Kaepernick, activism and politics. The NFL doesn't know how to stop this row

UK Guardian ^ | August 23, 2017 | Les Carpenter

[C19fan]

On Wednesday afternoon, the NFL will be forced again to confront a story it must wish to go away. At an hour when the league’s employees should be hustling home from their New York office they will walk into a rally on the street outside, organized to ask the same inexplicable question that has perplexed many for months.

“Why is Colin Kaepernick still unsigned?”

[C19fan]

The NFL will stop it when they are hit in the wallet. As with last year I will do the majority of watching football on Saturdays.

[TBP]

Release the players involved. That would stop it right away.

[headstamp 2]

The idiots had an opportunity to nip this in the bud last year. Now they can live with it.

[Red Badger]

“Why is Colin Kaepernick still unsigned?”

BECAUSE HE'S CRAPPY QB................................

[circlecity]

“Why is Colin Kaepernick still unsigned?”

Colin has had offers from teams for this year but he thought he was worth more money. This from a guy who spent much of last season sitting on the bench for the worst team in the NFL.

[DIRTYSECRET]

NFL is not worried. Godell is getting extended.

[Reno89519]

Unsigned and unwanted. No watching NFL or any sport if they disrespect the flag or the US. Simple as that.

[DouglasKC]

The idiots had an opportunity to nip this in the bud last year. Now they can live with it.

Yup, if these morons would have disallowed political protests AT games they wouldn't have a problem. All's they had to do was enforce a $100,000 fine per incident and they could have seen how far the players "values" went.

[rlmorel]

I'll post this for anyone interested. Apparently, some people think there isn't PC, anti-American crap going on in college, and that is fine if they want to fool themselves with holier than thou crap. It is their time. But this is why Kapernick is unsigned, if anyone wants to talk intelligently about it. (I think you have already seen this, Red Badger)

WHY COLIN KAPERNICK MAY NEVER PLAY A DOWN OF USEFUL FOOTBALL AGAIN

I heard a great explanation from Scott Zolak (former Patriots quarterback) on Boston radio on why Colin Kapernick is unemployed. I have to paraphrase a bit here, because I don't have the transcript.

When Kapernick came into the league, and started the last five games of the 2012 season, the San Francisco offense was built to exploit him using the read option. It hadn't been used in the pros as more than a novelty or gimmick, he was tearing up a league that wasn't ready for him. He was nearly unstoppable because defenses hadn't paid attention to the scheme.

But eventually teams figure you out. Zolak talked about how after other teams had enough film on Kapernick and the option, coaches would widen the tackles, putting them further off center, getting linebackers to fill the gaps, and taking a more patient approach, steering the quarterback into lanes where they would be able to tackle him. (Zolak says that defensive coordinators don't get enough credit for that aspect of the game. The negative performance is often heaped on the quarterback, when the truth is, defensive coordinators get paid to figure out ways to neutralize opponents strengths. And it is a copy cat league. One team does it...they all do it. It is a scheme adjustment, and once they figured it out (by the end of 2014/beginning of 2015 seasons) Kapernick's days were numbered. He just didn't (and doesn't) know it.

Once teams figured out how to defend that, Kapernick realized he wouldn't be able to run anymore, and his coaches knew it too, they knew he had to become more of a pocket quarterback.

But Kapernick lacks two major assets to make that work.

WHAT CRUCIAL SKILLS KAPERNICK LACKS TO BE AN NFL QUARTERBACK:

1.) He has no touch. He could throw long bombs, but anything else would get delivered, inaccurately, at high velocity. He had and has zero touch for a quarterback.

2) He can't read a defense. Zolak said the book on him was to simply watch him when he got the ball and dropped back. Watch the stripe on his helmet. When he gets the ball snapped to him, he looks to the right or the left. Good quarterbacks like Brady, Rodgers and Brees look straight up the field when they get the ball. Kapernick looks. He can't break the habit. And defensive backs got the book on him. The defensive coaches said: "Watch the helmet stripe."

