Dozens meet at NFL HQ to protest Colin Kaepernick’s unemployment

Wednesday afternoon at 5:00 p.m. EST, roughly 50 people met outside NFL headquarters in New York City to protest the league’s supposed blackball of Colin Kaepernick.

The protest was organized by Kevin Livingston, the president of a non-profit organization called “100 suits for a 100 men,” which gives suits to parolees who need them for job interviews. Kaepernick recently donated 50 suits to this organization.

Among the people who attended this protest were Livington, New York senator James Sanders Jr., Emerald Snipes (the daughter of Eric Garner, whom police choked to death in 2014), William Bell (the father of Sean Bell, whom police shot to death in 2006), and former NBA player Etan Thomas. Kaepernick did not attend — he was visiting the Seattle Seahawks who may sign him in the coming days.

Here is what the protesters said:

Livingston: “Let me make this very clear. America, look at me. This is not our last stop. We are going to stay diligent. We are watching. Our wallets are watching. We are consumers. And we are going to continue to keep pressure to make sure Colin Kaepernick not only gets finished being blackballed, but he’s signed to an NFL team.”

Sanders Jr.: “Brother Colin, you stood with us when we weren’t even standing. So of course, we stand with you right now. And thank you for everybody who have come out. Sometimes taking a knee is actually standing up.”

Snipes: “You want to tell me that because this man took a knee for us, that we’re the ones that have to suffer and not see him play? I don’t really watch football like that, but I know that he took a knee for us. So now, we stand with him. And it’s not right that these cops get to walk away scot-free after they kill these unarmed men, and this one NFL player who stood up for us is getting all of this blackball, all of this backlash. It’s not right.”

Bell: “The reason I’m here, before anybody asks — support that young man. Because he did something that a lot of people couldn’t do, was afraid to do. He stood up. Stood up for the individual cruelty of what is going on with human beings. Not because of the color — because they’re human beings. We’ve got to start thinking about that. All lives matter. I lost my son 10 years ago. That’s why I support this young man, because he’s young. And he made a statement that a lot of young people are afraid to do, and a lot of old people also. We’ve got to think about that. We’ve got to start sticking together more and start being about what we believe in.”

Thomas: “You never wanted us to have justice. Did everything in your power to conquer our spirit. Inhibit our progress while subduing our strength. Pinching our passion, you wanted us to fail. To fall flat on our faces. Fulfilling your wish for our dreams to be deferred. Suffocating our desires to attain our goals. You wanted our aspirations to exist merely as a figment of our imaginations, never to escape into the realms of reality, but only existing within the fallacies of our thoughts. Through cerebral failures, you wanted us to experience conceptual breakdowns. To give up on our hopes, kidnap our wishes and steal our desires. Perceptual shakedowns. Why would you aspire to see our universes crumble? Take pleasure in seeing us stumble off our path? Your media personalities like Stephen A. Smith and Jason Whitlock would conspire against us. Bidding for our downfall. Calling on roadblocks to impede our progress, knocking us off track. Sending us back to the depths of failure where dreams refuse to glow in the dark. What-should-have-beens ponder possibilities while opportunities slip through the cracks of their victory, backing down their chances at success. You would love for your words to knock us down for the count. For us not to withstand your verbal beat down. For our pride to become swollen shut in need of our trainer to cut us, and blurring our vision you wanted to keep us trapped in the loser’s box. But guess what? Like Saul Williams, we start combing our minds so our thoughts could lock. I’m so glad we’re ignoring you. Paying you any attention is something we can’t afford to do. With your condescending all-lives-matter smiles to lure us into your trust. Busting through walls. Refuse to lose. You can’t capture our passion with nets of disaster. We’re avoiding your sacks like quarterbacks. Call us Colin Kaepernick, refusing to stand for your negative advances. We will never dance to your tune. We’re dismissing your songs of doom. You want this soon to be coming to our theater, to be a box-office smash crushing our will to succeed. Your shots of destruction can’t harm we for our desire is bullet proof, so keep bustin’ at our joy. We’re catching the bullets in our teeth like we’re Bruce Leroy. Because we’ve got the glow of God within us. And prosper not will any weapons formed against us. So guess what? Your desires to destroy us will never, ever stop us.”

