Kaep gaining experience at the expense of second seed?

[Arete Tzu]

I hear you man, I wouldn't mind these losses if our team remained healthy. Manningham was able to put weight on the knee and x - rays were negative, although that doesn't dictate that he's back next week. It actually looked pretty serious...


http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1916189/kneeburster.gif

ugh i didn't realize his knee looked that bad.

 

[zman1527]

Pretty amazing how little value is given to experience in this thread. We all know that Kap is physically superior, no argument there.

This team's goal though this year is not just to make the playoffs, but to get to and win the SB. How many QB's have done that when the playoffs are their 7th start in the NFL? Any? Experience at QB counts for a lot. For that reason, and with playing so well, I would have stuck with Alex. Is Harbs maybe is going with the gain experience angle and downgrading his PO chances?

 

[MHSL82]

Pretty amazing how little value is given to experience in this thread. We all know that Kap is physically superior, no argument there.

This team's goal though this year is not just to make the playoffs, but to get to and win the SB. How many QB's have done that when the playoffs are their 7th start in the NFL? Any? Experience at QB counts for a lot. For that reason, and with playing so well, I would have stuck with Alex. Is Harbs maybe is going with the gain experience angle and downgrading his PO chances?

I suppose Kaep would have 16 games of experience instead of 7 if he had made the switch earlier or next year he'd have the experience if switched this offseason. But the playoffs would still be another animal and either way Kaep would lack that experience before his first game, so in that aspect, now seems not as different as later. 9 regular season games can be significant, but I think what he has learned over 7 games will be enough. Last year was Smith's first playoff game and it worked out. I can't see why Kaep's first game couldn't result in a win.

I wanted Smith to play and win it, before the Bears game I thought Smith may be a better choice (but wouldn't definitively say that until Harbaugh did by playing Smith again - that of course never happened), but after Kaep has learned so much and has done well, I think it was the right choice. If he had repeated the Rams game in the Dolphins game and lost these last two, it'd be a different conversation - not by skill but by experience. Willingness to go for the big play here and there and the ability to execute them counts for a lot, too and it seems Kaep is throwing the deep passes only where his defender can catch it. His most covered deep throw was before he was starting.

Harbaugh made the switch and he won't go back. Even when were down 42-6 he still played Kaep, when he could have played Alex and said he was avoiding injury or wanted to keep Alex fresh in case of injury to Kaep. But he didn't. Now, with the second seed on the line, he won't go to Alex, barring injury. More experience before the first playoff game will help a bit, albeit just one game's worth. There's only one way to get experience, and that's by playing.

 

[mm03]

I'm not sure why most of you are letting the offensive leader off the hook for putting up 6 points up until garbage time. Playing the oh, like Alex could have done better card is getting really old.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

We got a young QB trying to learn on the job at the worst time of year in a season with high expectations. Our d is nonexistent without Justin Smith. Now injuries are piling up. Kap is the better talent but right now he is not the best QB on the roster. We benched a battle tested QB who didn't make mistakes for a gunslinger who still doesn't have a clue. Our play calling is a joke as well. Anything else is just bullshit hype. I don't need to see anymore games where Kap can't realize he has waited too late to audible. He got Walker blown up last week and now Manningham this week. Throw the fucking ball away instead of laying guys up for zero yardage plays. RUN THE FUCKING BALL WHEN TIME IS UP AND NO ONE IS OPEN. This is basic shit and he doesn't have a fucking clue. This is the shit you put up with when you don't have a Super Bowl on the line.

 

[clyde_carbon]

We got a young QB trying to learn on the job at the worst time of year in a season with high expectations. Our d is nonexistent without Justin Smith. Now injuries are piling up. Kap is the better talent but right now he is not the best QB on the roster. We benched a battle tested QB who didn't make mistakes for a gunslinger who still doesn't have a clue. Our play calling is a joke as well. Anything else is just bullshit hype. I don't need to see anymore games where Kap can't realize he has waited too late to audible. He got Walker blown up last week and now Manningham this week. Throw the fucking ball away instead of laying guys up for zero yardage plays. RUN THE FUCKING BALL WHEN TIME IS UP AND NO ONE IS OPEN. This is basic shit and he doesn't have a fucking clue. This is the shit you put up with when you don't have a Super Bowl on the line.

