http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/footb ... ta+twitterWhy sign Josh McCown over Colin Kaepernick? -- @greenflash78
As expected, Kaepernick's ongoing unemployment has been a hot-button topic. Some folks believe that the quarterback's political stances have precluded him from finding a job. Although it's naïve to think that these factors haven't played some sort of role, the football reality is that he's not a scheme fit for the majority of teams in the league. He also hasn't been a very good quarterback in the past three seasons. It's not shocking that teams aren't clamoring for a 29-year-old zone-read signal caller with an 11-24 record as a starter (and litany of injuries/surgeries) since 2014.
From an X's and O's standpoint, a coaching staff would have to tailor its system to Kaepernick's strengths. How many teams are willing to go all-in with a read-option system?
So, forget about starting. That's not going to happen. The next piece to this story centers on whether it makes sense for a team to have a backup quarterback who never evolved into a conventional pocket passer, on the roster. Why would you sign a backup quarterback who doesn't fit your scheme? (Coaches don't radically alter their offenses for a backup unless it's an emergency).
Geno Smith, for all his faults, is much better suited to be a drop-back quarterback in a conventional pro-style offense than Kaepernick. The Seahawks seem to be scheme fit. If Russell Wilson were to go down, I could think of worse backup options that Kaepernick. But Seattle isn't interested.
From a purely football perspective, Kaepernick, frankly, has nobody to blame but himself for the lack of interest in his services. He never developed into a pocket passer after catching the league off guard in his first couple seasons. He never evolved as a pocket passer like Wilson did. If you watched Kaepernick play the past few years, you'd know that he just isn't very good.
There is no racial component to this story, either. Tim Tebow suffered the same fate as Kaepernick. Teams would have had to scrap their offense and build a new scheme for Tebow, because he simply couldn't thrive in a conventional system. Sprinkle in the Tebow circus and it just wasn't worth it for general managers and coaches.
The truth is that teams would be amenable to putting up with just about any off-field issue if the player is good enough. Tebow and Kaepernick aren't good enough on the field.
That brings me to the Jets. The feeling on One Jets Drive was that Kaepernick's skill set wasn't a fit with new offensive coordinator John Morton's West Coast system.
I'm also not sure Woody Johnson, a chief GOP fundraiser, would be thrilled with bringing in a player who has repeatedly been critical of Donald Trump in the past. Johnson is slated to work for the Trump Administration, for Pete sakes.
He's right with Kaepernick's skill set not fitting most systems, but Tim Tebow is not the best comparison. Kaepernick is a way better player.