Do you think this protest helped Kaepernick? And do you think he will sign soon with the Seahawks? Why or why not?

This article has 150 Comments

  1. Wonder if any protests will emerge in Seattle…if so, the matter would become far more visible nationally. I sense the Seahawks will sign him. Kaep could be effective as a back-up in Seattle’s system. The Seahawks will need a healthy Wilson at QB to get into the playoffs.

    1. The Seahawks may have wrapped up the division before the second Niner meeting, so Ol’ wily Pete Carroll may rest RW and inflict Kaep on the Niners. Niners may bitterly rue the day they let Kaep slip through their fingers.
      .
      If Lynch is trying to lowball Kaep, and he goes to Seattle, then I will accuse Lynch of being- obtuse.

      1. Seb says “Niners may bitterly rue the day they let Kaep slip through their fingers”

        Pretty sure the 49ers will be just fine.

        1. The man is the blathering village idiot who never tires of his ever-blooming stupidity.

      2. Dream on cupcake… You’re a tad bitter. I’m sure Lynch is terrified of what you might do. I’m also confident Lynch isn’t trying to bring Kaep back.

        1. We should bring Kaep back so he can show the young draft picks how to lift weights. Always room for a gym spotter.

      3. Go to Seattle. That eaybyou will not lose to them. You can’t beat them join them.

    2. Kaepernick will not sign in Seattle. Philly? Perhaps. Cleveland? Better chance. Most likely, he will end up as the backup in LA.

    1. Well… that’s only because there’s a dead, rotting equine body on the ground and Cohn’s standing above, whacking it with a stick…

    2. Or can we beg him to please stop posting about a QB who opted out of his contract and no longer plays for the team? Most of us just want to move on to the new era.

    3. The most odious horse beating around here is by those who actually believe Kaepernick is a great QB who could lead some other team to a Super Bowl. 100 suits, 100,000 suits, no number of suits will make him a great or even good QB. Get over it.

      1. its not the suits nor the QB play but the strength of character it takes to stand up against racists and bigots

        1. Colin Kaepernick did not stand up against racists or bigots. He had a misguided protest against made up crap.

  2. I’ll tell you one guy I’m really not missing this off season is Anthony Davis. What a turd that guy was.

      1. “deranged, self-absorbed” and hooked on weed – according to a trusted source.

  3. Do you think this protest helped Kaepernick?

    Frankly, Grant I don’t give a damn.

    And do you think he will sign soon with the Seahawks?

    God, I hope so.

    Why or why not?

    It will only encourage King Solomon to eliminate Russell Smurph so he can put Kaepernick’s black balls to the walls.

  4. when was the last time any of you critics actually took the time and effort to stand up for something that was just self serving and meant to support others who have run into injustice. Until then, none of you are half the man Colin is.

      1. Razor you killing me Man!!! hahaha
        I feel the same way I don’t care where Kaepernick ends up

    1. Kio,

      Most of the people on here, myself included, supported Kap’s right to protest and acknowledged that the police killing minorities is a real problem.

      When the protest began, this site was flooded with a bunch of new commenters, many of them were openly racist. The regulars like myself called them out and even ridiculed them. Those racists left.

      I have defended Kap and ripped the bigots. However, I also don’t think Kap is a good QB and I can understand why teams wouldn’t sign a 29 year old project. A QB that can’t pass in a passing league.

      What does that make me?

      1. It makes you a smart and sensible man.

        Clouding Kaepernick with all this other static about protesting, being black balled, social justice, its all a deflection to what his capabilities are on the field. He was a flash in the pan and no one sees him as a viable starter.
        I mean, he left Seattle without a contract as a back up. His one and only visit since February.

        1. +1. While it’s debatable whether Colin’s protest was appropriate for the venue, given football is a team sport, I have no doubt that the social issues Colin brought attention to are real, and need a voice. That said, I did find it annoying that Colin didn’t have enough sense to understand why wearing a Fidel Castro shirt while defending his social justice protest would serve to confuse his message.

