Frank Tarkenton on Colin Kaepernick.

[Breaker99]

Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton spoke about Colin Kaepernick Friday on KNBR. Here is what Tarkenton said.

TARKENTON: “I see a guy that looks confused, and I’ve thought about that because I really like this young man. I love your team. I just love everything about it, and I picked them to win this year.

“If I were Jim Harbaugh – he doesn’t need any advice from me, he does pretty good himself – but I understand quarterbacks, too. Let this kid…free him up. Let him be Colin Kaepernick.

“He’s got skills got skills nobody else has. He’s got to use his legs, use his instincts and be natural with himself. He looks mechanical. He looks like he wants to do everything just right. He wants to be perfect in what he does. Go out and be yourself.”


Agree or disagree?

 

[NinerSickness]

“If I were Jim Harbaugh – he doesn’t need any advice from me, he does pretty good himself – but I understand quarterbacks, too. Let this kid…free him up. Let him be Colin Kaepernick

“He’s got skills got skills nobody else has. He’s got to use his legs, use his instincts and be natural with himself. He looks mechanical. He looks like he wants to do everything just right. He wants to be perfect in what he does. Go out and be yourself."


Agree or disagree?

100% disagree. People should have learned by now that "He’s got skills got skills nobody else has" means absolutely nothing in the NFL playing QB. If Terrell Pryor were the Niners' QB would it be a good idea to just let Terrell be Terrell? Of course not. Peyton & Tom have "skills" (in Tarkenton's context) that are a joke next to Kaepernick's; but Kaepernick's production is a joke compared to them. Those guys succeed because of their brains not their "skills." Kap being Kap is a one-read & scramble offense. He needs to get faster at checking off receivers & finding the open guy. Run for a 1st down every once in a while; sure. But be the pocket passer.

 

[TobyTyler]

Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton spoke about Colin Kaepernick Friday on KNBR. Here is what Tarkenton said.

TARKENTON: “I see a guy that looks confused, and I’ve thought about that because I really like this young man. I love your team. I just love everything about it, and I picked them to win this year.

“If I were Jim Harbaugh – he doesn’t need any advice from me, he does pretty good himself – but I understand quarterbacks, too. Let this kid…free him up. Let him be Colin Kaepernick.

“He’s got skills got skills nobody else has. He’s got to use his legs, use his instincts and be natural with himself. He looks mechanical. He looks like he wants to do everything just right. He wants to be perfect in what he does. Go out and be yourself.”


Agree or disagree?

Disagree. That stuff doesn't work in the Pros. He's gonna get killed if he tries that college shit.

 

[maniax]

Totally disagree. You need to protect your QB investment.

A good example of "letting a QB be who is his" is RGIII. Shanahan is letting him improvise and do whatever he wants. RGIII won't last very long his body is going to break down at this rate.

Here's a good quote from another article:

Colin Kaepernick hasn't taken many big hits this season. This isn't exactly a newsy topic, but it's worth noting, especially after watching the beating his Redskins counterpart took on Monday. Griffin absorbed five big hits against the 49ers. I'm not counting routine tackles in which he was wrapped up and taken down. I'm talking about blows in which he landed several yards away from where the contact occurred, hits that easily could have resulted in injury.

By contrast, Kaepernick took only one such hit. It occurred along the sideline in which the Redskins safety gave the 49ers quarterback a strong shot to the upper body. That's a typical game for Kaepernick. Of course, all it takes is one freak shot for a quarterback to go down for the season. But Kaepernick is not exposing himself to those types of blows - and the 49ers aren't putting him in position for those shots - certainly not to the extent Griffin and the Redskins are. And that's worth noting.

Read more here: 49ers Blog and Q&A: Film review: Stars aligning for 49ers? Kap's clean jersey; Dawson on a roll

 

[tallglassofwater007]

I agree that he is thinking too much. Bruce Lee had a famous quote..."Don't think, feel." It is true. I really noticed when I was watching Cam Newton last week. He just looked loose when in the buying time in the pocket and scrambling. Kap looks stiff because he is thinking the whole time. Sometimes you have to just let instincts take over. He is one of the smartest running QB's I have seen in terms of taking hits. I don't get scared when he runs. When RG3 or even Steve Young took off running you almost had to watch through your hands because you just knew a hit was coming.

 

[Robotech]

Looking unsure and confused comes with the territory when you are learning something knew or trying to get better at something. I'm not worried if Kaep looks like that at times. He is still playing reasonably well.

