Regarding Kaepernick, I wonder how much of his success is just based on the fact the opponents just don't have tape on him, the same way Cam Newton did well as a rookie, then went into a sophomore slump once teams figured him out. Once teams had the proper intelligence on Newton, they were able to gameplan appropriately, and since then, Newton has looked much more vulnerable than during his rookie year.

That's not to say that Kaepernick isn't necessarily the genuine article, but I'd hold up on anointing him as San Francisco's savior at the QB position, at least until there's enough tape on him for other teams to analyze. At least with Alex Smith, you knew what you had, because tape was already out there; with Kaepernick, you still don't really know how much of his success is attributed to his ability, and how much of it is of teams just not having enough information on him to gameplan properly.

Don't get me wrong; this isn't really an article arguing in favor of Alex Smith over Colin Kaepernick, as much as the an argument that mayhaps more time is necessary for teams to get an idea of how Kaepernick plays and find ways to gameplan against him, and only at that time would it be appropriate to really decide whether he's really going to be the quarterback the Niners need or want in order to move forward. I mean, if he turns out to be mistake-prone under a set of circumstances teams can easily create and exploit, or has a vulnerability many teams can take advantage of, would it really be appropriate for him to be the 49ers quarterback of the future?