Kaep extends with 49ers

[amfootball]

At this point it's all speculation. We'll see what happens with Brady as it happens. I just don't think his contract is a precedent for anything, and I only mentioned him because he could potentially get a new deal with more money, which would influence the QB market.

I think it is a precedent for cap management and if he does play under it the next 3 seasons then he will be playing at a considerably lower amount than any other HoF QB before him. It is the first of its kind contract as far as I know. I don't know of one comparable.

[SilentHill]

 

 

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/6530/colin-kaepernick

 

Colin Kaepernick's new contract is a year-to-year deal.

Armchair GMs that spent Wednesday bashing the 49ers for the "$126 million" deal with "$61 million guaranteed" need to click the link below. Essentially, the Niners can cut Kaepernick before April 1 of each year without owing any more money -- so the actual guarantee is just $13 million ($12.3M signing bonus, $645K '14 base salary, $100K '14 workout bonus). There is also a de-escalator in the contract that can only be halted if Kaepernick takes the team to the Super Bowl or he is named first- or second-team All-Pro. A source tells Pro Football Talk that San Francisco is "thrilled" with the pact.

 

 

Ok, so the deal isn't that bad, they shouldn't use terms like 61m guaranteed when it is "year to year"

[SilentHill]

I think it is a precedent for cap management and if he does play under it the next 3 seasons then he will be playing at a considerably lower amount than any other HoF QB before him. It is the first of its kind contract as far as I know. I don't know of one comparable.

 

People say Brady doesn't take pay cuts, but when even Sam Bradford is making more than Brady, I have to say I love the guy's dedication to the team.

[Superman]

Ok, so the deal isn't that bad, they shouldn't use terms like 61m guaranteed when it is "year to year"

Yup. I've been complaining about that for a couple years now.

Whoever leaks the news will use whatever terms they prefer to make themselves look better. Usually, so-called guaranteed money isn't truly guaranteed, but the agent wants to attract attention, and earn a reputation for getting his client record money. But the devil is in the details, always.

[Superman]

People say Brady doesn't take pay cuts, but when even Sam Bradford is making more than Brady, I have to say I love the guy's dedication to the team.

The rub is that Sam Bradford isn't making more than Brady.

Brady will make over $40m between 2013-14. Bradford wil make $23m.

[Superman]

I think it is a precedent for cap management and if he does play under it the next 3 seasons then he will be playing at a considerably lower amount than any other HoF QB before him. It is the first of its kind contract as far as I know. I don't know of one comparable.

Let's see what happens. As it stands now, there's a lot that can change.

[lollygagger8]

All I know is Kap better knock it out of the park after this. 

[Valpo2004]

Big mistake IMO, Kap is overrated.

[rsrobinson]

I agree with this. Kaep was pretty good vs the Seahwaks this past year as well despite the TOs at the end. He has strapped that O to his back the last couple of playoffs and could have easily had a ring if not for the terrible play calling by Harbaugh inside the 10 vs the Ravens. He has a pretty powerful skillset despite some accuracy issues. He also is mentally tough as well. I think he is worth it but then again I am in favor of paying QBs. You have to the right guy at the helm and franchise Qbs just don't come around often especially in the second round.

Kaepernick was a turnover machine against the Seahawks this season. In three games he threw six picks and lost two fumbles. In four career starts against the Seahawks he is 1-3, has 3 TD passes, 7 INTs, 2 lost fumbles, 8 sacks, and a QB rating of 54. In the NFCCG he passed for only 153 yards and turned the ball over 3 times. His early success in that game came largely on his legs but once the Seahawks adjusted by having LB Bruce Irvin spy on him and taking away the run Kaepernick was largely ineffective and the Seahawks outscored the 49ers 23-7 the remainder of the game.

The bottom line is that Kaepernick has been flat out bad against the Seattle defense. It's the polar opposite for the Packers who seem to have no clue how to defend him.

Having said that, he has a world of talent and I think this is a pretty good deal for the 49ers. The $61M guarantee is only for injury and the 49ers have the option of getting out of it each year if he underperforms.

[Jason_]

Here's yet another reason to think you're right and I'm wrong........

 

Mike Wells writes that he expects Wilson to get $20 Mill.     (Kiss of death.....)

