The Rise and Fall of Colin
Kaepernick
Jacob Sanders
Colin Kaepernick is a man currently in free agency limbo. If I had told you just 4 years ago that Kaepernick would be released from the 49ers and he would have very few teams interested in him, you would have called me insane. Even at that, life (specifically in the NFL) can come at you fast depending on your actions. Despite the controversy that Kaepernick has created for himself, Kaepernick has shown to be great to the communities around him and has done quite well in his philanthropy work lately. This brings me to a point I want to try and clear up to the NFL community; that teams are ignoring him, not necessarily because of the controversy he has created but moreso because of his play.
After all, there are many players like Ndamukung Suh, Vontaze Berfict, Adam “PacMan” Jones, Michael Vick, Adrian Peterson, Richie Incognito (and more) that have actual crimes charged against them or have been considered dirty/violent players who intend to hurt their opponents. And yet, they all received huge contracts for their efforts on the field and are still on teams. So you can’t argue that Kaepernick, who has never been arrested or committed a violent crime, is only jobless because of his political views/controversies.
But how could a player who looked so dynamic as soon as he stepped on the field fall of so hard to rock bottom? Well let’s take a look at Kaepernick from the first time he stepped onto the field, to now.
*Note: I will not be talking about Kaepernick’s controversies or political stances. I will only be focusing on the game tape over his career and how he looked as a player on the field.
The Replacement:
When Alex Smith went down with a concussion in Week 10 of the 2012 season, Kaepernick came in to rally the 49ers who were down 20-7 and scored 17 points in the 4th quarter. While Kaepernick wasn’t blowing anyone’s minds and the game ended in a 24-24 tie, he looked like he fit in the 49ers offense and that the team would be fine if Alex Smith were to ever go down. Come next week, the 49ers demolished a heavily favored 7-2 Bears team on a Monday night and the rest of the season becomes history for the 49ers (and unfortunately Alex Smith).
Kaepernick became an electric athlete on the field week in and week out. He was decisive, quick, and dissected the pass rush unlike any other QB. When he saw a hole in the trenches, he completely dropped his eyes from downfield to what was in front of him and RAN. Kaepernick managed to run all over his opponents and became a dual-threat quarterback that no one was able to game plan for. He was fast and his quick thinking was unmatched for defensive ends and defensive tackles to even try and catch him. Once out in the open field, he was free to do what he wanted.
If you think I am overstating his abilities, think again and just watch this highlight reel of him in the Divisional playoffs against Green Bay.
Colin Kaepernick is a man currently in free agency limbo. If I had told you just 4 years ago that Kaepernick would be released from the 49ers and he would have very few teams interested in him, you would have called me insane. Even at that, life (specifically in the NFL) can come at you fast depending on your actions. Despite the controversy that Kaepernick has created for himself, Kaepernick has shown to be great to the communities around him and has done quite well in his philanthropy work lately. This brings me to a point I want to try and clear up to the NFL community; that teams are ignoring him, not necessarily because of the controversy he has created but moreso because of his play.
After all, there are many players like Ndamukung Suh, Vontaze Berfict, Adam “PacMan” Jones, Michael Vick, Adrian Peterson, Richie Incognito (and more) that have actual crimes charged against them or have been considered dirty/violent players who intend to hurt their opponents. And yet, they all received huge contracts for their efforts on the field and are still on teams. So you can’t argue that Kaepernick, who has never been arrested or committed a violent crime, is only jobless because of his political views/controversies.
But how could a player who looked so dynamic as soon as he stepped on the field fall of so hard to rock bottom? Well let’s take a look at Kaepernick from the first time he stepped onto the field, to now.
*Note: I will not be talking about Kaepernick’s controversies or political stances. I will only be focusing on the game tape over his career and how he looked as a player on the field.
The Replacement:
When Alex Smith went down with a concussion in Week 10 of the 2012 season, Kaepernick came in to rally the 49ers who were down 20-7 and scored 17 points in the 4th quarter. While Kaepernick wasn’t blowing anyone’s minds and the game ended in a 24-24 tie, he looked like he fit in the 49ers offense and that the team would be fine if Alex Smith were to ever go down. Come next week, the 49ers demolished a heavily favored 7-2 Bears team on a Monday night and the rest of the season becomes history for the 49ers (and unfortunately Alex Smith).
