In Defense Of Niner QB Colin Kaepernick

Is QB Colin Kaepernick finished as a 49er? Maybe not.

Is he finished in the NFL? Definitely not.

This is a hellish time for Kaepernick, who just a few years ago, was considered one of the best QBs in the league. He led the Niners to the Super Bowl in February, 2013, which they barely lost to Baltimore. But, since then, he's been on a slow, shocking downward spiral. A few weeks ago he lost his starting job to Blaine Gabbert, an inept journeyman who's really not good enough to be a starting NFL QB. Then, this weekend, the Niners announced that Kaepernick is out for the season because of surgery on his non-throwing shoulder.

Skeptics are predicting that he'll never play QB for the Niners again. Haters insist he'll never play in the league again.

But don't put the final nails in Colin's coffin just yet.

First of all, he just might play for the Niners next season. There will no doubt be a new coach and a new coaching staff running the team then. The current head coach, Jim Tomsula, is an inexperienced defensive line coach hired early this year when the owner and the GM dumped the great Jim Harbaugh. Tomsula.is in way over his head. His staff isn't much either. The team just plain stinks. No question, Tomsula and his crummy crew won't be back.

Possibly, however, the new coach and his staff might want to keep Kaepernick. It would be a smart move.

Just 28, the five-year-vet is a decent QB--a superlative runner and, under the right circumstances, a good passer. A few years ago, the entire NFL was drooling over him, gushing about his skills and proclaiming him the model for the QB of the future. So all of a sudden he's no good? How stupid.

Not too long ago, the Niners were one of the top three teams, with a great coach, a top-notch defense, a formidable offensive line and a superb running back. But the team surprisingly collapsed, through injuries, defections, dumb trades, retirements, coaching changes and run-ins with the law. Suddenly, Kaepernick was surrounded by a lousy team and inferior coaches.

His confidence plummeted. His skills, because he was working with grade C talent, eroded. Now he's on the NFL scrap-heap, down there with the also-rans.

But he's salvageable. With the right team and capable coaching,  he can be a productive NFL QB again--maybe even with the Niners.

So don't write Kaepernick off just yet.