 

Wilson will now get more -- a lot more.    And so will Luck....

 

<<sigh....>>

 

one more reason...Luck plays for Irsay's team.  Jim Irsay seems to like flaunting his wallet and making certain guys the highest paid at their position.  I believe it happened with Bob Sanders, it happened with Freeney, Irsay said he was going to make it happen with Manning and then he bragged about making it happen with Cherilus.  Prior to Cherilus, I had hoped that this was more on Polian, even though I never really believed that.  I always suspected that Irsay had a hand in those huge contracts and imo the Cherilus contract, and the fact that Irsay took to Twitter to brag about making Cherilus the highest paid RT in the league, proves to me that Irsay was involved in those contracts.

[amfootball]

Kaepernick was a turnover machine against the Seahawks this season. In three games he threw six picks and lost two fumbles. In four career starts against the Seahawks he is 1-3, has 3 TD passes, 7 INTs, 2 lost fumbles, 8 sacks, and a QB rating of 54. In the NFCCG he passed for only 153 yards and turned the ball over 3 times. His early success in that game came largely on his legs but once the Seahawks adjusted by having LB Bruce Irvin spy on him and taking away the run Kaepernick was largely ineffective and the Seahawks outscored the 49ers 23-7 the remainder of the game.

The bottom line is that Kaepernick has been flat out bad against the Seattle defense. It's the polar opposite for the Packers who seem to have no clue how to defend him.

Having said that, he has a world of talent and I think this is a pretty good deal for the 49ers. The $61M guarantee is only for injury and the 49ers have the option of getting out of it each year if he underperforms.

Yeah the Seahawks made a lot of teams look bad. But to the extent that the niners were even in the NFCCG with a chance to win in the end was largely because of Kaep and his running early on as you noted and some timely passes as well. I think he is the proto QB for this era - a guy that is big, fast as lightning and has a big arm. He will round out his accuracy and pocket presence I think as well especially with Harbaugh coaching him. I think it is a good deal also.

[BpG]

I knew when I came in here that the level of spoiled brat syndrome would be off the charts. "I've been driving a Mercedes, a Cadillac is just terrible and overpriced." I was not mistaken....so easy for a fan base that has had Manning and Luck the past two decades to say Kaep is over rated. 

 

2 NFC Championship games and a Superbowl say otherwise. They were one play away from winning the Superbowl. What he lacks in pure passing skills he makes up for in dynamic play making ability. Without him, they would have gotten blown out in last years NFC championship game, he was the only player who was making anything happen. Their run game, stuffed, WR, not getting open, Kaep was the only guy making plays. 

 

You lock up your QB, period. The last decent QB they had was Jeff Garcia. They let Kaep walk over a contract? and they will be on the road to drafting Alex Smith again. 

 

It's also a very good deal for the team. 

[BOTT]

It's definitely a risk, but I think the Niners can project Kaepernick to be a star level QB. It makes sense to do so. 

 

I think the yearly average is a little high. Even at $18m/year, it's kind of steep. Apparently, incentives can take it higher than that. Very costly. And with his legal situation unclear, and him being under contract for another year, I think I might have waited before doing this deal. But I get it.

Honestly, I may be overreacting to his play this past season when compared to my expectations. I really thought he would be a viable candidate for the MVP, which may have been a tad much for a QB with his experience. But that lack of experience would also make me very hesitant when handing out this type of deal, but like you, I get it.

[BOTT]

That's not true.  They, including Kaep, got to the title game last year, and the title game and the SB the year before.

Yes, I was talking about with Kaepernick at QB. Their first title game was with Smith.

[amfootball]

Honestly, I may be overreacting to his play this past season when compared to my expectations. I really thought he would be a viable candidate for the MVP, which may have been a tad much for a QB with his experience. But that lack of experience would also make me very hesitant when handing out this type of deal, but like you, I get it.

I was too but some of that expectation had to do with media folk like Jaws saying he was the best QB in the game based on 10 games that he started. What I did like about last year is even though he struggled early in the season, he really led the niners down the stretch and into the playoffs. Had he been able to pull out that game vs the hawks, he would have won 3 road games to get back to the bowl. As it was, he went into Gb and beat Rodgers and then gave Carolina a pretty good thumping.

[Shane Bond]

I don't know the fuss here.

