SI Column on Kaepernick

[MHSL82]

Pass Atlas: A Map of Where NFL Quarterbacks Throw the Ball - The Triangle Blog - Grantland

 

[yossarian]

Colin Kaepernick: San Francisco 49ers quarterback of the future? | The MMQB with Peter King

Had some interesting coaches film shots of him not seeing open receivers. I don't know whether that's something that most quarterbacks have (there's usually an open receiver), but it cements my opinion that we don't win unless Kaepernick not only plays well but ups his game from the previous two playoff games. I think Gore will have limited success up there, and their defense is quick enough to catch up to Kaep if he tries to run, he will have to make the right read and be able to see when people do get open even if it's not his primary target coming out of the huddle. The article makes it sound like he has a ways to go in that department.

 

[TobyTyler]

Colin Kaepernick: San Francisco 49ers quarterback of the future? | The MMQB with Peter King

Had some interesting coaches film shots of him not seeing open receivers. I don't know whether that's something that most quarterbacks have (there's usually an open receiver), but it cements my opinion that we don't win unless Kaepernick not only plays well but ups his game from the previous two playoff games. I think Gore will have limited success up there, and their defense is quick enough to catch up to Kaep if he tries to run, he will have to make the right read and be able to see when people do get open even if it's not his primary target coming out of the huddle. The article makes it sound like he has a ways to go in that department.

Haven't we been talking about this for at last a couple of months now? Its very clear that often he doesn't even look at a secondary receiver. He plants, looks for the primary and if he's not open, Kaepernick is out of there.

 

[jarrod49]

So they showed two plays from a year ago and that is supposed to mean that he is the same guy today??? the gb picture they showed he is clearly starting to move forward as you can tell by the way he is leaning forward and yet he was supposed to throw to one of those open receivers while not properly planted????

 

[TobyTyler]

I can't even look at those pictures of the wide open receivers at the end of the Super Bowl that Kaepernick missed without feeling sick.

 

[yossarian]

I can't even look at those pictures of the wide open receivers at the end of the Super Bowl that Kaepernick missed without feeling sick.

Me either, I'm a Kaepernick fan, and frankly they don't get that far with Smith (not to rehash anything), but still, Walker looked pretty damn open.

 

[Chamoanlad]

The SB had enough blame to go around with Roman, Kap, Culliver, Dashon, special teams, Whitner, etc. You can look at anyone's coaching film, even Tom Brady and Manning and see open guys that they miss or a bad decision.

Kap has a ways to go. No ones arguing that, but he's outplaying every young QB out there. Andrew Luck threw I don't know how many picks in the playoffs and Wilson has been off his game the last few weeks. I'll take Kap as our franchise guy over any of the other young guys.

 

[yossarian]

The SB had enough blame to go around with Roman, Kap, Culliver, Dashon, special teams, Whitner, etc. You can look at anyone's coaching film, even Tom Brady and Manning and see open guys that they miss or a bad decision.

Kap has a ways to go. No ones arguing that, but he's outplaying every young QB out there. Andrew Luck threw I don't know how many picks in the playoffs and Wilson has been off his game the last few weeks. I'll take Kap as our franchise guy over any of the other young guys.

I agree actually, but he's had horrid games in Seattle, and they have the best defense in the league, better than Carolina, especially the secondary. He can't make mistakes up here and he has to make great decisions.

 

[Chamoanlad]

I agree actually, but he's had horrid games in Seattle, and they have the best defense in the league, better than Carolina, especially the secondary. He can't make mistakes up here and he has to make great decisions.

Totally true. Kap will need his best game of the year or we lose and maybe lose big. There's two or three throws every game that seems like he throws that could be picked off and the DB's in Seattle will if he does that again. Our defense can keep this game close by itself, but Kap cannot have turnovers and at least get a few 1st downs on each drive to keep the defense fresh and too much momentum going Seattle's way.

People see the score last time we were in Seattle and think ass whipping, but that game was 0-5 at halftime and 3-12 going in the 4th quarter before the defense wore down. Without Harvin, that offense isn't any better today than it was in that game. With Harvin is another story. If our offense scores over 20 we will win. But that's easier said than done.

 

[RedneckNiner]

Kaep is a young and a very good qb with the potential to be great. He has the potential to be better than Steve Young. I hope he doesn't settle for very good and aspires to be great he's got the talent and ability to be truly special. The si column is harsh but it is not completely unfounded. Kaep still plays like the game is slowing down for him but still a bit fast. I believe with coaching he will be the next great Niners qb but everyone getting defensive every time one of his areas of improvement are highlighted are only observing him through red and gold colored lenses.

 

[purguy12]

Haters. Thats all I have to say. The guy is one of the top QBs in the league. People keep trying to bring him down. U can show at least 2-3 clips a game by every QB in every game that miss their receivers.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

Clearly overboard on the criticism. My initial reaction was that its almost an insult to compare him to Vick considering their respective resumes, but on second thought it would have been interesting if Vick had coaches/system/teammates of the caliber Kap enjoys.