Kaepernick became an electric athlete on the field week in and week out. He was decisive, quick, and dissected the pass rush unlike any other QB. When he saw a hole in the trenches, he completely dropped his eyes from downfield to what was in front of him and RAN. Kaepernick managed to run all over his opponents and became a dual-threat quarterback that no one was able to game plan for. He was fast and his quick thinking was unmatched for defensive ends and defensive tackles to even try and catch him. Once out in the open field, he was free to do what he wanted.
If you think I am overstating his abilities, think again and just watch this highlight reel of him in the Divisional playoffs against Green Bay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rHWeDOJYDM
Perhaps his biggest accomplishment
in his career came in this first year becoming the starter for the 49ers and it
wasn’t taking his team to the Super Bowl. It was the NFC Championship game
against the Atlanta Falcon where he helped rally the 49ers from a 17-0 deficit
to win the game 28-24. As for the Super Bowl, while the 49ers did not win,
Kaepernick again rallied the 49ers in a second half comeback when they were
down 28-6 at the beginning of the 3rd quarter. The game ended 34-31 with Baltimore taking home the Lombardi trophy.
The Drive for Success:
Unlike most teams, the 49ers Super Bowl hangover did not last long and they came out firing for the 2013 season where they defeated Green Bay 34-28. Kaepernick torched the Packers for a career high 412 yards and 3 touchdowns that game. While the 49ers started 1-2, they regained their offensive groove and went 6-2 into their bye week.
During this time, Kaepernick maintained his dominance and athletic ability, showing poise in the pocket, and the ability to run when the play broke down. He would lead the 49ers in dominant offensive efforts to win the last 6 games of the season to a 12-4 record to get the No. 5 seed in the NFC.
Again, Kaepernick would continue to perform as they beat the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field 23-20. He would go on and lead them to another playoff win against the No. 2 seeded Carolina Panthers in a 23-10 smacking.
However, this dominance would end in Seattle in a 23-17 loss where Richard Sherman batted away Kaepernick’s game winning touchdown throw to Michael Crabtree.
The Front Office Struggle:
The Drive for Success:
Unlike most teams, the 49ers Super Bowl hangover did not last long and they came out firing for the 2013 season where they defeated Green Bay 34-28. Kaepernick torched the Packers for a career high 412 yards and 3 touchdowns that game. While the 49ers started 1-2, they regained their offensive groove and went 6-2 into their bye week.
During this time, Kaepernick maintained his dominance and athletic ability, showing poise in the pocket, and the ability to run when the play broke down. He would lead the 49ers in dominant offensive efforts to win the last 6 games of the season to a 12-4 record to get the No. 5 seed in the NFC.
Again, Kaepernick would continue to perform as they beat the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field 23-20. He would go on and lead them to another playoff win against the No. 2 seeded Carolina Panthers in a 23-10 smacking.
However, this dominance would end in Seattle in a 23-17 loss where Richard Sherman batted away Kaepernick’s game winning touchdown throw to Michael Crabtree.
The Front Office Struggle:
At this point, the 49ers had been
to 3 NFC Championship games and 1 Super Bowl under Head Coach Jim Harbaugh with
Kaepernick leading for 2 of those NFC Championship games and the 1 Super Bowl.
While quite impressive, the front office was dissatisfied with Harbaugh and the
way he was running his team. Reports had come out that they wanted Kaepernick
to be more of a pocket passer and leave him out of harm’s way. This entire
shift in ideals between the coaches and front office led to Kaepernick
underperforming and the 49ers dropping from NFC juggernaut to an 8-8 record and
missing the playoffs.
During this 2014 season, Kaepernick was sacked a franchise record 52 times and led a 30th ranked passing game.
The Massive drop and fall from an NFL cliff:
Harbaugh and the 49ers would mutually part ways leaving many veterans wanting to retire or leave the team as well. With Harbaugh gone and the team drained of talent, Kaepernick was left with a defensive-minded coach in Jim Tomsula who had never been an NFL head coach before. This is where Kaepernick started to fall apart.
