Colin Kaepernick > 2012 Rookie QB class

[mufasa76]

Here's another quote from the game Crimson -- regarding the whole leadership thingy.

In his spare time, Kaepernick leads cheers, doing so Sunday much more effectively than the dozens of scantily clad Falcons cheerleaders. The kid is relentless.
"He was telling us to keep plugging," Goodwin said, "telling the O-line to keep plugging, telling us on the sidelines and in the huddle, we had 'em on the brink, and I think he was right."


Read more: Kid quarterback cool as a Kaepernick - SFGate

Good stuff....

 

[Jikkle]

No Dalton is not a better QB. I think that Dalton would be better than he is now if he played for the Niners, but I don't think he would be a better QB than Kaep. I think Kaep could be better than the others. But to me the fact that Griffin and Wilson has as good if not better stats than Kaep and are rookies, havent gotten to sit and watch a year, and don't have as good teams around them shows a lot. I think both could do the exact same things on that team. Kaep has played great, but lets see what happens when there is more tape on him.

The extra year helped but it should be noted that he was pretty raw and unpolished coming out of college and much more so then RGIII, Luck, and Wilson were and last season with the lockout he missed out on a lot of offseason work where he would've gotten more reps and more coaching instead of coaches having to rush through training camp to get ready for the season. Nor did he get any 1st team reps in this past offseason unlike the other QBs.

Intangibles are off the charts and I don't see them being any worse then the other rookies.

His overall physical skill set in my mind is what gives him the edge over the other guys. The only one physically that I would say can come close is Cam but I still would say CK is faster and has a better arm. RGIII is the fastest of the bunch but CK isn't far behind and now we don't know what RGIII will be after knee surgery.

The only question is how far can he take the mental aspect of the game. Right now I would say Luck is capable of Peyton like levels mentally and right now it's hard to gauge where Kap is in that regard. It's safe to say he'll be a smart QB as so far he has the work ethic, shown so far to be smart, and I don't think Harbaugh drafts CK if he didn't feel that he would be a smart QB.

 

[threelittleturds]

Also, Kaep got thrown in against a very hot Dee, he was sent to New Orleans, he had to go to New England and then when he was doubted and how Aaron Rogers will out perform him, he set a freaking record and spanked GB. Atlanta down by 17, hostile environment and he isn't faced by it .....The one thing i think CK has over the other young QB's is NERVES OF STEEL.....

Yeah, probably the most incredible statistic is that after ever single turnover he has lost, he has come back with a scoring drive on the very next possession; most of them being TDs. That is going to end eventually, but even if he keeps doing that 60% of the time it is incredible.

 

[AdelaideCrows83]

...RGIII is the fastest of the bunch but CK isn't far behind...

FWIW, I saw an ESPN Sports Science clip on Kaep from the Divisional game. They said they clocked him at 22mph, which is the fastest speed they have clocked a QB at from this season.

 

[Robotech]

FWIW, I saw an ESPN Sports Science clip on Kaep from the Divisional game. They said they clocked him at 22mph, which is the fastest speed they have clocked a QB at from this season.

The man's definitely got football speed. RGIII beats him without pads (when RGIII is healthy, of course), but I wouldn't be surprised if Kaep is just as fast or faster on the football field.

 

[yossarian]

Here's one more quote on Kaep's leadership.

During the final drive, Kaepernick showed that the 49ers have become his team. During a timeout, he went out and had a little chat with the defense.

"This is for the Super Bowl right here," Kaepernick told them.

"We got you," they told him back.

And they did.

 

[Bemular]

Yeah, probably the most incredible statistic is that after ever single turnover he has lost, he has come back with a scoring drive on the very next possession; most of them being TDs. That is going to end eventually, but even if he keeps doing that 60% of the time it is incredible.

Kind of sad in a way that our QB does some things so damn good that essentially he has no place to go but down.