When Tony Romo can cross 100 millions, Kaep deserves it hands down.

[BOTT]

The comparison to Sanchez is comical.

 

I get that you don't think that much of Kaep. But you still have no said (or maybe I missed it) who you would like to have and what you would be willing to pay for that QB. You said you don't like Flacco, Romo, Cutler who are all making as much or more than Kaep. Guys like Wilson and Newton are going to make as much or more than Kaep. Do you only think teams should pay for the elite like Brady, Manning, Brees and Rodgers? I mean that is only 4 guys. And the last two SB winners have been Flacco and Wilson. So, I am wondering how you see the QB position in terms of talent vs pay. Because even guys you think that are all not that good are getting north of $15 mil.

The fact that you think I was comparing Kaepernick to Sancheez as a player is comical. I brought up Sanchez because you used a tired and lazy example of Kaepernick's accomplishments....which are actually team accomplishments.

And I do like Kaepernick, I just though his play last season, compared to my expectations, was disappointing. I even said on this board that trading Smith was a no brainer...because I thought Kaepernick was that good. Bit if I was going to hand out that type of deal I would want to be very confident in his abilities.....not gambling on it.

As far as pay...I just think there is a major drop off from the truly elite guys and everyone else....but the the 2nd tier guys are getting paid as though there isn't a huge difference. There is just this typical nfl group think of "well, we have to pay them"....and I'm not sure that is true....especially if the teams success is predicated on having a deep and talented roster like SF, Seattle, and the Bengals.

[BOTT]

I was too but some of that expectation had to do with media folk like Jaws saying he was the best QB in the game based on 10 games that he started. What I did like about last year is even though he struggled early in the season, he really led the niners down the stretch and into the playoffs. Had he been able to pull out that game vs the hawks, he would have won 3 road games to get back to the bowl. As it was, he went into Gb and beat Rodgers and then gave Carolina a pretty good thumping.

Jaws made that silly comment after the opener vs the packers. I felt that way because of his play late last season and into the playoffs. You can't deny the raw talent, but I'm still waiting for cutler to reach his potential.....

[BOTT]

I knew when I came in here that the level of spoiled brat syndrome would be off the charts. "I've been driving a Mercedes, a Cadillac is just terrible and overpriced." I was not mistaken....so easy for a fan base that has had Manning and Luck the past two decades to say Kaep is over rated. 

 

2 NFC Championship games and a Superbowl say otherwise. They were one play away from winning the Superbowl. What he lacks in pure passing skills he makes up for in dynamic play making ability. Without him, they would have gotten blown out in last years NFC championship game, he was the only player who was making anything happen. Their run game, stuffed, WR, not getting open, Kaep was the only guy making plays. 

 

You lock up your QB, period. The last decent QB they had was Jeff Garcia. They let Kaep walk over a contract? and they will be on the road to drafting Alex Smith again. 

 

It's also a very good deal for the team.

The same Alex Smith that got the same team to the NFC title....and if not for bad luck maybe the SB? I'm not a big Smith fan, but I think it's fair to point out that Kaepernick plays on a team with an outstanding roster. It's not like he was handed lemons and made lemonade.

[BOTT]

I don't know the fuss here.

When Tony Romo can cross 100 millions, Kaep deserves it hands down.

Put Kaepernick on Dallas and see how many playoff games he wins.

[amfootball]

The fact that you think I was comparing Kaepernick to Sancheez as a player is comical. I brought up Sanchez because you used a tired and lazy example of Kaepernick's accomplishments....which are actually team accomplishments.

And I do like Kaepernick, I just though his play last season, compared to my expectations, was disappointing. I even said on this board that trading Smith was a no brainer...because I thought Kaepernick was that good. Bit if I was going to hand out that type of deal I would want to be very confident in his abilities.....not gambling on it.

As far as pay...I just think there is a major drop off from the truly elite guys and everyone else....but the the 2nd tier guys are getting paid as though there isn't a huge difference. There is just this typical nfl group think of "well, we have to pay them"....and I'm not sure that is true....especially if the teams success is predicated on having a deep and talented roster like SF, Seattle, and the Bengals.

Not sure how it is tired and lazy when Kaep played a much more significant role in his team reaching those big games then Sanchez did for his team.