Yes, he is. Aside from getting plays in on time, what does Alex do better than Kaep? Also, IIRC, getting plays called on time was a problem with Alex int he lineup as well. It wasn't as often, but we saw numerous times Alex Smith call timeouts early in games this season. I think that has a lot to do with the complexity of our packages and the amount of motions we do.

 

[TheNinerMind]

Yes, he is. Aside from getting plays in on time, what does Alex do better than Kaep? Also, IIRC, getting plays called on time was a problem with Alex int he lineup as well. It wasn't as often, but we saw numerous times Alex Smith call timeouts early in games this season. I think that has a lot to do with the complexity of our packages and the amount of motions we do.

Ummm... what does he do better? Managing the game (as in get players to the line on time). Check down. Throw short. Throw the ball quickly. Not turn the ball over.

Alex Smith is better than Colin Kaepernick at the boring aspects of quarterbacking. Otherwise known as the aspects that led us to 13-3 and nearly a Super Bowl last year. We sacrificed that talent (and don't get it twisted, it requires talent) because it was perceived - perhaps correctly - that merely not turning it over wasn't enough to win a Super Bowl this year.

I like Kaepernick - a lot. But it pisses me off the types of stupid mistakes he makes. They are the types of mistakes that are made by rookies.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

What he said.

 

[Pharcyde]

It just seems like a lot of unsteadiness with the team since the qb controversy. Something that necessarily wasn't broken, but tried to fix anyway.
Hope kaep can put it together and make a good run in the post season

 

[deep9er]

not surprising we see hints of bringing Alex back, we just lost and lost badly. but notice how subdued this 'bring Alex' back is presented? no one is coming out strongly for Alex, just beating around the bush. ie just the typical finger pointing following a lost, and QB's get the most finger.

yeah, no question Kaepernick can do some things better, but are we surprised he isn't playing like an elite QB?

IMO he isn't playing so badly we should switch back to Alex. no, don't look at it as sacrificing in the play-offs to develop Kaepernick. that was part of the TOUGH decision after his Chicago game performance.

 

[Flyingiguana]

Yes, he is. Aside from getting plays in on time, what does Alex do better than Kaep? Also, IIRC, getting plays called on time was a problem with Alex int he lineup as well. It wasn't as often, but we saw numerous times Alex Smith call timeouts early in games this season. I think that has a lot to do with the complexity of our packages and the amount of motions we do.

Again this is where play calling is an issue. Sure kap can do more physically but he doesn't have smith's experience. Roman needs to simplify things especially on the road.

 

[mm03]

Ummm... what does he do better? Managing the game (as in get players to the line on time). Check down. Throw short. Throw the ball quickly. Not turn the ball over.

Alex Smith is better than Colin Kaepernick at the boring aspects of quarterbacking. Otherwise known as the aspects that led us to 13-3 and nearly a Super Bowl last year. We sacrificed that talent (and don't get it twisted, it requires talent) because it was perceived - perhaps correctly - that merely not turning it over wasn't enough to win a Super Bowl this year.

I like Kaepernick - a lot. But it pisses me off the types of stupid mistakes he makes. They are the types of mistakes that are made by rookies.

Alex did what he needed against the Giants to get to the SB Kyle just threw it down the shitter.. twice. How people forget.

 

[MHSL82]

Alex did what he needed against the Giants to get to the SB Kyle just threw it down the shitter.. twice. How people forget.

Alex could and should have played better and one or two drives with one more conversions would have run the clock out on the Giants. A nine minute scoring drive would have avoided the possession by the Giants that resulted in the knee fumble, for example. We've seen him have long drives before, not here. We had four three and outs to end the game (including OT) - though having the ball after the second fumble could have been like the Saints drive, or not. So I think if Smith had played better, we'd have won in regulation, even with the first fumble. No one could recover after the second without a Philadelphia fumble (Brown (?) throwing it backwards around the goal-line).