 

[BINGO]

Colin Kaepernick's high ceiling
If the 49ers keep him upright, Kaepernick could become the NFL's top QB
Updated: January 28, 2013, 12:43 PM ET
By Ron Jaworski | ESPN Insider

Given his arm strength, accuracy and mobility, it's no wonder Colin Kaepernick is the 49ers' starter.

When it comes to the NFL, there is a focus on immediacy -- the here and now. If guys can't hack it on one Sunday, they're replaced by the next. If a quarterback can control the game and guide his team to victory, he gets the nod the next week. Of course, that wasn't the case with San Francisco 49ers QB Alex Smith. And that is why the world was so surprised to see Colin Kaepernick stick as the Niners' starter even after Smith returned to health.

Smith was 6-2 as San Francisco's starter before he went down with a concussion in a game Nov. 11. With a 70.2 completion percentage, averaging nearly 8 yards per pass attempt, and a QBR of 70.1, Smith was having by far the best season of his career. Those numbers made coach Jim Harbaugh's move to Kaepernick something of an anomaly. But now, on the eve of the Super Bowl, we've all seen what Harbaugh saw in practices and training camps the past two seasons. In Kaepernick, Harbaugh has a young, athletic and savvy quarterback who has all of the tools to become the best quarterback in the NFL.

To be clear, Kaepernick has a lot to prove before he overtakes the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, but there is no question that he has the ability to do so.

I won't waste time further celebrating the physical traits that set Kaepernick apart as a rare talent at the quarterback position. We've all seen the powerful arm, the track-star speed and the pinpoint accuracy as he led the Niners to New Orleans. But I do want to note how few quarterbacks boast all of those attributes.

Think of the elite young quarterbacks to whom you'd compare Kaepernick. Cam Newton has similar size and speed, but Kaepernick's accuracy is superior both on tape and by the numbers (62.4 completion percentage in 2012 versus 57.7 for Newton). Robert Griffin III has the speed, the accuracy and the big arm, but he's 25 pounds lighter. Ditto for Russell Wilson, who stands five inches shorter than Kaepernick. Andrew Luck may have a very underrated running element to his game, but it doesn't compare to Kaepernick's breakaway speed.

When you add it all up, Kaepernick's physical tools alone make him a nightmare for defensive coordinators because of all the ways he can hurt you. Crowd the line and he can burn you with a deep ball. Spy him with a linebacker or safety -- that's one less man in coverage -- and Kaepernick still might beat him with pure speed alone. Play man-to-man underneath and he'll take off at a sprint as soon as the linebackers turn their backs. Drop everyone into zone coverage and he has the accuracy -- and the arm strength -- to find the windows.

I want to emphasize that last part because it's a big change in the way we've seen NFL defenses play lately. With offenses leaning more and more on the passing game, we've seen defenses use more and more defensive backs. Forget for a second that the athleticism of defensive backs has improved just as markedly as at any other position -- which it has -- and simply realize that more bodies in the secondary means less space for a quarterback to fit in the football.

The windows aren't staying open indefinitely; defenses are slamming them shut faster than ever before. You don't have wide open receivers these days unless someone has blown the coverage. That has put a premium on accuracy, but it also puts a premium on arm strength. You may have just a split second to fire a pass past the linebacker and defensive back sandwiching your receiver. I often hear arm strength questioned as a key attribute, and there have been times in NFL history where maybe it wasn't as vital, but modern quarterbacks have to have the mustard to strike when they have that split-second opening. Kaepernick has that ability.

Now that we've discussed how Kaepernick can hurt a defense in every way imaginable, how do you try to stop him? Essentially, defenses have to pick their poison.

I've spoken previously about how the one certain way to disrupt a quarterback is to hit him. Well, when you try to hit Kaepernick, he can hit back by way of a long-distance touchdown run. That was the big threat, and precisely what the Atlanta Falcons tried to avoid in the NFC Championship Game.

Take a look at the game film against Atlanta and you'll see one of the cleanest postseason pockets. The Falcons tried not to over-rush the passer. They wanted to stay disciplined, try to pen him in and make Kaepernick beat them with his arm. Well, he did.

