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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/08/18/nfl-colin-kaepernick-san-francisco-49ers
Fixing Colin Kaepernick
The 49ers’ QB has fundamental flaws in his game. If he can’t take the next step, he may end up joining the mass exodus in San Francisco
by Andy Benoit
There are fundamental flaws to Kaepernick’s quarterbacking. His footwork is erratic. That stems from unsettledness in the pocket. If his first read is not immediately defined as open, Kaepernick is likely to abandon the play design, even if he’s yet to fully complete his drop-back. He’s an explosive mover, but also a stiff one.
Defenses don’t necessarily mind him breaking down and going out of structure the way they mind Russell Wilson doing this. Wilson can hurt you in a variety of ways on the move. Kaepernick is a limited passer while on the move and prone to mistakes; he’s not nearly as effective outside the pocket as his raw physical abilities might suggest.
Kaepernick has only made 45 starts (six of them in the playoffs). Typically, that’s not quite enough to judge an NFL quarterback. (Many say the number is 50 regular-season starts.) But he’s been so cemented in his style and has made such little progress toward correcting his issues that rendering judgment feels safe.
So Kaepernick is what he is. The question the Niners will face in 2016 and beyond is: Can we work with and around Kaepernick long-term? The answer will depend largely on the answer to 2015’s question, which is: How do we play with and around him?
It’s imperative they simplify the system. For the most part, Harbaugh and previous offensive coordinator Greg Roman did a great job with this, putting Kaepernick in a power run-based offense. (Though the Niners last year became less consistent on the ground and the coaches at times drifted away from that M.O.)
New coordinator Geep Chryst is expected to run a very rudimentary scheme, which is a plus. Chrystmust concoct plays that clearly define Kaepernick’s initial read. When given the comforting clarity, Kaepernick’s raw talent shines. Otherwise his play becomes randomized.
We talk all the time about defining reads for these young, raw, mobile quarterbacks. What does that mean? In Kaepernick’s case, a defined read needs to be a play that presents an immediate either/or decision. Unrefined at going through multiple progressions, Kaepernick is going to treat every play like an either/or decision anyway (either he throws to the first option, or he breaks down and moves in hopes of figuring something else out along the way).
One concept that’s conducive to this is play-action. The QB fakes the handoff and then, depending on the type of fake, he has either a safety or linebacker to read upon turning around to face the defense again. If the safety or linebacker has fallen for the fake, throw downfield. If not, check it down. Or run, depending on the design.
Another way to create a defined read is to use three-step timing on passes; the nature of the routes and blocking compels the quarterback to get rid of the ball in less than two seconds. Kaepernick, however, isn’t the sharpest pre-snap reader, doesn’t always unleash the ball on time here.
Screen passes are another option. There, the timing is a little less stringent and the play design almost always presents only one possible option.
The Niners have done these things over the years. However, GM Trent Baalke didn’t necessarily provide the type of weapons most conducive to this approach. Wideouts Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Stevie Johnson and Brandon Lloyd, for example, were quality players, but all pretty much the same: intermediate possession targets.
This year, Boldin is back—and he’s still capable of making contested catches, which is why he’ll remain Kaepernick’s go-to guy in critical situations—but Torrey Smith is now lining up on the other side. The ex-Raven is a straight-line speedster who provides a vertical element to this offense. His presence will stress defenses and impact how the safeties are used. This makes coverages clearer, serving to help define a read.
The signing of Reggie Bush is also part of the equation. He won’t be the featured back—second-year pro Carlos Hyde is ready for those duties—but he will get meaningful snaps as a movable chess piece. Defenses will have to take special account for Bush.
How they go about this will often tip the coverage—yet another way of creating defined looks for the quarterback. And Bush, though not as explosive at 30 as he was a few years ago, is still viable on screens and short area options routes. More read-defining tactics.
Along these same lines, you can also expect increased snaps for last year’s fourth-round pick Bruce Ellington, a lightning strike of a wideout who can be deployed on gadget plays. Gadgets equal defined reads.
If the passing game doesn’t take this simpler, more concise shape, the Niners will struggle to sustain drives. Hyde, who has good balance for a 230-pounder, might be ready for a feature role, but with two new starters along the O-line (left guard Brandon Thomas and, tentatively, right tackle Erik Pears), he won’t be running behind the same quality of man-blocking that Gore ran behind.
That’s why it’s important for Chryst to also incorporate more designed runs for Kaepernick. (Too many of Kaepernick’s 639 rushing yards last season came off scrambles.) Needless to say, designed runs are about as defined as reads get.
