Why Isn't Kaep Getting a Second Chance??
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| Todd Kirkland, AP |
Right around the time he started kneeling during the national anthem, there was trouble in San Francisco. There were some rumblings about unhappiness in the locker room because the team wasn't doing well and ultimately Kaepernick would find himself benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert. Then there was the ignorant stuff he said about Fidel Castro which upset people, most notably, Kiko Alonso. Kiko Alonso was one of the Miami linebackers at the time and he wasn't shy about how he felt about what Kaepernick said and made it known that there was "bad blood" between the two because of it.
When Kaepernick started kneeling and I watched the reactions from the fans and general public I knew it wouldn't end well for him simply because after making it the Super Bowl, the 49ers were on the decline and things didn't seem to be getting any better, so not only was this man not helping his team win, he was kneeling during a time that a lot of Americans hold sacred for various reasons. Now, my dad was in the military for 30 years and growing up in the military community I saw how serious people take their reverence for the flag.
There were times during the day where we'd be walking and they'd be raising or lowering the flag and we'd stop right there and face the flag until they were done because that's how it was on base. They took that stuff seriously and to them it's a sign of disrespect to keep carrying on during that time much like it's frowned upon to mess around during a moment of silence, so I understood why people were upset about what he was doing. I didn't necessarily agree with the reactions, but I did understand where they were coming from and throw on top of that this guy is stinking up the joint and getting benched for Blaine Gabbert; Kaepernick had himself the perfect storm.
A mix of not playing well and his transgressions against the public caused his popularity to drop to the point where the 49ers had to make a decision on whether his presence on the team was beneficial or not. Ray Rice always come to my mind when I try to make this point because when Ray Rice hit his wife, he was forthcoming with the NFL about all the information. It wasn't news to anyone except people living under a rock that Ray Rice had hit his wife. Initially the NFL suspended him for four games and it wasn't until the tape got released to the public that the NFL reversed course and suspended him indefinitely. Why? Because public outcry. See, when people saw Rice knock his wife smooth out, it caused an uproar. People were not happy that he actually hit her like that and the NFL suspended him for only 4 games.
At that point the NFL had to make a decision on whether keeping Ray Rice in the league was beneficial or not and the same exact thing happened to Kaepernick. Obviously what they did is different, but the thought process behind not dealing with them anymore is the same. The NFL and the owners don't want to risk dealing with either of them because they could negatively impact their revenue streams and disrupt business operations as well as damage the reputation of the league and no one wants that.
Specifically speaking to Kaepernick situation now, when these owners hear the name Kaepernick and consider bringing him in, the problem will always be that there is more of a risk than there is of a reward with bringing him in. He was never that great of a quarterback to begin with. He was the same kind of player as RGIII, Jason Campbell, and the rest of those mobile quarterbacks that never won enough games and found themselves out of the league or playing the role of backup.
Now if you're an NFL owner and you have to choose between a guy who may or may not win you a handful of games but will definitely bring a media circus which could negatively impact business operations and revenue, it's almost a no brainer because as an NFL owner, you're money is tied to that business and people rely on you to get paid. One thing people dismiss is that NFL owners have to look out for the collective and there are more people on the payroll than just the players. There are the people who work the stadium, security, front office staff, and hundreds of others that help produce the Sunday game we love to watch.
Essentially what it boils down to is that Kaepernick isn't getting another chance because he brings more potential bad to the table than potential good. Think about it. If an NFL team signs him they have to deal with the immediate backlash from those people who are still pissed off about him kneeling during the anthem and let's face it, a lot of people don't let go of grudges. Then if the team doesn't play well they have to answer to that and if they play badly enough people will start selling tickets or just not showing up to games at all. People will stop tuning in on television for other more exciting games which will cause viewership to drop, and it will cause trickle effect that could add up to millions in losses all for what? One guy?
Personally, I hope they give him another shot just so I can stop hearing his name. If he does well, good for him, but I don't see it. I was never overly impressed with him as a quarterback and knew that he wouldn't have a long career or much success because he was only a threat when he can move around. That doesn't bode well for QBs just look at Cam Newton and Michael Vick. Both talented guys who could run but at the end of the day, they couldn't get the job done from inside the pocket and when you limit guys like them to playing in the pocket it takes away a huge part of their game.
References:
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/K/KaepCo00.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2013/passing.htm
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2014/passing.htm
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