The Colin Kaepernick saga has resulted in a host of side discussions about the situation, and quarterbacking across the NFL. The latest comes courtesy of MMQB columnist Andy Benoit. He tweeted on Tuesday that he would be the worst starter in the NFL, and the 15th best backup. NFL analyst Cian Fahey asked him what backups are better than him, and Benoit listed out the following.
Backups better than Kap: Garoppolo, Matt Moore, Colt McCoy, McCarron, Henne, Geno Smith, Stanton, Osweiler/Kessler, Chase Daniel.... https://t.co/o59dDDdfQ7
— Andy Benoit (@Andy_Benoit) June 7, 2017
..... Derek Anderson, Foles, Mallett, Barkley, Landry Jones, Matt Cassel https://t.co/o59dDDdfQ7
— Andy Benoit (@Andy_Benoit) June 7, 2017
That has gotten tongues wagging on Twitter. Benoit offered some defenses, talking about how Kaepernick is more talented than some of these other quarterbacks, but would not be a better option than them. Twitter is not ideal for making the most extensive of points, so Benoit offered up a more detailed write-up over at MMQB. Quality synergy between social media and website!
Benoit offered up a repeat of many of the points he brought up in March 2016 when he predicted Kaepernick would be out of the league sooner rather than later. While there are plenty of debates to be had about the black-ball side of the Kaepernick equation, I am comfortable saying that Benoit’s are not related to that. Rather, he is continuing on some of the points he has made about Kaepernick as a quarterback.
Doug Farrar offered up his own take on Kaepernick’s ability back in late March. He came to a different conclusion than Benoit. While he certainly was not suggesting Kaepernick was a great quarterback, he did think he deserved another shot to compete for a starting role. It shows you how drastically different two people can see the same film. And when it is subjective and we don’t know what’s going through a player’s head or what’s in the playbook, it makes it that much more difficult.
That being said, I’d love to see a survey of NFL coaches asking if they would take Kaepernick over guys like Geno Smith and Ryan Mallett, just to name a couple. Kaepernick is a flawed quarterback who needs some of the right things around him. But if your life depended on a quarterback coming in to replace a starter and get a win, I’d be much more inclined to take Kaepernick over guys like Smith and Mallett. Sure Kaepernick is not an ideal fit for every offense out there, but it’s hard for me to see Kaepernick being a worse option than some of the quarterbacks Benoit listed.