The San Francisco 49ers are a mess in almost every possible way and position on the field, but the man who gets more criticism than anyone, Colin Kaepernick, should be fed to the wolves for the sake of change because it’s not going to help.
Blaine Gabbert, the backup quarterback, has experience as a starter. Maybe he has even improved, finally getting time to develop without the pressure of being the savior of a franchise. But is he better than Kaepernick? We’re not likely to find out, and the answer is probably no anyway. Gabbert never showed anything special while in Jacksonville, and even if he has matured and improved, the ceiling is a very limited one for him.
Kaepernick is posting horrendous numbers, alongside the 49ers losing three straight, scoring just 10 points in the last two games and reaching the 20-point mark just once this season. He has thrown just two touchdown passes compared with five interceptions, posting a 67.7 passer rating and 38.6 QBR. He has been sacked 14 times, as just Alex Smith and Russell Wilson have been brought down more times. Only Ryan Mallett and Andrew Luck have posted a worse passer rating so far this season, and he’s 26th in the league in total QBR.
What about his famous running ability? Hasn’t it been getting him out of trouble? He does have 195 rushing yards, averaging 5.9 per carry, with one touchdown as well. But that’s not going to get the 49ers out of the where they are, which is a very low and very bad place, that’s probably going to be their “home” for a while. And yet Kaepernick, for all of his problems and inconsistencies, isn’t the issue here. Gabbert isn’t going to “save” the franchise.
It begins with a front office that parted ways with a great head coach, and hired someone who has never been a coordinator. It continues with a mass exodus of players, some of it because they saw who they’re going to be playing for and didn’t want to be a part of the new future of the franchise. There’s the alienation of fans with professional moves, but also with the new stadium that seems to be a place no one wants to be in, unless you’re a fan of the opposing team.
The offensive line is probably the biggest professional, on-field issue the Niners have, although there’s a chance it has something to do with a subpar coaching staff. Kaepernick is making mistakes, but he isn’t getting any time to attempt to make reads, or get the ball downfield, or for wide receivers to chalk up some distance. The results are some very embarrassing possessions and pitiful results. Kaepernick is part of the problem, not The problem, and moving him to the bench, which is often the beginning of the end for a quarterback at a team, isn’t going to make things any better.