Sauce Guy - good post... I think we're mostly on the same page.  I agree Foles' situation may have been better, but I think Chip's a decent gameplanner despite the reputation in the league.  I expect he'll design things that play to Kaepernick's strengths.  Is he a long term asset?  Maybe (probably) not... but again - Chip's been successful with lackluster QB options in the past, he's used running QBs extremely effectively in the past, and they've really got nothing to lose.  Chip's built the running game from nothing this year - if nothing else, Kaepernick on zone read and options plays should be interesting and entertaining.  Once the D gets drawn up, at least Kaepernick has the arm to hit Smith over the top. 

Still don't know if it will all work out, but it's a plausible scenario.

 

[JFS171]

Greg Cosell on the 49ers QB switch and what can help Colin Kaepernick succeed

Great article here...

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Great article here...

I agree - Cosell has become a very entertaining voice in football over the years.

im actually a chip kelly guy - he's got this team playing hard, getting to the line quickly and not taking brain-dead penalties (fallse starts, delay of game, offsides). They're getting to the line quickly, and there's been no quit regardless of score.

ive said it before and I'll say it again - that's all incldicative of good coaching. In those aspects he's even been better than Harbaugh, who's team's had chronic issues with all of that. 

Where I see a struggle coming for Kaepernick is that a Chip Kelly offense is predicated on short drops, quick reads and lightning fast execution. 

And exactly none of those things play to kaepernick's strengths. He can't make quick reads - it's been questioned whether he can even make a 3rd read at all. It's also been questioned whether he can read a defense, as he so rarely has pocket awareness to know where the blitz is coming from or who the Mike is. And then there's the pace - Kelly has the system where the team hurries to the line, gets set, and looks to the sideline for the play once the coaches have read the defense. Gabbart sucks, but he's been able to execute this system perfectly. I think there's a legitimate question as to whether Kaepernick can do it. 

I'm not saying he can't - and I'm not a Kaepernick hater at all.  I thought he was an ascending talent. But having watched him a lot, I'm very skeptical that he'll have success in any system.  And where his athleticism and physical strength could bail him out of trouble in the past, now he's looking smaller and weaker - i am concerned for his ability to take hits. And if he's also lost speed, there's just no way he'll be successful. 

I guess we'll find out on Sunday.  To be honest, I'm hoping we see something good out of Kaepernick - dude takes a lot of criticism, and I always love stories about guys like that proving everyone wrong. 

 

[JFS171]

I agree - Cosell has become a very entertaining voice in football over the years.

im actually a chip kelly guy - he's got this team playing hard, getting to the line quickly and not taking brain-dead penalties (fallse starts, delay of game, offsides). They're getting to the line quickly, and there's been no quit regardless of score.

ive said it before and I'll say it again - that's all incldicative of good coaching. In those aspects he's even been better than Harbaugh, who's team's had chronic issues with all of that. 

Where I see a struggle coming for Kaepernick is that a Chip Kelly offense is predicated on short drops, quick reads and lightning fast execution. 

And exactly none of those things play to kaepernick's strengths. He can't make quick reads - it's been questioned whether he can even make a 3rd read at all. It's also been questioned whether he can read a defense, as he so rarely has pocket awareness to know where the blitz is coming from or who the Mike is. And then there's the pace - Kelly has the system where the team hurries to the line, gets set, and looks to the sideline for the play once the coaches have read the defense. Gabbart sucks, but he's been able to execute this system perfectly. I think there's a legitimate question as to whether Kaepernick can do it. 

I'm not saying he can't - and I'm not a Kaepernick hater at all.  I thought he was an ascending talent. But having watched him a lot, I'm very skeptical that he'll have success in any system.  And where his athleticism and physical strength could bail him out of trouble in the past, now he's looking smaller and weaker - i am concerned for his ability to take hits. And if he's also lost speed, there's just no way he'll be successful. 

I guess we'll find out on Sunday.  To be honest, I'm hoping we see something good out of Kaepernick - dude takes a lot of criticism, and I always love stories about guys like that proving everyone wrong. 

I especially liked how Cosell said, "Sometimes a new voice, a new coaching staff, it all just clicks for a guy with a checkered history of performance."  I'm paraphrasing, but that's essentially it... sometimes a guy just gets it.  Maybe Kelly wrings the most out of him?

Either way, the price of free (roster spot) is right to find out what's going to happen.

 

[johnadams]

Kawikame is an occasionally entertaining blowhard.  I won't say he's an idiot, but he gets a grain of information and likes to spin a story around it.  The problem is, he covers a team that's run by the least trustworthy front office in the NFL so any conspiracy theory or story will always be attractive because the FO won't provide any actual information. 

To me, it's simple.  Gabbert failed after being given the opportunity to start.  Kaep is next man up.  All the other stuff about front office and ownership is noise for hacks to write about.  Chip has handled this better than I expected by focusing on, wait for it, football.  

 

[Faust]

Colin Kaepernick perfect for Chip Kelly; Patriots' nightmare duo

 

[pghrob]

Kap is a speculative add / lotto ticket for dynasty at this point.  Maybe he can flourish in Kelly's offense. No risk to adding him now if you can make room at the end of the bench.

 

[Short Corner]

Kaep was bad during Harbaugh's last year too. 

Meh.  I thought Harbaugh passive-aggressively engineered his own exit his last year.  The play calling vastly changed as he abandoned the read option and tried to make Kap a pocket passer.

 

[pghrob]

Meh.  I thought Harbaugh passive-aggressively engineered his own exit his last year.  The play calling vastly changed as he abandoned the read option and tried to make Kap a pocket passer.

Kap struggled mightily with making proper reads. I will never forget how he completely failed to recognize Tory Smith being all alone and uncovered lined up on the left.

But maybe he has learned from those mistakes.  His running abilities that can add 4-6 points per game and increase chance of rushing td's is what makes him valuable....if - and that's a big if, he can be simply an average passer as an nfl QB. 

 

[Jimbo Slice]

I'm in last place so I'm starting him in my 2qb. Why not

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

I'm the 1st to admit when I was way off - so far it's looking that way. Kaep hits Smith for the 50+ TD. Impressive. Not watching as I'm at work but on paper he's looking impressive. 

 

[RBM]

I'm the 1st to admit when I was way off - so far it's looking that way. Kaep hits Smith for the 50+ TD. Impressive. Not watching as I'm at work but on paper he's looking impressive. 

Blown coverage, nobody within 10 yards of Smith. And Kaep almost didn't reach him. 

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Blown coverage, nobody within 10 yards of Smith. And Kaep almost didn't reach him. 

Thanks for the update - is he getting to the line quickly? Any delay of game or apparent confusion? 

 

[RBM]

Thanks for the update - is he getting to the line quickly? Any delay of game or apparent confusion? 

Sorry not watching that game. I did see the highlight though. 

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Seriously Gabby & Ponder are better than this.

 

[jonessed]

Might as well give Ponder a chance now.  Kaepernick is just a crappy RB at this point.  He has little to no accuracy.

 

[Hot Sauce Guy]

Might as well give Ponder a chance now.  Kaepernick is just a crappy RB at this point.  He has little to no accuracy.

Yep - terrible QB, decent read option running back. 

 

[kyoun1e]

So does anyone have the nuts to roll this guy out there this weekend?

Looking at the projections from Bloom/Dodds/Tremblay C. Kaepernick is without a doubt the highest projected streamer of the week.

I've got Stafford (@MN) and R. Wilson (vs BUF) and I'm considering for both.

Am I mad?