Comments on: Kaepernick vindicates Jim Harbaugh

By: iowahbr

iowahbr — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:00:16 +0000

Boy are you going to hear from the running QB’s are an impossible thing in the NFL crowd. In the 60′s so were 300 lb. linemen.

By: ninernation1982

ninernation1982 — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 20:29:38 +0000

Let me just say that it wasn’t two fumbles that cost the Niners a trip to the Super Bowl last year it was going 1-13 on 3rd down conversions. If we were able to convert on third down we would have been able to manage the game much better and the fumbles may not have even been a factor. Our defense being on the field and holding it down like they did was the only reason we got as far as we did last year. Saying Alex Smith took us to the NFC Championship last year is like saying Trent Dilfer won the Ravens the Superbowl in 2000. Also, I keep hearing that Smith and Kap’s stats are the same; statistically almost identical. I admit it, numbers don’t lie when they throw the ball their stats are pretty similar. However, no one seems to bring up the stat that puts Kap on another level than Smith; his rushing yards. In 8 ½ games Smith rushed for 132 yards. In 7 ½ games Kap rushed for 415 yards. That’s why Kap is such a threat; he brings a whole new dynamic to the offense. Defenses have to game plan for him or he’ll eat them alive, I don’t think the same thing can be said about Alex Smith. Don’t get me wrong I wish him the best where ever he plays next year, but I’m much more comfortable having Kap in the huddle going into the Super Bowl then Smith. Go Niners!

By: ndirish10

ndirish10 — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 17:53:45 +0000

Finally journalist started calling the 49ers offense as it should, the pistol or spread option! Simply annoyed when I would hear announcers or writers call it the “Wildcat” when the QB was at the helm.

By: questforthesixthnotthelast2013

questforthesixthnotthelast2013 — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:46:54 +0000

53 for certain to answer your family member comment.
he gets a ring too I believe!!

By: iowahbr

iowahbr — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:50:16 +0000

After what Kaepernick did this year for the 49ers I can’t believe the number of Smith grinders still posting. How many relatives does smith have?

I’ll get this right somehow but an edit after posting feature would be nice.

By: iowahbr

iowahbr — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 00:48:30 +0000

After what Kaepernick did this year for the 49ers I can believe the number of Smith grinders still posting. How many relatives does Smith have?

By: dallascowboysdishingthereal

dallascowboysdishingthereal — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 23:54:18 +0000

Jim is a competitor and isn’t afraid to take a risk or two in order to win a championship. There are many conservative and spineless NFL coaches who can learn from his approach.

By: rsbeck

rsbeck — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 23:39:13 +0000

If Alex Smith had played on Sunday, my hunch is that we lose and today his apologists would be saying that if Akers hadn’t missed the FG and Crabtree hadn’t fumbled, we’d have won.

Sure Williams’ fumble didn’t help, but it also didn’t help that in last year’s NFC Campionship game, Alex was flat. Alex could have helped in the game in spite of the fumbles.

Unlike Alex Smith, Kaepernick doesn’t follow a great performance in the divisional round – a rare one one for Alex – with a thud back to Earth.

Unlike Alex, Kaepernick keeps piling up great performances. Colin doesn’t just flash the potential a couple of times per season to tantalize you and then crash back to mediocrity.

Smith’s numbers only show that Harbaugh ins a QB friendly offense that will let a mediocre QB compile great stats. And as long as you don’t watch the games for context, those numbers will look really impressive.

With Kaepernick, no need for excuses, no need to torture the numbers on his behalf, instead, we’re going to the Super Bowl.

By: dlmcc1010

dlmcc1010 — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 23:35:19 +0000

I wish one of the Harbaugh’s were coaching the Giants.
———————————————————-

How do you make a statement like this? The Giants won Super Bowls in 2007 and 2012 with that coach. Both times as the underdog. The Giants were a disapointment this year but you cant win every year in this league

By: cometkazie

cometkazie — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:59:02 +0000

Atlanta got beat cuz they aren’t that good.

Atlantans are good football fans. They follow college football.

