49ers' quarterback Colin Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem. He is protesting against law enforcement violence towards African Americans.
With the NFL season beginning Thursday night, the notion that quarterback Colin Kaepernick is not on an NFL team simply because he is not good at football is incorrect. This is to set the record straight because, believe me; I want to stop hearing about him as much as everyone else.
No matter the morality of Kaepernick kneeling during the National Anthem (I do think he was acting 100 percent within his rights and as a patriotic American), signing him would be huge distraction from football and would cause a media storm for whatever team ventures to sign the six-year veteran. That is why he does not have a job. It has nothing to do with his football skill set.
Quarterback rating is one of the main criteria used when evaluating a quarterback’s overall performance. It is calculated with a formula that combines attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and interceptions and is judged on a scale from zero to 158.3.
In the 2016 season, Kaepernick’s rating was 90.7, which was good for 17th best in the NFL. No, that is not spectacular, but it is most definitely not the worst. Thirteen starting quarterbacks had a lower rating last season, including Carson Palmer (87.2), Jameis Winston (86.1), Eli Manning (86.0), Blake Bortles (78.8) and Cam Newton (75.8), all of whom will start for their teams this season.
Kaepernick’s completion percentage of 59.2 also was not the worst last season. Four quarterbacks’ completion percentages were lower than his: Brock Osweiler, Bortles, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Newton, respectively. Kaepernick also had less pass attempts than almost any starting quarterback last season with only 331 attempts. Only Case Keenum’s 322 were less, and he played in two less games.
Another attribute in Kaepernick’s favor is his touchdown percentage of 4.8, 13th highest in 2016. This measures the percentages of passes that result in touchdowns. Â
Not all 2016 stats are on Kapernick’s side. His 1-11 record as quarterback should not be overlooked. It is the worst of any quarterback who started more than eight games, but do not forget that that was at the head of a San Francisco 49ers team who struggled to hold their own on both sides of the ball.
Looking at Kaepernick’s career statistics can provide a fuller picture of how the quarterback performs. In 2012, when the 49ers eventually went to the Super Bowl, Kaepernick started seven games and played 13. He had a 62.4 completion percentage, 4.6 touchdown percentage and a 98.3 quarterback rating.
The next season, Kaepernick started all 16 games for San Francisco and finished with a 12-4 record and a 91.6 quarterback rating. He went 8-8 with the 49ers the 2014 season and had a rating of 86.4. His record with the team has decreased every year since then but so has the quality of players on the 49ers roster.
Some teams are set at the quarterback position and others do not have the money to sign him, but there are a few teams that could use his talents.
The New York Jets are expected to start Josh McCown at quarterback this season, and the 38-year-old has been average at best throughout his 14-year career. His quarterback rating, though averaging 78.2 for his career, has been inconsistent, ranging from 10.2 to 109.0.
The Cleveland Browns selected to start rookie Deshone Kizer at quarterback, and their other options are Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan. All these passers are unproven compared to Kaepernick, and other teams could use him as a quality backup for any injury-prone starters (I’m looking at you Detroit and Indianapolis).
So quit saying the only reason Kaepernick is unemployed is because of his poor skill set. The main reason is no team wants him is the insane media coverage that comes with someone with the social awareness of Kaepernick.