 

[yossarian]

Haters. Thats all I have to say. The guy is one of the top QBs in the league. People keep trying to bring him down. U can show at least 2-3 clips a game by every QB in every game that miss their receivers.

There is no way I'm a hater and I have no idea about the 2-3 clips comment and neither does anyone else unless they've watched the coaches film for all the teams, and no one does that around here. As for one of the top QBs in the league, I'd say he's in the top 10 with the potential to move up --- and he has amazing physical gifts, is a relentless worker, and is smart and is getting better, but it's not hate to point out he has some flaws -- flaws that I think he is getting better at addressing but are still there.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

There's no doubt that Kap needs to improve his ability to read the field. But I don't think the examples cited in this article are great evidence of that. That said, if Harbaugh, Roman, and Chryst aren't sitting him down regularly and pointing out the receivers he's missed, I'll be very disappointed. Developing as a QB is a process, and Kap is already doing a better job of going through his progressions now than he was earlier in the season. But he's still a long way off. The question is if his physical abilities and relatively good accuracy are enough to carry him through for now, and whether he can continue to improve. I'd love for him to work with a passing coach this offseason instead of going to a camp with the other athletes.

 

[Jikkle]

The criticism is mostly fair but my real gripe with the article is it makes it sound like Kaepernick is never going to improve and he's always going to be a one read run around the field guy.

It's funny that he mentions Steve Young as the QB that passes but can run without really looking at Young's entire career before he became the starter in the 90s.

Young in a lot of ways was the Kaepernick of his day in the 80s as he was a unrefined talent that needed to learn and grow into the guy he was in the 90s.

The league has become such a NOW league that the book is already written on you before you even have a chance to develop. Not every QB coming out of college has the benefit of being groomed from day 1 to be an NFL QB like Luck and some guys are going to need more time to develop than others.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Haters. Thats all I have to say. The guy is one of the top QBs in the league. People keep trying to bring him down. U can show at least 2-3 clips a game by every QB in every game that miss their receivers.

Disagree. Definitely not top-5. Maybe top-10, if we weight his ability to make plays late in playoff games heavily, but even that's probably a stretch. He is still pretty limited as a passer. Put him on a less talented team, and I think we'd see him struggle. His supporting cast right now is probably the best in the league.

 

[Jikkle]

I'd love for him to work with a passing coach this offseason instead of going to a camp with the other athletes.

I agree and this offseason will be very telling to me in where his trajectory is going.

He now has an entire years worth of footage and experience to look and reflect on so there is no excuse to not make fundamentals a point of emphasis this upcoming offseason.

 

[yossarian]

Pete Prisco has often pointed out in his twitter page how Kaepernick has missed open receivers at different games so I don't think this article is an unfair sample of those issues. That being said, he's won, he's made amazing plays, he was purely a pocket passer I think against Atlanta in the playoffs last year. Maybe I should refine my point, I think the margin for error in this next game is going to be razor thin, so while he may be able to get away with missing open guys for opportunities in other games in this game he can't get away with that.

I also agree that you have to see how he grows in this next year, I expect to see continued improvement and I have faith that Harbaugh can get that out of him.

 

[MHSL82]

Me either, I'm a Kaepernick fan, and frankly they don't get that far with Smith (not to rehash anything), but still, Walker looked pretty damn open.

Frankly, with our coaches, good (not as great as before) defense, time of possession, no interceptions, short fields (due to good punts, defense, and returns) and running team, and no credit to Alex - we could have gotten that far with Smith. We might not get down by 17 with a ball control gameplan against Atlanta or Baltimore. Not to rehash anything.

 

[wartyOne]

[/B]

Haven't we been talking about this for at last a couple of months now? Its very clear that often he doesn't even look at a secondary receiver. He plants, looks for the primary and if he's not open, Kaepernick is out of there.

I think that's a bit simplistic. You also forgot that he gets planted a lot. To be fair, Russel Wilson got sacked more than Kaep. So did Brady, Newton, Roethlisberger, Ryan, Flacco and Glennon (in 3 fewer games; for the record, Florida is the worst state in which to be a QB from a "getting sacked in more ways then one" point of view).

Seriously, though, I've been a VERY harsh critic of Kaepernick this year. His game has some flaws. I don't think anybody will dispute that. He also affords us the ability to not be the most effective passing offense with his ability to extend drives with his legs. Here's the kicker. He doesn't get murdered every time he runs.

It's a catch-22, but we're in our third NFCC, and second under Kaep. He has to improve as a passer, and I'd LOVE for us to get into the top half of the league as a passing offense while maintaining our ability to run and dominate on defense, but I question if that's possible. Passing offenses get off the field faster putting the D back out there.

Maybe I've just got to except that Montana and Rice ain't walking out the tunnel any time soon. I will say this, I LOVE that we have Boldin this year, and that it's his third again against that shitbag Sherman. Should we win this game easily? No. Is there a strong chance we lose? Yes. Am I confident we win? Yes, and I can't explain it other than silly reasons.

Go 9ers.