Fixing Colin Kaepernick
The 49ers’ QB has fundamental flaws in his game. If he can’t take the next step, he may end up joining the mass exodus in San Francisco
by Andy Benoit
There are fundamental flaws to Kaepernick’s quarterbacking. His footwork is erratic. That stems from unsettledness in the pocket. If his first read is not immediately defined as open, Kaepernick is likely to abandon the play design, even if he’s yet to fully complete his drop-back. He’s an explosive mover, but also a stiff one.
Defenses don’t necessarily mind him breaking down and going out of structure the way they mind Russell Wilson doing this. Wilson can hurt you in a variety of ways on the move. Kaepernick is a limited passer while on the move and prone to mistakes; he’s not nearly as effective outside the pocket as his raw physical abilities might suggest.
Kaepernick has only made 45 starts (six of them in the playoffs). Typically, that’s not quite enough to judge an NFL quarterback. (Many say the number is 50 regular-season starts.) But he’s been so cemented in his style and has made such little progress toward correcting his issues that rendering judgment feels safe.
So Kaepernick is what he is. The question the Niners will face in 2016 and beyond is: Can we work with and around Kaepernick long-term? The answer will depend largely on the answer to 2015’s question, which is: How do we play with and around him?
It’s imperative they simplify the system. For the most part, Harbaugh and previous offensive coordinator Greg Roman did a great job with this, putting Kaepernick in a power run-based offense. (Though the Niners last year became less consistent on the ground and the coaches at times drifted away from that M.O.)
New coordinator Geep Chryst is expected to run a very rudimentary scheme, which is a plus. Chrystmust concoct plays that clearly define Kaepernick’s initial read. When given the comforting clarity, Kaepernick’s raw talent shines. Otherwise his play becomes randomized.
We talk all the time about defining reads for these young, raw, mobile quarterbacks. What does that mean? In Kaepernick’s case, a defined read needs to be a play that presents an immediate either/or decision. Unrefined at going through multiple progressions, Kaepernick is going to treat every play like an either/or decision anyway (either he throws to the first option, or he breaks down and moves in hopes of figuring something else out along the way).
One concept that’s conducive to this is play-action. The QB fakes the handoff and then, depending on the type of fake, he has either a safety or linebacker to read upon turning around to face the defense again. If the safety or linebacker has fallen for the fake, throw downfield. If not, check it down. Or run, depending on the design.
Another way to create a defined read is to use three-step timing on passes; the nature of the routes and blocking compels the quarterback to get rid of the ball in less than two seconds. Kaepernick, however, isn’t the sharpest pre-snap reader, doesn’t always unleash the ball on time here.
Screen passes are another option. There, the timing is a little less stringent and the play design almost always presents only one possible option.
The Niners have done these things over the years. However, GM Trent Baalke didn’t necessarily provide the type of weapons most conducive to this approach. Wideouts Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Stevie Johnson and Brandon Lloyd, for example, were quality players, but all pretty much the same: intermediate possession targets.
This year, Boldin is back—and he’s still capable of making contested catches, which is why he’ll remain Kaepernick’s go-to guy in critical situations—but Torrey Smith is now lining up on the other side. The ex-Raven is a straight-line speedster who provides a vertical element to this offense. His presence will stress defenses and impact how the safeties are used. This makes coverages clearer, serving to help define a read.
The signing of Reggie Bush is also part of the equation. He won’t be the featured back—second-year pro Carlos Hyde is ready for those duties—but he will get meaningful snaps as a movable chess piece. Defenses will have to take special account for Bush.
How they go about this will often tip the coverage—yet another way of creating defined looks for the quarterback. And Bush, though not as explosive at 30 as he was a few years ago, is still viable on screens and short area options routes. More read-defining tactics.
Along these same lines, you can also expect increased snaps for last year’s fourth-round pick Bruce Ellington, a lightning strike of a wideout who can be deployed on gadget plays. Gadgets equal defined reads.
If the passing game doesn’t take this simpler, more concise shape, the Niners will struggle to sustain drives. Hyde, who has good balance for a 230-pounder, might be ready for a feature role, but with two new starters along the O-line (left guard Brandon Thomas and, tentatively, right tackle Erik Pears), he won’t be running behind the same quality of man-blocking that Gore ran behind.
That’s why it’s important for Chryst to also incorporate more designed runs for Kaepernick. (Too many of Kaepernick’s 639 rushing yards last season came off scrambles.) Needless to say, designed runs are about as defined as reads get.