 

I don't disagree on point two but Kaep will enter his final season after next year so if the niners believe right now he is their guy and clearly they do then it makes sense to wrap him up now. He will only command more money next year if he has another good season and then they could find themselves in a bidding war with other teams.

 

In terms of your third point, that is more of a gripe against the way business is done. I think we all agree these guys are making too much but it is the most important position on the team and it is what the market is commanding. If GMs could pull in the reigns, I am sure they would but there are too many teams that need good QBs so the demand is there.

[amfootball]

Jaws made that silly comment after the opener vs the packers. I felt that way because of his play late last season and into the playoffs. You can't deny the raw talent, but I'm still waiting for cutler to reach his potential.....

To be honest the only QB deal that has really bugged me besides Flacco's has been Cutler's. Romo at least has been a top tier QB in terms of his stats and such but Cutler has been disappointing considering his talent and at least Flacco delivered the Lombardi.

[BOTT]

To be honest the only QB deal that has really bugged me besides Flacco's has been Cutler's. Romo at least has been a top tier QB in terms of his stats and such but Cutler has been disappointing considering his talent and at least Flacco delivered the Lombardi.

Yeah, I don't get the Cutler deal at all. And listening to Chicago radio, neither do their fans.

[Shane Bond]

Put Kaepernick on Dallas and see how many playoff games he wins.

Let's stop with ifs and buts.

Romo single handedly lost many games all in his own power.

[BOTT]

Let's stop with ifs and buts.

Romo single handedly lost many games all in his own power.

Yes, because everything is black and white. Fact is, a lot of factors determine a quarterbacks success.

[dgambill]

But would you rather have Smith, outright? If the answer is no, then you have to recognize how much having a better QB can help your team, and then you grin and bear the extra cost for the better player. 

 

As it stands, I would rather have Kaepernick at $18m/year than Smith at $10m/year, for the same reasons that the Niners decided to make Kaepernick the starter and get rid of Smith.

Exactly. I can't like all your posts because I'm out but your hitting the nail on the head. It's a qb driven league. You need talented signal callers or your not going anywhere. All the teams that made the playoffs have either elite qbs or young up and coming qbs that look well on their way to being that way. KC with Smith is probably the only one that I wouldn't classify in either category and yet he played out of his mind great in that game against us....totally outplayed Luck if your objective about it. I do agree though that no matter the difference in pay..you take elite talent over mediocracy every day of the week. Mediocracy gets you 8-8 and not in the playoffs and yet not high enough to draft difference maker talent at qb. You sit in no man's land forever essentially.

 

None of the above. If GM's wanna keep overpaying non elite quarterbacks that's their problem.

And if you were GM you would probably only last a couple years unless you had a long leash...as would your coach. Without a quality qb your looking at teams like Oakland, Cleveland, Minnesota, Jacksonville, TB. You can have some really good defenses on those teams but it won't matter without a quality starting qb...and if you won't pay the market value for one your stuck with the left overs....feel free to run your team with those guys...but your not going to last long at the bottom of the league unless you get lucky enough to land a Luck, Newton, Wilson, or Ryan when your down there. You can sign these guys like Kaep etc if you do it smart like SF did....they can basically cut ties at any point with him and the hit isn't too bad..but certainly in the mean time you have an asset that can help win games. There is a huge difference between those making backup money and those making basically starter money. Unless you have a qb on his rookie deal that simply is the going rate...if you want to run Chad Heinne and Fitzpatrick and Schaub out there be my guest...but you get what you pay for and unless you plan on fielding the 2000 Ravens or something out there you aren't going to win. Pay for the qb...even overpay thats fine...just don't hamstring your cap when doing it....set it up so you can cut ties if it goes south and you can make a move to get "YOUR" guy if he comes available....else your going to lose alot...and your owner is going to be unhappy with a stadium full of empty seats. The Jags defense is coming along pretty good...but without a qb you saw they still couldn't win and they couldn't sell a ticket. Great defenses help win championships but you have to have a qb that can lead the team down the field and score when it matters....and that requires money. The qb affects EVERY play on offense....there is too much at stake to just throw ground beef out there....and your defense will revolt if they don't see help on the other side of the ball. There is plenty of room in the NFL to pay qbs those salaries and field a good defense too...you need to make good decisions, and have contributors on their rookie salaries but it easily can be done. It just so happened last couple years that weve seen qbs on their rookie salaries with great defenses around them but its just as easy to surround good to great qbs with young rookie talent as well with veterens mixed in. I can almost guarantee there are bad contracts on every team and these qbs aren't the worst on their own teams...and considering how important they are...their (war) is probably much higher than others on their very own team....even elite defensive players.