Kaepernick completed more than 76 percent of his passes for 233 yards -- 11.10 yards per attempt, his best mark as a starter -- ran the ball just twice and earned a QBR of 92.6.

What has made Kaepernick so deadly is his ability in the pre-snap phase of the game. The 49ers have an excellent running game. And it's made all the better by Kaepernick's ability to run the Niners' backfield into optimal looks. Several times per game, I've seen the first-time starter audible his offense into and out of running plays to take advantage of the defensive schemes. Defenses have a tendency to play zone against him -- to guard against the run -- which makes the diagnosis a little easier, but still, it's uncommon to see this from a first-year starter.

Kaepernick must spend more time in the pocket and avoid taking big hits like the ones that sidelined RG III this season.

So what's standing in his way from becoming one of the league's best and climbing to the top of my Quarterback Big Board? Primarily, time and experience. That's it. But he also needs to stay away from the big hit.

After just one season, I put a rookie QB -- RG III -- into the top 10 of my Big Board. Now Griffin needs major knee surgery and I don't know how he'll stack up going forward. Every time Kaepernick -- or any QB -- breaks from the pocket, there is an enhanced element of risk. It's the reason I told ESPN Radio's Mike Greenberg last Friday that I'd take Luck as my franchise QB over Kaepernick and the other phenomenal young signal-callers. There is just less risk of injury for a pocket passer.

I believe that the ability of a QB to run is a terrific weapon in the modern NFL, but I don't believe it can be a go-to, primary element of an offense. I still believe that quarterbacks must develop as capable pocket passers. You have a wall of five guys (all weighing more than 300 pounds) to protect you. Throwing the ball is still more effective than running it. That's where the percentages are in a quarterback's favor. The read-option is a nice changeup, but it should definitely be the exception and not the rule.

Like most young quarterbacks -- including the big three of Luck, Wilson and Griffin III this season -- Kaepernick is being given a steady diet of simple reads. If receiver No. 1 isn't open, move to No. 2. If he's covered, tuck and run. We're not seeing five-receiver progressions from the 49ers, in part because they don't have to, given Kaepernick's running ability. But we will over time.

I believe that Kaepernick will develop into more of a pocket passer, which will help him make use of two of his great assets (his arm strength and accuracy) and alleviate some of the burden on his other great assets (his body and speed, both of which decrease with age). That development will help keep him healthy and keep him in the lineup -- and winning games -- for the 49ers. San Francisco will want to maximize his ability to help it win year in and year out, not squander it after a handful of seasons and multitude of downfield hits. If the Niners keep Kaepernick upright, he will flourish.

With his tools, the sky is the limit. And if he continues to refine his game, when we look to that sky in the years to come, I believe we'll see a shining star named Colin Kaepernick.


Ron Jaworski
NFL analyst / writer

 

[zman1527]

Jaws got it right. I have been thinking along the same lines, I cannot think of young QB I have ever seen with more potential. Nice to see Jaws back it up with serious analysis. The funny thing is that it makes me a little ambivalent about the SB: I know that we will likely have many great runs over the next many years behind Kap. Also makes me sad that Alex did not get his SB last year when we had it in the bag. He may never get another chance.

 

[Jikkle]

Jaws knows what I'm talking about

Regarding the hits he takes I think a lot of analysts are caught up with RGIII and not realizing that Kap, Wilson, and even Newton have all been healthy and not take a ton of hits.

In fact watching NFL Sunday Countdown yesterday they did a Numbers Never Lie collection of stats and CK has only been hit 6 times and none handing the ball off. He does an excellent job of getting his yards and sliding or getting out of bounds.

 

[zman1527]

Jaws knows what I'm talking about

Regarding the hits he takes I think a lot of analysts are caught up with RGIII and not realizing that Kap, Wilson, and even Newton have all been healthy and not take a ton of hits.

In fact watching NFL Sunday Countdown yesterday they did a Numbers Never Lie collection of stats and CK has only been hit 6 times and none handing the ball off. He does an excellent job of getting his yards and sliding or getting out of bounds.