By: redandgoldenbears

redandgoldenbears — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:36:37 +0000

And if not for a fumble at the goal line, a missed fg and a harry douglas catch that really wasn’t the falcons are blown out at home when it counts as usual. Even Manti didn’t believe douglas caught that ball

By: finsphan

finsphan — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:09:53 +0000

Got two words for all the people hoping for the “new era” of running qb’s…..wild cat. It’s a fad, it will get figured out and end. If not for a fumbled snap and a receiver falling down atl would have won that game by 10.

By: dalucks

dalucks — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:12:31 +0000

Some Texans fans wish Gary Kubiak was smart enough to bench Matt Schaub during December.
Unfortunately, Kubiak has tied his anchor to Matt Schaub and Kubiak will go down with the sinking ship.

By: 49erstim

49erstim — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:01:41 +0000

I am an Alex Smith supporter. I have even worn his Jersey during both playoff games just to show my respect for him. I was unhappy at the time when Coach made the switch. I just did not think Kaep was ready….but I have been proven wrong. The kid has skills and has demonstrated that with him at the helm this team is never out of the game. It’ll be tough to see Alex go, but he does deserve to be a starter.

Also….. I was ecstatic when Manning chose Denver. I think he is overrated. Don’t get me wrong I think he a good QB, but he isn’t on the level of Tom, Eli or Brees as far as needing a playoff game winning drive who do you want. Great regular season QB to be sure, but history is made in January and February.

By: dcbronco

dcbronco — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:58:39 +0000

It funny to listen to all of the “experts”. Now they see so much for Kaepernick. When he was coming out of college they said he wouldn’t make it. They said his release was too slow. Elongated. Ignoring that his ball was a lot faster than most of the other QBs in the air. Which means the balls speed cuts the time a defender has to react and compensates for the elongated release.

What Kaepernick is doing now is no different from what he was doing in college. Poise is poise. Speed is speed. Accuracy is accuracy. “Experts” need to stop looking at only the big schools. GMs too.

49ers obviously smarter than the average bear. Or I should say Bronco or Redskin. Both needed a QB and both were in prime position to take Kaep. Both eventually got a QB. Both paid a lot higher price than they needed to.

By: truthpwns

truthpwns — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:51:56 +0000

“What will happen when the QB has to stay in the pocket and throw into coverage?”

———————–

so see the answer to your question above, rewatch Kaepernick’s performance in yesterday’s NFCCG.

By: goldrush4949

goldrush4949 — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 18:27:26 +0000

Surprised Kaepernick improved so quickly. In training camp before the season started there was no doubt Alex Smith was the better QB.

By: shlort

shlort — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:49:32 +0000

I still laugh when I read these comments about “New era at the QB position” and the like. People act like it has never been tried before. It has, and more than once. It has never worked out in almost every instance.

Now days we are seeing it on a larger scale. Why? Because there happen to be 3 or 4 guys on good teams that can do something with it. These QBs wont be durable enough to sit here 10 years from now and say “He is still doing it!”. We wont be sitting around 5 years from now talkng about these great mobile Quarterbacks. What will happen though, is any coach trying to build his future on it will be wishing they had a guy that could pass. That is the bottom line in the NFL. Cant throw it? Oh well, better luck next time.

The reality is this. Without the mobility guys like Kaepernick, Griffin and whoever else fits the mold, wont be as effective in the passing game. Being mobile opens up the short passes and some medium stuff when players move on the QB because he looks like he might run. Look how wide open recievers are in these systems. These QBs better throw it close enough for the guy to cach it. What will happen when the QB has to stay in the pocket and throw into coverage? He wont look so hot then.

We only need to look back at history to see how the read option system eventually pans out. I do like how everyone who likes it is hoping for great things from it. Facts are that it will have its splash and be gone.

By: realfootballfan

realfootballfan — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:31:26 +0000

One other coach would have made that call, Belichick. He essentially did the same thing with Brady and Bledsoe, although admittedly with more precedent to continue with Brady at the time because he’d been in the lineup winning games longer.

Kaepernick is the new prototype and Harbaugh’s switch to him in season was smart on another level. He was able to spring him on the rest of the league before defensive coordinators even got close to getting enough film on his tendencies.

RG III played a whole season and people still haven’t caught up with him. Defensive coordinators have even less to go on to figure out Kaepernic since he’s played even less time. Genius move.

By the way, where are the Alex Smith fan club members now? No way they win that game yesterday with Captain Game manager running the show.

