I kinda think he is the weakest link on the 49ers, but I never really questioned his character, especially after they did a bunch of stories on his upbringing last year. And I have to admit, that Beats by Dre commercial even has me thinking he's The Man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ttsx5squWg
Even thought about buying some wireless Beats. The power of advertising! :biggrin: Anyways, cant wait for this Sunday! I just hope Seattle and SF dont beat each other up too much so they can roll the AFC winner in the Superbowl.
Weakest link? Really? The dude was top 10 in QBR without his best receiver for 10 games.
Weakest link? You mean how he put up 45 points on the Packers in the 2012 playoffs - more than double the average the Packers allowed in the regular season and on his way to breaking numerous records? He then accounted for over 300 yards in Green Bay this playoffs in one of the coldest games ever. How he willed his team back from a 17 point first quarter deficit against the Falcons in last year's championship game?
The Niner's o-line is overrated. It's not any better than the Broncos or Seahawks and barely better than many other teams. The o-line isn't what makes Kaepernick good. They are good in the rush but average or below average in pass protection. And Gore is also overrated. Gore can be shut down quite easily nowadays. He's definitely lost a step and doesn't compare to running backs like Charles, McCoy, Peterson, Lynch, etc.
In this year's playoffs, he has a QBR of 88 in GB(one of the coldest games ever) and 77 in Carolina(the second best defense in the NFL). A QBR of 77 is the second highest the Panthers gave up all-season. The first? Drew Brees at 90.
When he's needed, he has delivered with both his arm and his legs. Greg Roman, the offensive coordinator is extremely conservative with his play calling even with Andrew Luck at Stanford. His raw stats would look a lot better if they played a gunslinger type of offense. When you look at Kaepernick's raw stats, it isn't great but when you look at his efficiency overall, he's been superb and one of the top QBs in the league. And he's even better in the playoffs.
Do I think Kaepernick can air it out like Manning, Brady, Ryan can right now? No. But I think his passing will get better. Matt Ryan said it took him 6 years to fully grasp the QB position.
Kaepernick has shown that he can win anywhere and in any condition. His arm strength allows him to throw in the weather and his legs allow him to do things very few QBs in the history can do.
When people criticize Kaepernick for his play this season, they should look at Russell Wilson. Wilson has a lower QBR. His play the last 5 games is abysmal and far below average. In fact, without his defense giving him the ball at the opponents' 40 yard line every time, he can't score on anybody.
I wouldn't trade Kaepernick for anybody.