But, I will say that Alex did more than the 1-13 third downs and 3 yards to receivers. He was 1-9 targeting Williams and Crabtree but was 11-17, 193 yards to everyone else. 11.4 YPA to non-receivers. The only third down conversion was on the last play of regulation, but he did get 15 first downs overall compared to 20 from the Giant. Most were due to running first downs or penalties - so he was deficient there, but some penalty plays would have been converted without the penalty (if the penalty caused the incompletion) and some of the runs were audibled into). 5 fewer is big and third downs are the most important down, but the 1-13 was the only stat reported it seemed. We stalled at the 10 in the game tying drive, but we did get 40 yards to set up the field goal.

So, I don't think the game was lost solely by the KW fumbles, but people acted like only receivers could catch the ball, only third downs counted toward anything, and the two TD throws to VD aren't worth anything because it was early in the game. I wonder if we would have been more aggressive had we been down by 4 instead of three during the game tying field goal drive. (40 yard return by no other than KW himself.) We were aggressive against the Saints, despite a FG being good for OT.

 

[wartyOne]

I'm not sure why most of you are letting the offensive leader off the hook for putting up 6 points up until garbage time. Playing the oh, like Alex could have done better card is getting really old.

Are you suggesting that not only Seattle's defense isn't good, but also that Smith would have played better?

 

[MHSL82]

Are you suggesting that not only Seattle's defense isn't good, but also that Smith would have played better?

Alex would have blocked the field goal blocker that lead to the 7 return points. He'd have settled for a field goal instead of the INT. . 35-19.

Yes, I am only kidding about the score and field goal block.

 

[wartyOne]

Alex did what he needed against the Giants to get to the SB Kyle just threw it down the shitter.. twice. How people forget.

Smith completed one pass to a WR. The defense had us in that game, NOT Alex Smith's Quarterbacking.

But like you said. "How people forget."

 

[MHSL82]

Smith completed one pass to a WR. The defense had us in that game, NOT Alex Smith's Quarterbacking.

But like you said. "How people forget."

He was 11-17 for 193 yards (11.4 YPA) and two TDs to non-receivers. Yes, that wasn't enough, but I hate the constant reference only to the receivers stat. Other people can and did catch the ball and with our defense, it should have been enough, but wasn't because of the first fumble - but Alex knew it wasn't enough when he had the ball last, and still didn't do anything about it. So that's a bigger gripe with me.

I agree overall that Smith should have played better and didn't, so it's not just KW's fumbles.

 

[Flyingiguana]

crabtree could have played better, swain could have played better. i'm not even gonna mention the other guy....

stupid play calls when the running game was looking good in the first half.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Ummm... what does he do better? Managing the game (as in get players to the line on time). Check down. Throw short. Throw the ball quickly. Not turn the ball over.

Alex Smith is better than Colin Kaepernick at the boring aspects of quarterbacking. Otherwise known as the aspects that led us to 13-3 and nearly a Super Bowl last year. We sacrificed that talent (and don't get it twisted, it requires talent) because it was perceived - perhaps correctly - that merely not turning it over wasn't enough to win a Super Bowl this year.

I like Kaepernick - a lot. But it pisses me off the types of stupid mistakes he makes. They are the types of mistakes that are made by rookies.

I agree with the part about Alex being better and quicker at getting the plays in, but nothing else. Kaepernick is just as good at the underneath stuff, and up until the Seahawks game he consistently made quick post-snap reads and throws. He's also better at intermediate and long range routes, better at avoiding sacks, and better at improvising.

Let's not forget that Kaepernick played in a tougher 6 game stretch than any 6 game stretch that Alex played in. Against the Bears, @ New Orleans, @ St. Louis, @ Seattle, and @ St. Louis. Spread his stats across a 16 game stretch and he's at 63%, 4194 yards, 21 TDs, 8 INTs, 621 rushing yards, and 5 rushing TDs. Would you take that or Alex Smith's season last year?

 

[clyde_carbon]

Again this is where play calling is an issue. Sure kap can do more physically but he doesn't have smith's experience. Roman needs to simplify things especially on the road.

No one's arguing that Kaep has Smith's experience, but I think the good outweighs the bad.