By: questforthesixthnotthelast2013

questforthesixthnotthelast2013 — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:01:06 +0000

Smith is a decent starter, wouldnt say fantastic but .. he knows he has great coaching there, why not stay and help repeat? Who else that has an open spot for QB is gonna be in a position to get in the playoffs? Jaguars? Raiders? Cardinals??? Nobody, thats the chant they sing, nobody gots it better than the niners.

By: iowahbr

iowahbr — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:58:14 +0000

The most amazing thing is how far that the 49ers have come in 2 years under Harbaugh. They rode Singletary out of town on a rail and look where they are now. As a Bears fan I only hope that the Bear’s coaching change at the top will produce half of those results in 5 years.

By: cletusvandam

cletusvandam — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:56:36 +0000

As Stanley Hudson said “An upturned broom with a bucket for a head” would be a better QB than Alex Smith so I don’t really think Harbaugh had that tough of a choice.

By: kingcrusher

kingcrusher — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:46:21 +0000

I’ve got nothing against Kap, he’s fun to watch. But seriously folks, look at the stats, him and Smith were almost identical. They are just pieces in a machine (A finely tunes machine that is called the 49ers).
I was upset at the coach for the way he handled the Smith situation. You don’t bench the 3rd highest rated QB and 1st in accuracy, who is leading your team to another great season simply because you want to make a chance. Luckily for the coach, it panned out. If it hadn’t everyone would be saying what an idiot he was. But hindsight is always 20/20 and people will jump on the “I knew it was right!” after the fact.
Bottom line here is that the 9′ers would probably be exactly where they are now with either QB, only the way it was done, Jimmy boy lost all his trust with his starters. There is NO WAY Smith will hang round for next season, it just will not happen. In fact, I doubt Alex and Jim will be having lunch any time soon after the season’s over.
I love my 9′ers and we will hopefully be getting another victory, but I truly despise the coach for the way he handled the whole situation.
Go Niners!!!!!

By: 49ersandshivabowl

49ersandshivabowl — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:45:27 +0000

So do you guys just censor any and all comments with no standards whatsoever?? Chumps.

By: cfballfan1

cfballfan1 — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:29:28 +0000

Gutsy move, for sure – especially for a former QB with marginal skills who constantly had to fight off more talented competition.

After the SB the Niners better do right by Smith and let him pursue a starting gig somewhere else. Who knows – he might be as successful as Brees post – dumped by the Chargefs if he lands in the right system.

By: sisqsage

sisqsage — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:24:33 +0000

Anyone who still thinks Alex should still be the guy is self delusional.
Kaep showed he is the real deal from about five minutes into that Bears game, and embarrassed a great defense on national TV.

He makes everybody else around him better. Look at how Crabtree has reached a new level. The great ones always lift up the rest of the team.

Alex would get killed by a linebacker or end if he tried to run the pistol. Kaep has the skills to avoid those hits. Pick your poison. Take Kaep’s running lanes away. Fine. We will just give it to Frank and he walks into the end zone twice.

Harbaugh knows QBs and made these two NFL-ready in a very short period of time.

With Harbaugh it is just getting started and it is going to be awesome.

By: pongonfl

pongonfl — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:15:34 +0000

Smith doesn’t win that game, he would never have switched to Crabtree like Kap switched to Davis.
He would never have taken that team on his back and come from 3 scores back.
If Smith is smart, he stays at SF as a back up.

By: dirtysouthironmen

dirtysouthironmen — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:12:47 +0000

So a team that many projected to reach the SB makes it there but it is the “genius” move by the coach to switch QBs that gets the credit. I would say if Smith were still at the helm the 49ers will still be where they are at now.

By: dwarftosser

dwarftosser — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:10:52 +0000

If you watched the first game he started against Chicago in November this year, it was clear Alex Smith wasn’t getting his job back. Kaepernick just appears more in command, more poised in the pocket.. and more confident. And his throws look better and more accurate. Watching that kid play his first entire game made it very clear that he was on a higher level than Alex Smith. I think this kid is going to be good for awhile… and he’s got the arm to give his career longevity when his legs start to break down.

By: finsphan

finsphan — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 16:08:34 +0000

congrats kap, you were able to do something Alex Smith wasn’t able to do….keep the special teams from blowing 2 fumbles and costing yourself a trip to the sb. won the game by playing the game exactly how smith played it.