In summary: Kapernick cuts the field in half for the defenders. And when he can't get the first read, he is lost. He can't progress through his reads and what makes it even worse for him, he has no touch, so dumping it off is a real challenge. He is hot and inaccurate on those kinds of passes. When he goes to his safety valve (usually a running backing the flat) after his initial reads fail, that back is dependent on getting the ball delivered in a way that allows him to catch it in the simplest possible way so he can begin running, usually because someone is on him immediately. Often there are defenders nearby, so the quarterback may have to loft the ball a little to clear outstretched arms. Kapernick can do neither of these, so the ball arrives at the safety valve running back too hot to catch, or the ball is batted down by a defensive player. That's Kapernick the quarterback in a nutshell.

And there are more impediments for him:

NON PERFORMANCE REASONS KAPERNICK IS NOT SUITED FOR AN NFL ROSTER SPOT, EVEN AS A BACKUP:

1.) He fits very few schemes. Seattle might have been a backup spot, but he was apparently asking $9 million a year. This is the precise reason Miami didn't sign him. Cutler has his issues, but he is a plug-and-play guy for the Dolphins. They would have had to completely revamp their offense for Kapernick. Not enough time. Cutler with his issues is a better fit.

2.) His off field BS does have an effect. Backups should be invisible, create no waves. Kapernick will be pursued after any team activity, and it will be a circus. Not worth it.

Lastly, in my opinion, He is a douche. Wearing the Fidel shirt just confirmed for me what I already knew. I don't think he is a particularly bright guy, and to make it worse, he has a woman leading him willingly around to use him as a social justice tool. That is more important to him than football.

So, when the GM or Coach is told to evaluate Colin Kapernick for their team they watch the film on him, look at his toxic personality and issues:

Nope. Not worth it. I think he won't play again in this league, even if someone gets desperate. And it won't be because he is being blackballed.

It will be because, in today's NFL...he simply cannot play the game it is being played.

[Maverick68]

They should have stopped it immediately, it’s now too late.
Had they addressed it head on and early it wouldn’t have been a “thing”.

[econjack]

The idiots had an opportunity to nip this in the bud last year.

I'm not a big fan of the Cowboys or Jerry Jones, but I do respect his stance relative to his players. He told them that they respect the flag and stand during the national anthem or they will be fired. He said that, during games, he expects them to carry out his way of doing things...or else.

No Cowboys players have participated in the burgeoning movement to date. Given Jones’ stance on the issue, we wouldn’t expect that to change anytime soon.

[mastertex]

“Why is Colin Kaepernick still unsigned?” you ask.....Well, he is a worthless QB...just like Manzel and many others....plus he's a distraction from the game of football....he should remember he does not own the team; he just works for the owner.

[Lurkinanloomin]

Exactly, they should have made it clear last pre-season that public disrespect of the nation’s flag and anthem would not be tolerated.

They did not, which spoke volumes.

[Dr. Sivana]

He told them that they respect the flag and stand during the national anthem or they will be fired.

The Cowboys can pull that off, that won't work so well for the Browns.

[vpintheak]

Oh they know how. What they lack is the intestinal fortitude to do it.

The VAST majority of fans are America loving, patriotic citizens. The NFL is cowing to the weak PC pukes who really don’t give a rats behind about football.

[mastertex]

Well I am NOW a big fan of the Cowboys and Jerry Jones...atleast he has some guts....unlike the cleavon Browns or miami fish head.....damn fool!!!

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

They stop it by sticking to their core competency- football.

Take the politics out, the social awareness, and the ticky tacky rules that make it almost impossible for players to make contact with each other, and the game will become strong again.

[Gman]

It is really quite simple: Team owners need to grow a pair and implement standards of behavior for employment which include no onfield political activism.

[Alberta's Child]

One important rule in any line of business is that you should never let your focus drift to anything other than your core products and services.

Kaepernick's silly temper tantrum violates this rule in a big way ... and every minute that the media spends talking about it detracts from the NFL's "brand" even further.

[mkleesma]

“Release the players involved. That would stop it right away.”

I feel sorry for any fan of a team who’s players are SO disrespectful. I honestly don’t know what I would do if my team (Patriots) had players that did this.