I don't agree that Harbaugh should loosen up on Kaep. He's got to learn the skills necessary for long term success. Assuming that Kaep is playing this way because of the coaching, at least we know that Kaep is very coachable.

 

[deep9er]

Looking unsure and confused comes with the territory when you are learning something knew or trying to get better at something. I'm not worried if Kaep looks like that at times. He is still playing reasonably well.

I don't agree that Harbaugh should loosen up on Kaep. He's got to learn the skills necessary for long term success. Assuming that Kaep is playing this way because of the coaching, at least we know that Kaep is very coachable.

if Kaep was a rookie, we might buy it? its his 3rd season in this offense, and although not starting for 3 years, should be getting comfortable by now? so we're looking for signs of upward improvement, not asking he be an elite QB here and now. Monday was the first sign in awhile.

haven't given up on Kaep, but am starting to think what if?

 

[Robotech]

if Kaep was a rookie, we might buy it? its his 3rd season in this offense, and although not starting for 3 years, should be getting comfortable by now? so we're looking for signs of upward improvement, not asking he be an elite QB here and now. Monday was the first sign in awhile.

haven't given up on Kaep, but am starting to think what if?

His role on the team was much different though during the first 1.5 years. And it does look like he is being coached to play a different way this season. They're coaching him to be more of a pocket passer, to run less and to protect his body. He is still settling in, IMO. We'll find out soon enough if he will be our franchise QB. We have some tough games and tough defenses coming up. If he fails, we'll have to draft a QB. Clearly, McCoy or whoever is the 3rd string QB of a month is not the answer.

 

[joshuar56]

It's Fran, Fran Tarkenton. Not Frank.

 

[RhojiF]

Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton spoke about Colin Kaepernick Friday on KNBR. Here is what Tarkenton said.

TARKENTON: “I see a guy that looks confused, and I’ve thought about that because I really like this young man. I love your team. I just love everything about it, and I picked them to win this year.

“If I were Jim Harbaugh – he doesn’t need any advice from me, he does pretty good himself – but I understand quarterbacks, too. Let this kid…free him up. Let him be Colin Kaepernick.

“He’s got skills got skills nobody else has. He’s got to use his legs, use his instincts and be natural with himself. He looks mechanical. He looks like he wants to do everything just right. He wants to be perfect in what he does. Go out and be yourself.”


Agree or disagree?

100% agree. Let CK do his thing if it gives us the best chance. If he gets hurt, then so what? We could be the best team of all time and win Super Bowls.

 

[jarrod49]

Ive been thinking the same thing all season, its like they are handcuffing Kaep. They need to let him be himself more, he is a smart kid and he knows if he takes off he needs to get out of bounds or slide down, and he has done those things when he has run this year. It seems like either the coaches are trying to make him into more of a pocket passer or he himself is trying to do it and he has had some glimpses of success but he isn't completely comfortable doing it just yet, so it is a work in progress, which doesn't have to be completed immediately. let him be Kaep.

 

[Flyingiguana]

simplify the game for kap until the game slows down for him.

 

[Suhsyourdaddy]

100% agree. Let CK do his thing if it gives us the best chance. If he gets hurt, then so what? We could be the best team of all time and win Super Bowls.

Agreed. We certainly have an opportunity to be very good for a long time with all the young talent we got last year and the amount of draft picks we have next year, but we are by far from being in any sort of building for the future mode. I feel, and our coaches and players should feel, the Niners have the most talented roster from top to bottom in the league right now. Anything less than a Lombardi this year will be a disappointment. If our passing offense doesn't get significantly better in the next couple weeks when we have Crabs back, even in a limited/decoy role for the first couple weeks, then we might need to simplify and let Colin go out and win games with his legs if need be. We can only afford to drop one more before week 17 as this point.

 

[drekeeper]

I agree with Fran's assessment but I am also a believer in sustained development of those "Skills that no one else has" The thing about development, its not always pretty. I think Colin is fine, and I am 100% comfortable with this ball club heading into the playoffs

 

[Suhsyourdaddy]

I agree with Fran's assessment but I am also a believer in sustained development of those "Skills that no one else has" The thing about development, its not always pretty. I think Colin is fine, and I am 100% comfortable with this ball club heading into the playoffs

A couple things you can't measure at a combine are balls and heart. To come into the situation he had too and take us within 5 yards of our 6th trophy is about enough to show me has enough of both. As long as he doesn't let the failed expectations of last year get too him, HE will the be the guy to hoist our next trophy.

 

[purguy12]

I think Kap is just fine. He has his ups and downs but he has way more ups then downs. I have Kap in Top 10 in QBs.