In what would be a 5-11 2015 season for the 49ers, Kaepernick looked shaky in the pocket. He was inaccurate, indecisive, was not able to complete his reads across the field, and never maintained the electrical play-style that had started to define his football career. Kaepernick became a shell of himself and never recovered the entire season. While he would still make plays with his feet, Kapernick was never able to find open receivers or throw an accurate deep ball. He would eventually be replaced by Blaine Gabbert in Week 9.
The story never changed in the 2016 season. Jim Tomsula was immediately fired after one season and replaced with former Eagles Head Coach Chip Kelly.
Blaine Gabbert would be named the starting QB for the 49ers and Kaepernick would be the backup. Both QBs played poorly when on the field and the 49ers would finish 2-14.
So what now?:
During this 2014 season, Kaepernick was sacked a franchise record 52 times and led a 30th ranked passing game.
The Massive drop and fall from an NFL cliff:
Harbaugh and the 49ers would mutually part ways leaving many veterans wanting to retire or leave the team as well. With Harbaugh gone and the team drained of talent, Kaepernick was left with a defensive-minded coach in Jim Tomsula who had never been an NFL head coach before. This is where Kaepernick started to fall apart.
In what would be a 5-11 2015 season for the 49ers, Kaepernick looked shaky in the pocket. He was inaccurate, indecisive, was not able to complete his reads across the field, and never maintained the electrical play-style that had started to define his football career. Kaepernick became a shell of himself and never recovered the entire season. While he would still make plays with his feet, Kapernick was never able to find open receivers or throw an accurate deep ball. He would eventually be replaced by Blaine Gabbert in Week 9.
The story never changed in the 2016 season. Jim Tomsula was immediately fired after one season and replaced with former Eagles Head Coach Chip Kelly.
Blaine Gabbert would be named the starting QB for the 49ers and Kaepernick would be the backup. Both QBs played poorly when on the field and the 49ers would finish 2-14.
So what now?:
It’s unclear about what Kaepernick’s
future looks like. A few teams have expressed interest but none have pounced on
him so far. There is no doubt that Kaepernick will be on a team by the time the
2017 season starts, however, it will only be as a backup. For Kaepernick to be successful,
he needs on offense that’s not only tailored around his talents, but also has
plenty of playmakers. When Kaepernick thrived, he had the likes of Michael
Crabtree, Randy Moss, Vernon Davis, and Frank Gore at his side to guide an
electric and high scoring offense. This was something he didn’t have in his
last two years. At the same time, Harbaugh was a disciplined coach who has been
successful wherever he has gone and both Tomsula and Kelly did not carry the
discipline needed for a team to be successful with Kaepernick at the helm.
Unfortunately, unless a superstar team comes around and needs a QB who can make plays with his feet and get the ball to his star receivers, Kaepernick probably won’t be a starting QB anymore.
So it goes a man who was on top of the football world, dazzling everyone who watched, and now no one even wishes to bat an eye towards him. While it is unlikely, Kaepernick has the athletic ability to return to form and become a starter again in this league but the right situation and coach needs to come around. Not only that, but he must show that he is willing to be a backup QB and work back to being that franchise starter every 49ers fan dreamed he was going to be.
As of right now, that right situation and coach do not exist and Kaepernick needs to identify that and take what he can get if he wishes to continue his career. Until then, Kaepernick will merely be a footnote in both the 49ers and the NFL’s history.
Unfortunately, unless a superstar team comes around and needs a QB who can make plays with his feet and get the ball to his star receivers, Kaepernick probably won’t be a starting QB anymore.
So it goes a man who was on top of the football world, dazzling everyone who watched, and now no one even wishes to bat an eye towards him. While it is unlikely, Kaepernick has the athletic ability to return to form and become a starter again in this league but the right situation and coach needs to come around. Not only that, but he must show that he is willing to be a backup QB and work back to being that franchise starter every 49ers fan dreamed he was going to be.
As of right now, that right situation and coach do not exist and Kaepernick needs to identify that and take what he can get if he wishes to continue his career. Until then, Kaepernick will merely be a footnote in both the 49ers and the NFL’s history.
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