Greg Cosell's Week 6 review: Colin Kaepernick still has things to work on
What we saw from Colin Kaepernick in his first 2016 start is what we’ve seen before.
There’s no rhythm or timing to his play in the pocket. He still remains unrefined and somewhat remedial in the disciplines and nuances of all that goes with playing in the pocket.
A defeat in Buffalo on Sunday was Kaepernick’s first game in a while, so maybe that was a factor. And we saw the Bills play a lot of man coverage against a receiving corps that is not good enough to consistently beat man coverage. Many defenses played predominantly man coverage against Chip Kelly’s offense in Philadelphia too as the more the league saw and adjusted to his scheme. So it’s not like Kaepernick had a ton of help.
There were specific plays that showed what Kaepernick still needs to work on. On the fifth play of the game, Torrey Smith (82) ran by Ronald Darby on a deep post, and the Bills had nobody in the deep middle of their zero-coverage defense. The 49ers had decent protection, with a full slide to the right and tight end Vance McDonald did an excellent job to cross the formation and pick up linebacker Lorenzo Alexander. There was late pressure up the middle, and Kaepernick overthrew Smith. Even with the heat, that’s a throw a QB has to make when a wide receiver gets behind the defense.
On the second possession, the 49ers had a well-designed post-wheel concept. Running back Shaun Draughn ran the wheel route from an offset position and ran by linebacker Zach Brown. There was late pressure again on Kaepernick, but it’s another throw he has to make. Kaepernick tossed it too flat and too far outside. It’s a good example of him not being a natural touch passer.
Kaepernick is a great straight-line athlete, but he’s not an effective pocket mover. He’s not comfortable moving within the pocket and resetting with good footwork and balance to deliver. Late in the third quarter, the 49ers had a two-man route concept with an over route by slot receiver Jeremy Kerley and a post from Smith on the outside. Front-side pressure forced Kaepernick to move to his left, but he couldn’t reset with balance. His throw to Smith on the post lost energy on the back end and it was well underthrown.
The challenge for Kelly is to develop Kaepernick’s skills. Nobody becomes a high-level quarterback in the NFL due to their ability to run or make improvisational plays. Kaepernick can make plays running the ball on occasion, but it’s not a foundation for success in the NFL. Can his rhythm and timing in the pocket be developed if he stays in the same system over time?
Kaepernick’s performance on Sunday wasn’t promising, but it was just one game after he didn’t participate for most of the offseason or play much in the first five games. But there are aspects of playing quarterback that he still needs to master.
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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.
