FanPost

Let's be really honest about Kap

The last couple of weeks Colin Kaepernick has been somewhat trending on Twitter because of all the injuries to QBs in the NFL. The problem that is being pointed out is that he has not been given a workout or even had his agent's phone calls returned.

I've read that teams don't want to deal with him because of the drama, well this isn't true. Antonio Brown (until today), Kareem Hunt, Tyreek Hill, Patrick Chung, and Chad Kelly all had or have a lot of drama that has followed them and they were signed in the middle of this drama.

I've read that it's been too long since he played in the NFL. This also is wrong. His last game was during the 2016 which was only 2 seasons ago. He missed 2017 and 2018 because he was being black balled by the NFL. Michael Vick missed 2 seasons, almost all of that spent behind bars in a federal prison. He was signed by the Eagles 3 weeks after he was released from prison.

Josh Johnson has spent a lot of time between teams to include being a backup to Kap. He hadn't thrown a pass in the NFL since 2011 when he was signed by Washington last year.

Next people will want to talk about talent. Are you telling me that Kap isn't better than:

Matt Barkley
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Luke Falk
David Fales
Brian Hoyer
Ryan Tannehill
AJ McCarron
Alex McGough
Brandon Allen
Matt Moore
Mike Glennon
DeShone Kizer
Cooper Rush
Josh McCown
Nate Sudfeld
Chase Daniel
Jeff Driskel
Tim Boyle
Sean Mannion
Kyle Allen
Blaine Gabbert
Ryan Griffin
Blake Bortles
Geno Smith

Let's talk about stats. Yes Colin Kaepernick had a 4 INT game in Week 3 of 2015. Guess what, the following QBs have had multiple 4 INT games and are still employed in the NFL (http://pfref.com/tiny/VkHw8):

Brees x3
Brady x6
Dalton x2
Fitzpatrick x4
Flacco x2
Manning x6
Newton x2
Rivers x2
Roethlisberger x3
Ryan x2
Stafford x5
Winston x3

Did you know if you divided his 69 games played into seasons, you get 4.3125. Then divide his 12,271 yards passing into season average and that would be 2845 yards, 16.7 TDs, 6.95 INTs per season. That's not too bad for a mid tier QB.

If you look at the 2 full seasons (2013-14), he averaged 3200 yards, 20 TDs, 9 INTs. These are good numbers for a QB with a strong supporting cast.

So now I need to be completely honest about how I feel about Colin Kaepernick. I have been a fan of him since I saw the ESPN Sport Science segment before the 2011 draft. His raw skills were far better than anyone else during this segment. While I know very little about evaluating a QB, he seemed like he would fit the 49ers perfectly and he could learn from Alex Smith. I was extremely excited to see him get selected by the 49ers. I couldn't wait to see him on the field. The 2011 preseason was rough. He was sacked 8 times & threw 5 INTs w/ no TDs. I wasn't concerned because it was a new offense to whole team. It didn't help w/ lockout.

Training Camp 2012 I was luck enough to visit a practice. Colin was very humble and he signed autographs for everyone after practice. That preseason was a lot better. He went 25/39 for 297 yards, 2 TDs, no INT, and only 2 sacks for a QB rating of 104.3. Of course we all know what happened that season. He took over when Alex Smith got hurt and balled out. The NFL could not stop him. He made so many amazing plays that he was considered one of the best players in the league within a couple of weeks.

2013 was another really good season for Colin. The team went 12-4 and he threw for 3197 yards, 21 TDs, 8 INT.

2014 was a pretty good season for him as well but the team went 8-8. He threw for 3369 yards, 19 TDs, 10 INT.

Then the team fired Harbaugh....

2015 was tough because he was hurt and the offense was terrible. Geep Chryst was not qualified to be an OC and Jim Tomsula wasn't ready to be a Head Coach.

Then 2016 happened.

Before the season, the 49ers almost traded him to the Broncos. The only thing that kept him from leaving was the contract. Kap was due $11.9 million but Denver only wanted to pay him $7m and wanted the 49ers to pay the rest. (https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2016/2/25/11055350/colin-kaepernick-trade-request-49ers-combine-rumors)

I was entering my 19th year of Active Duty in the Navy. I was what I thought was a strong conservative.

When I saw the photo of Colin Kaepernick sitting during the National Anthem, I was mad. I had all of the typical reactions you would expect. At this time, my kids had Kaepernick jerseys. I wanted a Kaepernick jersey. My favorite players were Patrick Willis and Colin Kaepernick. I couldn't understand what was happening. Why would he do this to the country? Did he not respect what I was doing in the military?

Then I heard him talk. I still didn't understand. Then I heard him talk again, this time I tried to listen to what he was saying more. I was still mad. Then Nate Boyer, an Army Green Beret convinced him to kneel instead of sit and stood next to Kap. It's stupid that it took this long but I started to listen. I shut my mouth, I put my bias aside and I listened. I started to realize that I was wrong. That I needed to take a step back and look at the real reasons behind this.
There was no disrespect for the military or even the country. It was to bring attention to something that happens everywhere and needs to stop. The more I read, the more I listened, the more I realized that Kap was doing the right thing. 2016 was a tough season but the only bright spot was Kap. While the team went 2-14, he played decent while recovering from his injuries. He threw for 2241 yards, 16 TDs, and only 4 INTs over 11 starts.
Many people forget just how bad the talent was on this team.

Starters:
RB - Hyde
WR - Kerley, Patton, Torrey Smith
TE - McDonald
OL - Staley, Beadles, Kilgore, Garnett, Brown
DL - Buckner, Dorsey, Dial
LB - Brooks, Harold, Hodges, Bellore
DB - Brock, Ward, Bethea, Reid

I am a diehard 49ers fan and I wanted them to keep Kap after this season. I know he "doesn't fit" Shanahan's scheme but I thought he was a better option than Hoyer. I will always root for Kap, as long as he's not playing the 49ers. Kap kneeling during the 2016 season has made me reevaluate how I view a lot of things. I am no longer a staunch conservative. I believe that I am not the only person that has changed their views because of the attention he has brought to these issues.

Too many people are too busy using the lies of a few and not the truth that is out there. The reality here is that many of the owners in the NFL are Trump supporters and care more about upsetting him than winning games. This is why Kap is not being contacted about workouts. Not because of skill, not because of "drama", no other reason. It's not right because he was a damn good QB and has proved to be a better person. He has sacrificed what could've been a stellar career to help improve the lives of others.

If you have read this whole thing, thank you.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.