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According to a friend of mine (@robbyrasviews for cigar aficionados), Ron Jaworski was on television recently and said Colin Kaepernick has the ability to be the best quarterback in the NFL. Jaws apparently noted Kaepernick's accuracy, size and speed combination, as well as his cannon of an arm. According to Rob, Jaws also believes Kaepernick will evolve into more of a pocket passer as time goes on, exposing him to fewer hits.
That's certainly a bold statement, although Jaws is often one to make some bold statements.
Prior to getting down to New Orleans, I was contacted by somebody about a charity party hosted by Jaws. After some asking around, I scored a media invite to the party, which was his fourth annual Cigar Party. Jaws hosts the party in the host city of the Super Bowl, and uses it to raise funds for his charity, which benefits at-risk youth. His charity is focused in the greater Philadelphia area, but the funds raised at the party are split between Philadelphia and the Super Bowl host city. For tonight's party, he was working with United Way of Southeast Louisiana.
While at the party, I got a few minutes to chat with Jaws. He really is quite as gregarious in person as he appears on television. He had a lot of guests to accomodate so I did not get a lot of time to chat with him. However, in my time, I did make sure and ask him about his comments regarding Kaepernick. I specifically asked him what he thought were the areas where Kap needed to improve. His response was simple: experience.
In his view, Kaepernick has all the tools, and really just needs to gain more time on the field. He emphasized that he felt Kap could end up in the pantheon of all-time greats because he has the tools to do just about anything as a quarterback. It may have been a bit of beer-inspired hyperbole, but I'll take it!
Even if Jaws was being a bit hyperbolic, experience really is so critical for a young quarterback, given how much a player can learn just from experiencing a variety of situations. You see how defenses handle certain situations, and you learn what you need to do to adjust on various plays.
If I did have to point to an area where Kap could improve, it would be the fact that he stares down receivers a little too frequently at times. He's got the arm to fire the ball past defenders anyway, but the stare-down is something he will need to work on. Hopefully he is able to avoid that this Sunday against a smart, veteran Ravens defense.
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