Colin Kaepernick is going to have a workout with NFL
teams Saturday, November 16
th
in Atlanta. Much will be made about it for all the wrong
reasons, most of it for political squabbles about stuff off the field in
regards to Kaepernick’s actions starting in 2016 during the playing of the Star
Spangled Banner before games. After
looking at the details, and what is going on right now in the NFL it may be
more about the acceptance of how Kaepernick plays quarterback.
I have often argued that Kaepernick would have been
able to get a job in the NFL if he didn’t demand to be a starter and wanted
starting quarterback money. NFL owners
want to win, and they will look past many things that happen off the field, no
matter the distraction, if they feel a player can help their team win. The problem with Kaepernick is that his play
wasn’t good enough to be a promised a starting spot after taking the 49ers to
the Super Bowl in 2012-13 and the NFC Championship game after the 2013-14
season. He really struggled from
2014-2016.
I also argue, and this has nothing to do with the
whole “taking a knee” controversy, NFL coaches ruined him, and Robert Griffin
III fell into that same category. After
exploding on the scene their rookie and second seasons, Kaepernick and Griffin
were told, “OK, now that we made adjustments in our offense to fit your game,
we have to make you be a pocket passer; that is how it is done in the NFL.”
That was a huge mistake and cost these guys their
careers as starting quarterbacks. I
never understood why these offensive coordinators wanted to fix these guys when
they weren’t broken. These decisions
cost the coaches their jobs, not just Kaepernick and Griffin their starting
spots.
Now here we sit in 2019, a year after Patrick Mahomes
wins the MVP leading the Kansas City Chiefs to the AFC Championship Game and
Lamar Jackson now making the Baltimore Ravens look like the best team in their conference.
The main reason why, the coaches aren’t making them go away from “their game.”
A game that Kaepernick excelled at with the 49ers less than a decade ago, being
a quarterback that was a threat to run and pass.
The NFL agreed to a settlement with Kaepernick to
avoid a messy lawsuit accusing the league’s 32 teams being in collusion to keep
him out of the league, so there is no reason to feel like they have to sign him
for a better image. In reality the last
thing the NFL wants is to have this divisive figure brought into the fold
especially going into an election year with incumbent President Donald Trump most
likely bringing this up on his Twitter feed.
Believe it or not, Kaepernick’s style of play mirroring a new age quarterback
like Lamar Jackson might actually be the reason they are looking at him,
because no matter what, the teams want guys to help them win games.
