Could Kap make comeback?
Kaepernick’s QB skill set may be suited for today’s NFL
The space between Colin Kaepernick and an NFL quarterback job is Grand Canyonesque. But what if some team is willing to make that leap with Kaepernick? Can he still play?
It’s like the game David Letterman played on his latenight TV show, “Will It Float?” Pick a random object, guess whether it will float or sink, toss it into a tank of water. Will Kaepernick float? Forget the politics and side issues. Simply, would he and his skills fit in today’s NFL, in which the multithreat quarterback is trending?
I rounded up a panel of NFL experts: Brian Billick (former head coach, TV commentator), Bucky Brooks (former player, TV commentator), Warren Moon (Hall of Fame quarterback), Drew Bennett (NFL wide receiver eight seasons, played QB at UCLA, former TV commentator) and Steve Young (you know him).
So how about it, fellas (in separate interviews)?
Brooks: “Now, the running quarterback is more the norm, right? When Kaepernick was in his heyday, his prime, it was Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, the only ones running around making plays. RGIII (Robert Griffin III), too. (That style) wasn’t necessarily accepted and it wasn’t necessarily desired then, in terms of coaches seeking a skill set.
“Now, when you see a guy like Lamar Jackson and other mobile quarterbacks come into the league and have success, Kaepernick’s style has kind of more of the mainstream ...
“When he was at Nevada, (head coach) Chris Ault put together an offense that really took advantage of his skill set as a runner, his athleticism. (Some NFL teams) may not run as much as Kap was running or Lamar Jackson is running, but we’re seeing guys, especially down in the red zone, take advantage of that. Thinking about Pat Mahomes in the Super Bowl, the speed option and the triple option and those things. The more you can do from an athletic standpoint at quarterback, the more options it gives a play caller.”
Young: “So the tool kit — shotgun, pistol, RPO (runpass option), run and throw — there’s never been a doubt that’s where everything is headed.
“Colin was part of that first wave, then he was struggling. That (49ers) team in 2011 and ’12 was tremendous. Colin would come off a playfake and Vernon (Davis) was open, or (Michael) Crabtree. And when it started getting more closed, it was more of a challenge. And like every quarterback, you struggle. We all go through a growing process, and I don’t think he ever got through that growing process; everything happened so quickly. He needs the space to grow though that process. He’s still plenty young.”
Young raised an interesting possibility, that Kaepernick could be a backup who is more than just an emergency sub, who is a, what’s the word? Young: “As a backup, certainly Colin can come in and ignite, and create some space . ... He’s the kind of player, like me (when Young was Joe Montana’s backup), you’re going to come in and create a little bit of havoc, right? And ignite teams. You can have Tom Brady, and as his backup, you really want someone who can ignite. What’s a better word? Be very creative.” Disrupter? “Disrupter, that’s fair.” Billick: “For the backup to be a guy that’s kind of a runaround guy ... who can come into the game and maybe change it up, sure, sure, that can be a positive.
“If the starter and backup have similar styles, the backup is a backup for a reason. He’s probably only so good at (running the regular offense). To have a guy that probably hasn’t taken any reps during the year or during the week, to think he’s going to come in and execute that (regular) offense, some people would say, ‘Nah, give me a guy that can run around and kind of make things happen.’ You could look at it either way.” Bennett: “You can get a defense on its heels with a completely different change of strategy.”
Back to the main issue. Does Kaepernick’s skill set fit today’s NFL game? Moon: “I think his skill set fits in today. He was an explosive player, and that’s one of the things that made him unique, he had that extra ability to do things with his legs . ... That opened up more passing lanes. If he could have that same type of explosiveness, yes, he can be a really good quarterback in today’s game because a lot of that readoption stuff and things they’re doing now is what he was doing way back when he started to become successful . ... But does he still have that same explosiveness to be a threat coming off that edge?”
Bennett: “I think (Kaepernick’s skills fit) more so now than even in 2016, to be honest with you. You look at what Lamar Jackson has been able to do, with the dual threat, and Russell Wilson has always been good with the arm, but great with the legs. Not just running down the field, but keeping plays alive, and I think Kaepernick in a system that allows him to book it outside and make plays with his legs, I think he’s as relevant as ever.
“(People questioned Kaepernick’s accuracy but) I think he was accurate enough to win games. I don’t think he’s going to be a Tom Brady ever ... but he’s definitely accurate enough to play in the NFL. And when you run like he does, you’re going to see a lot more mantoman coverage, and that leads to, guess what, guys are more open when it’s oneonone versus these heavy sitback zones, and he’s got eight guys in coverage and three men rushing . ... If you can stretch the field with both your legs and your arm, you’re going to have easier windows to throw into.”
Young: “(Coaches now) design stuff for (running quarterbacks). That’s why I’m so jealous. I’m not bitter, I’m not the bitter old guy, but I am jealous. I really am jealous of the opportunity to play in the space that’s been created ... (and) the rules have allowed so much more space for receivers to be open.
“The flat’s not covered, the middle of the field is not (full of ) traffic anymore, or patrolled. There’s just so much, if you could cause some indecision with an RPO or the long play fakes from the shotgun, it would be so much fun to play right now.
“There’s going to a learning curve (for Kaepernick), challenges, and competition. You think about what he did early on. He played like eight games in a row and I’m like, ‘Colin, has anyone hit you yet?’ ‘No.’ That (playoff ) game against the Green Bay Packers, he ran for 180 yards, I go, ‘Colin, you know it’s harder than that, right? You know it gets harder.’
“Who had a more explosive start (to a career)? The game inevitably challenges you in every way, right? As a quarterback, everyone goes through it.
“I’ve said this all along, that for 64 (NFL quarterback) jobs, there’s no question that he should be in the mix to try to take one of those jobs. I look forward to that. There’s no reason not to give him an opportunity to see what he could go do, see what he could accomplish.”