GameDay: Kaepernick Not The Answer For 49ers - Yet
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) - Three weeks ago Colin Kaepernick could have been the caddy for John Daly. I mean, NOBODY knew who this guy was outside of the Bay Area. Suddenly, he's Joe Montana. No, wait, he can run. He's Steve Young!
The 49ers have a full-blown QB controversy created not by Jim Harbaugh or Alex Smith, but by the Kapper himself. Does this guy know how to throw a coming out party or what? I swear when he left the field the other night I heard the announcer say "Elvis has left the building."
While Kaepernick seems to possess a skill set above that of Alex Smith, I'm not quite ready to anoint him the second coming of number 8. As my broadcast partner Tim Ryan so astutely pontificated, "Let's see how the defense reacts after five games."
Experience counts for something and right now that belongs to Alex Smith. When Kaepernick picked up the low snap from center and then rushed his throw into the arms of Patrick Robinson, it was a perfect example of a young quarterback making a mistake that Alex wouldn't have made. Take the sack, not the pick.
But anyone's who's seen Kaepernick knows he has the "it" factor. Kaepernick is electric. The arm, the legs, the confidence, I can go on. It's a small sample, but it's a positive test.
The greatest benefit of Kaepernick's emergence is that the 49ers now know he can play football and play it well. In an era where concussions are more common than a balanced budget, two high-quality quarterbacks are simply better than one. The 49ers scored a huge bonus without adding a dime, spending a draft pick, or holding a press conference. The concussion was Alex's pain but it's clearly the 49ers gain.
I've often wondered what the 49ers would be like if the offense could match the defense. Game on.
See you on TV.
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