I think he took a pretty good hit very early in the season, running around left end and fumbled too. I hope he learned his lesson. Other than that, I don't remember any serious hits.

 

[TexasMan]

 

[Jikkle]

Well that's one arm that Kaepernicking can be agreed on by everybody.

 

[deep9er]

Colin Kaepernick's high ceiling
If the 49ers keep him upright, Kaepernick could become the NFL's top QB
Updated: January 28, 2013, 12:43 PM ET
By Ron Jaworski | ESPN Insider

Given his arm strength, accuracy and mobility, it's no wonder Colin Kaepernick is the 49ers' starter.

When it comes to the NFL, there is a focus on immediacy -- the here and now. If guys can't hack it on one Sunday, they're replaced by the next. If a quarterback can control the game and guide his team to victory, he gets the nod the next week. Of course, that wasn't the case with San Francisco 49ers QB Alex Smith. And that is why the world was so surprised to see Colin Kaepernick stick as the Niners' starter even after Smith returned to health.

Smith was 6-2 as San Francisco's starter before he went down with a concussion in a game Nov. 11. With a 70.2 completion percentage, averaging nearly 8 yards per pass attempt, and a QBR of 70.1, Smith was having by far the best season of his career. Those numbers made coach Jim Harbaugh's move to Kaepernick something of an anomaly. But now, on the eve of the Super Bowl, we've all seen what Harbaugh saw in practices and training camps the past two seasons. In Kaepernick, Harbaugh has a young, athletic and savvy quarterback who has all of the tools to become the best quarterback in the NFL.

To be clear, Kaepernick has a lot to prove before he overtakes the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, but there is no question that he has the ability to do so.

I won't waste time further celebrating the physical traits that set Kaepernick apart as a rare talent at the quarterback position. We've all seen the powerful arm, the track-star speed and the pinpoint accuracy as he led the Niners to New Orleans. But I do want to note how few quarterbacks boast all of those attributes.

Think of the elite young quarterbacks to whom you'd compare Kaepernick. Cam Newton has similar size and speed, but Kaepernick's accuracy is superior both on tape and by the numbers (62.4 completion percentage in 2012 versus 57.7 for Newton). Robert Griffin III has the speed, the accuracy and the big arm, but he's 25 pounds lighter. Ditto for Russell Wilson, who stands five inches shorter than Kaepernick. Andrew Luck may have a very underrated running element to his game, but it doesn't compare to Kaepernick's breakaway speed.

When you add it all up, Kaepernick's physical tools alone make him a nightmare for defensive coordinators because of all the ways he can hurt you. Crowd the line and he can burn you with a deep ball. Spy him with a linebacker or safety -- that's one less man in coverage -- and Kaepernick still might beat him with pure speed alone. Play man-to-man underneath and he'll take off at a sprint as soon as the linebackers turn their backs. Drop everyone into zone coverage and he has the accuracy -- and the arm strength -- to find the windows.

I want to emphasize that last part because it's a big change in the way we've seen NFL defenses play lately. With offenses leaning more and more on the passing game, we've seen defenses use more and more defensive backs. Forget for a second that the athleticism of defensive backs has improved just as markedly as at any other position -- which it has -- and simply realize that more bodies in the secondary means less space for a quarterback to fit in the football.

The windows aren't staying open indefinitely; defenses are slamming them shut faster than ever before. You don't have wide open receivers these days unless someone has blown the coverage. That has put a premium on accuracy, but it also puts a premium on arm strength. You may have just a split second to fire a pass past the linebacker and defensive back sandwiching your receiver. I often hear arm strength questioned as a key attribute, and there have been times in NFL history where maybe it wasn't as vital, but modern quarterbacks have to have the mustard to strike when they have that split-second opening. Kaepernick has that ability.

Now that we've discussed how Kaepernick can hurt a defense in every way imaginable, how do you try to stop him? Essentially, defenses have to pick their poison.