 

 

 

"It's pretty clear now that the going rate for top 10/15 QBs is now where the elites were paid 5 years ago.  Feels weird to see, but the market is what the market is.  I suppose we can thank Flacco getting the ball rolling on that one."

 

 

It is....but the leagues cap continues to go up....its just inflation really. Sure perhaps the % of teams salary cap is going up a bit more at that position but its going up all over. With it increasing over 10 million this year and set to increase by that much or more each of the next several years..these guys signing now are being done at a discount. Luck will easily command 20-25 million when his comes due. If people think that Peyton is getting too much just wait until Luck gets his.

S.F.'s passing game was ranked 30th overall last year.

 

When you rank in the bottom 3 of passing, that isn't a very good sign for the future.

 

I could make the argument that he's overpaid, but then again all quarterbacks are overpaid in this league, just as all sports players in this country are incredibly overpaid just to play a game.

I disagre. The revenue they bring in they certainly earn their salaries. Supply and demand my friend...the supply of top performing athletes is much less then the demand for them...thus they are able to be paid as they are. While many of us would love to play a game for money....nobody would pay to see us. As for how much the NFL and the owners make...these guys I think are fairly paid....now relative to each other...sure there is a question there. Oh and Kaep didn't have his best receiver for almost the entire season in Crabtree....imagine Brees without Graham..it was similar to Luck losing Wayne basically and we saw how that affected us. SF offense wasn't dynamic...Boldin was fighting injuries as was Davis so clearly that offense suffered. With Crabtree on the field its a different offense and should even be better with Johnson in the slot. I think Kaep has a lot to learn in reading defenses...but he has a lot of potential.

[BOTT]

Exactly. I can't like all your posts because I'm out but your hitting the nail on the head. It's a qb driven league. You need talented signal callers or your not going anywhere. All the teams that made the playoffs have either elite qbs or young up and coming qbs that look well on their way to being that way. KC with Smith is probably the only one that I wouldn't classify in either category and yet he played out of his mind great in that game against us....totally outplayed Luck if your objective about it. I do agree though that no matter the difference in pay..you take elite talent over mediocracy every day of the week. Mediocracy gets you 8-8 and not in the playoffs and yet not high enough to draft difference maker talent at qb. You sit in no man's land forever essentially.

 

And if you were GM you would probably only last a couple years unless you had a long leash...as would your coach. Without a quality qb your looking at teams like Oakland, Cleveland, Minnesota, Jacksonville, TB. You can have some really good defenses on those teams but it won't matter without a quality starting qb...and if you won't pay the market value for one your stuck with the left overs....feel free to run your team with those guys...but your not going to last long at the bottom of the league unless you get lucky enough to land a Luck, Newton, Wilson, or Ryan when your down there. You can sign these guys like Kaep etc if you do it smart like SF did....they can basically cut ties at any point with him and the hit isn't too bad..but certainly in the mean time you have an asset that can help win games. There is a huge difference between those making backup money and those making basically starter money. Unless you have a qb on his rookie deal that simply is the going rate...if you want to run Chad Heinne and Fitzpatrick and Schaub out there be my guest...but you get what you pay for and unless you plan on fielding the 2000 Ravens or something out there you aren't going to win. Pay for the qb...even overpay thats fine...just don't hamstring your cap when doing it....set it up so you can cut ties if it goes south and you can make a move to get "YOUR" guy if he comes available....else your going to lose alot...and your owner is going to be unhappy with a stadium full of empty seats. The Jags defense is coming along pretty good...but without a qb you saw they still couldn't win and they couldn't sell a ticket. Great defenses help win championships but you have to have a qb that can lead the team down the field and score when it matters....and that requires money. The qb affects EVERY play on offense....there is too much at stake to just throw ground beef out there....and your defense will revolt if they don't see help on the other side of the ball. There is plenty of room in the NFL to pay qbs those salaries and field a good defense too...you need to make good decisions, and have contributors on their rookie salaries but it easily can be done. It just so happened last couple years that weve seen qbs on their rookie salaries with great defenses around them but its just as easy to surround good to great qbs with young rookie talent as well with veterens mixed in. I can almost guarantee there are bad contracts on every team and these qbs aren't the worst on their own teams...and considering how important they are...their (war) is probably much higher than others on their very own team....even elite defensive players.