I've spoken previously about how the one certain way to disrupt a quarterback is to hit him. Well, when you try to hit Kaepernick, he can hit back by way of a long-distance touchdown run. That was the big threat, and precisely what the Atlanta Falcons tried to avoid in the NFC Championship Game.

Take a look at the game film against Atlanta and you'll see one of the cleanest postseason pockets. The Falcons tried not to over-rush the passer. They wanted to stay disciplined, try to pen him in and make Kaepernick beat them with his arm. Well, he did.

Kaepernick completed more than 76 percent of his passes for 233 yards -- 11.10 yards per attempt, his best mark as a starter -- ran the ball just twice and earned a QBR of 92.6.

What has made Kaepernick so deadly is his ability in the pre-snap phase of the game. The 49ers have an excellent running game. And it's made all the better by Kaepernick's ability to run the Niners' backfield into optimal looks. Several times per game, I've seen the first-time starter audible his offense into and out of running plays to take advantage of the defensive schemes. Defenses have a tendency to play zone against him -- to guard against the run -- which makes the diagnosis a little easier, but still, it's uncommon to see this from a first-year starter.

Kaepernick must spend more time in the pocket and avoid taking big hits like the ones that sidelined RG III this season.

So what's standing in his way from becoming one of the league's best and climbing to the top of my Quarterback Big Board? Primarily, time and experience. That's it. But he also needs to stay away from the big hit.

After just one season, I put a rookie QB -- RG III -- into the top 10 of my Big Board. Now Griffin needs major knee surgery and I don't know how he'll stack up going forward. Every time Kaepernick -- or any QB -- breaks from the pocket, there is an enhanced element of risk. It's the reason I told ESPN Radio's Mike Greenberg last Friday that I'd take Luck as my franchise QB over Kaepernick and the other phenomenal young signal-callers. There is just less risk of injury for a pocket passer.

I believe that the ability of a QB to run is a terrific weapon in the modern NFL, but I don't believe it can be a go-to, primary element of an offense. I still believe that quarterbacks must develop as capable pocket passers. You have a wall of five guys (all weighing more than 300 pounds) to protect you. Throwing the ball is still more effective than running it. That's where the percentages are in a quarterback's favor. The read-option is a nice changeup, but it should definitely be the exception and not the rule.

Like most young quarterbacks -- including the big three of Luck, Wilson and Griffin III this season -- Kaepernick is being given a steady diet of simple reads. If receiver No. 1 isn't open, move to No. 2. If he's covered, tuck and run. We're not seeing five-receiver progressions from the 49ers, in part because they don't have to, given Kaepernick's running ability. But we will over time.

I believe that Kaepernick will develop into more of a pocket passer, which will help him make use of two of his great assets (his arm strength and accuracy) and alleviate some of the burden on his other great assets (his body and speed, both of which decrease with age). That development will help keep him healthy and keep him in the lineup -- and winning games -- for the 49ers. San Francisco will want to maximize his ability to help it win year in and year out, not squander it after a handful of seasons and multitude of downfield hits. If the Niners keep Kaepernick upright, he will flourish.

With his tools, the sky is the limit. And if he continues to refine his game, when we look to that sky in the years to come, I believe we'll see a shining star named Colin Kaepernick.


Ron Jaworski
NFL analyst / writer

yep, i agree. what will make Kap 'elite' - if he gets there - is pocket passing. his passing has made good progress so we'll see next season?

he doesn't need to be the very best passer, but certainly "capable" of throwing wherever he needs to.

 

[threelittleturds]

Instead of those Foam #1 hand gestures at games .... are they going to start handing out foam Kaepernicking things for people to kiss when the 49ers score?

 

[NinerSickness]

Most of you probably already know this, but when Kaepernick hoists the Lombardi trophy, he'll be the 3rd youngest QB in the history of the NFL to do so.

Ben Roethlisberger was the youngest; Brady was the 2nd youngest.

 

[NinerSickness]

Kaepernick will also be the fastest QB to ever win a SB. I'm sure Steve Young was the previous guy there.