 

 

It's pretty clear now that the going rate for top 10/15 QBs is now where the elites were paid 5 years ago.  Feels weird to see, but the market is what the market is.  I suppose we can thank Flacco getting the ball rolling on that one.

It is....but the leagues cap continues to go up....its just inflation really. Sure perhaps the % of teams salary cap is going up a bit more at that position but its going up all over. With it increasing over 10 million this year and set to increase by that much or more each of the next several years..these guys signing now are being done at a discount. Luck will easily command 20-25 million when his comes due. If people think that Peyton is getting too much just wait until Luck gets his.

I disagre. The revenue they bring in they certainly earn their salaries. Supply and demand my friend...the supply of top performing athletes is much less then the demand for them...thus they are able to be paid as they are. While many of us would love to play a game for money....nobody would pay to see us. As for how much the NFL and the owners make...these guys I think are fairly paid....now relative to each other...sure there is a question there.

TL;DR...no offense

[Shane Bond]

Yes, because everything is black and white. Fact is, a lot of factors determine a quarterbacks success.

Yeah if you are defending Romo then you shouldn't have any issues with Kaep.

[jvan1973]

Yeah if you are defending Romo then you shouldn't have any issues with Kaep.

Romo is a better passer than Kaep by a large margin

[DougDew]

Kaep's special ability is to run very quickly down the sidelines from the QB position with a designed running play, the read option.  Essentially, by having 9-10 blockers on those running plays.  As a scrambler from the pocket, even Fran Tarkenton had more lateral agility.

 

If the niners keep having success with the run game, and Kaep is able to break off big chunks of yardage, the deal can work.  IMO, his success in the passing game comes from the ability to have the opposing defense concerned about the read option. 

 

As being the leader of a QB driven passing offense, Kaep is average at best.

[dgambill]

Yeah, I don't get the Cutler deal at all. And listening to Chicago radio, neither do their fans.

When you've suffered through the LONG list of crappy qbs through the years that they have had...if you find Rex Grossman leading your team into a SB and the other guys they've had...I'm not going to even mention them they are so bad....Cutler isn't going to be the reason they get to or win a SB but he can be a part of the reason....he has enough tools and skills if you surround him with talent he can get it done. For example you put him on Seattle...he wins a SB likely too. He can't single handedly carry a team ala Tom Brady/Peyton Manning but he can do enough to be part of a situation that gets it done if they fix that defense. Also he seemed to have a really good connection with the coach...he really looks like he could be successful in that new system....the alternative would have been what this offseason to replace him with?? There aren't a lot of good options out there....you either pay a bit more than you like for a guy like this...because someone else will swoop him up (Cleveland/Houston/Oakland) or you pick up who??? Schaub, Vick, Fitzpatrick....yeah...I don't think so. They made great strides and I think they want to see how far they can take that offense...even if it does mean overpaying a bit for Cutler. That said he is a tough cookie....got them to the NFC championship a couple years ago...probably not the greatest leader on the team but plenty talented enough to get them over the top if they get help on defense.

[dgambill]

TL;DR...no offense

Sorry I got in late to the convo and there were a lot of posts to respond to...should have broke it down...sorry!

[Superman]

Kaep's special ability is to run very quickly down the sidelines from the QB position with a designed running play, the read option.  Essentially, by having 9-10 blockers on those running plays.  As a scrambler from the pocket, even Fran Tarkenton had more lateral agility.

 

If the niners keep having success with the run game, and Kaep is able to break off big chunks of yardage, the deal can work.  IMO, his success in the passing game comes from the ability to have the opposing defense concerned about the read option. 

 

As being the leader of a QB driven passing offense, Kaep is average at best.

 

"A QB driven passing offense" is an arbitrary designation. A QB is supposed to pace his team's offense. There's nothing that says he has to do so from the pocket, or that he even has to do so as a passer. 

 

I'm not that big a fan of read option based offenses, or QBs who have to run to make plays. I think the best quarterbacking is done in the pocket, and Kap has a lot of work to do before he's a pure pocket passer. But mobile QBs aren't a bad thing, and I think Kap can be a dual threat QB that really stresses the defense. I personally don't agree with the automatic criticism of a mobile QB because he isn't what we all want him to be, especially when he's only started 29 games. JMO

[DougDew]

"A QB driven passing offense" is an arbitrary designation. A QB is supposed to pace his team's offense. There's nothing that says he has to do so from the pocket, or that he even has to do so as a passer. 

 

I'm not that big a fan of read option based offenses, or QBs who have to run to make plays. I think the best quarterbacking is done in the pocket, and Kap has a lot of work to do before he's a pure pocket passer. But mobile QBs aren't a bad thing, and I think Kap can be a dual threat QB that really stresses the defense. I personally don't agree with the automatic criticism of a mobile QB because he isn't what we all want him to be, especially when he's only started 29 games. JMO

My thinking is that, since the ball travels faster than a player can run, an offense will score more points by having a QB who is a better thrower than runner, and by designing your offense around that type of QB one who throws the ball well...not that Kaep can't...provided the team's defense is the same for either QB.

 

I prefer to have mobile QBs.  But I think its best if the mobility is used to extend a passing play, or to pick up a few yards to get a first down...kind of like how Luck uses it.  Basically, the mobility is used as part of the passing game, not as a part of the running game, if that makes sense. 

[BOTT]

Yeah if you are defending Romo then you shouldn't have any issues with Kaep.

Not really defending him, but he has been hampered by a gm/owner who hires bad coaches.

[BOTT]

When you've suffered through the LONG list of crappy qbs through the years that they have had...if you find Rex Grossman leading your team into a SB and the other guys they've had...I'm not going to even mention them they are so bad....Cutler isn't going to be the reason they get to or win a SB but he can be a part of the reason....he has enough tools and skills if you surround him with talent he can get it done. For example you put him on Seattle...he wins a SB likely too. He can't single handedly carry a team ala Tom Brady/Peyton Manning but he can do enough to be part of a situation that gets it done if they fix that defense. Also he seemed to have a really good connection with the coach...he really looks like he could be successful in that new system....the alternative would have been what this offseason to replace him with?? There aren't a lot of good options out there....you either pay a bit more than you like for a guy like this...because someone else will swoop him up (Cleveland/Houston/Oakland) or you pick up who??? Schaub, Vick, Fitzpatrick....yeah...I don't think so. They made great strides and I think they want to see how far they can take that offense...even if it does mean overpaying a bit for Cutler. That said he is a tough cookie....got them to the NFC championship a couple years ago...probably not the greatest leader on the team but plenty talented enough to get them over the top if they get help on defense.

I would bet a bundle Trestman could take Shaub and have him perform as good or better than Cutler. Hell, he turned McCown into a decent QB......and he was coaching HS ball when Trestman got a hold of him. A lot of guys get tagged as QB gurus, but Trestman is the real deal.

[Jules]

Personally I giggle when people say at times "but, Kaepernick has been GREAT vs. the Packers."

 

 

Lets not kid ourselves, the Packers D since they won the SB has been atrocious. Even when they show glimpses of getting better it never lasts or half the team will get hurt a week later. If the Packers didn't have Rodgers these recent years they are sunk. Speaking of Rodgers......yeah that's a QB worth the money.

 

It's not really that I hate Kaepernick, I don't. It's just these deals in the NFL are getting flat out ridiculous for even "good enough" QBs or players. Seattle is lucky they snagged a SB early in Wilson's career when he is paid peanuts in NFL money compared to others.

[Shane Bond]

Romo is a better passer than Kaep by a large margin

 

Romo is a better passer to the cornerbacks of the other teams too.

[Shane Bond]

Romo is a better passer to the cornerbacks of the other teams too.

 

Over 10 years in NFL with 1 playoffs win and over 100 million dollars contract. I cant defend that.

[Jules]

Romo is a good QB. Try being a QB of a team whose owner/GM/President/Dictator freaking claps on the sidelines like a deranged seal during big games.