          However, despite the critics of Colin’s protest, I can pretty much guarantee that if Colin was viewed as a viable starting NFL QB who doesn’t need an offensive system specific to his skillset, or wasn’t dependent on a top 5 defense in order to succeed, he’d already have been signed by an NFL team.

          It’s only the fact that the benefits of signing Colin are not considered strong enough to offset the headache and baggage Colin brings with along with him regardless of where you stand on the social issues involved. The NFL is no different than any other business entity in a free market society and NFL teams have to consider Risk vs Reward when they consider signing Colin to their roster. If owners and GM’s felt that Colin was a good NFL QB who could make their team better, I suspect they would put up with any negative impact that might come with signing the controversial figure Colin has become.

          And that’s ultimately where the rubber hits the road, IMO!

      2. #80 no issue with questioning his QB skills, he has a way to go in that department. But I take exception to people who took to name calling him for standing up for those who cant fight for themselves.

    2. The best thing Colin did was give some suits away. He did not support anyone who ran into injustice. If Colin Kaepernick wants to stand up for injustice then he should donate to police organizations that support the hundreds of thousands of police officers who have been injured or killed in the line of duty.

    3. Colin did not do that. He did not make his protest public, it took the notice of fans to make this a known issue…and then he used his limited understanding of the “problem” to justify his actions. The guy is a piece of clay that is molded by whomever is strongest in his life, his parents, then harbs, and now his gf. He didn’t care about this 2 or 3 years ago when this was a major conflict…Eric Garner died in 2014, Michael Brown was 2014…Colin didn’t “react” until 2016…2 years after their deaths.

  5. Do you think this protest helped Kaepernick? No.
    And do you think he will sign soon with the Seahawks? No.
    Why or why not? Are you kidding me? They have his resume:

    8 Games 2-6-0 55.6% completion. 3 TD, 7 INT, 63.7 rating. And his playoff rating is WORSE at 56.4.

    1. Go back to sleep for another 1000 years, Moses, and #80 needs to answer this. What QB that can’t pass has passed for well over 12,000 yards with 72 TDs, only 30 INTs, and a PR of 88? Not to mention his 2300 yards rushing with 13 more TDa. The guy can play…

      1. Indeed he could–when afforded very good offensive players around him, a system that supports his skillset, and a very good defense. Of course, good opposing defenses (overseen by very good defensive staff) can mitigate his game to quite an extent. I’d like to see him remain in the NFL–he just can’t be dropped into any offensive scheme and shine brightly. CoachWolf…do you believe Kaep has fully developed/grown into an elite NFL QB?

      2. Nobody said he couldn’t run. Everything with Kap is inconsistent. His placement is poor and doesn’t lead to YAC. His vision is poor, he didn’t see Torrey Smith when there wasn’t a defender in sight, and that was pre snap. Every QB scans the field pre snap to see where the defenders are, but not Kap. He stares down his target. If you don’t believe that, then why did he apply for a visor?

        He has a low number of INTs because he takes a lot of sacks and looks to run if his first read is covered.

        72 TDs? Yes 72 TDs in 69 games. Taking out the 3 games in 2011 where he didn’t start, he has 72 TDs in 66 games. That’s barely averaging 1 per game.

        He has 12,271 YDs passing. Divide that by 66 and you get 185.9 yards per game. He’s not exactly lighting it up.

        1. This is not a defense of CK just pointing out how weak we are at QB right now. Reflect on these similar stats when people are pining over Brian Hoyer who has 49 games and 8606 career yds passing for a whopping 175 yds per game and 44 TD’s to his resume. Oh wait he can run Kyle’s offense so… We’re screwed until we get a real QB around here. Barkley and CJ are both terrible too and people love to dream up what the bench warmers might do.

          Hoyer is functional and is likely to get hurt and then we’ll end up with Barkley. He’s played 11 games for 1911 yds and 8 TDs. Better hope our running game is awesome.

          1. Well we are sure as shinola better with those 3 guys than the previous 3 QB’s.

            Now you’ve always been a CK backer so to hear you start with “not in defense of CK”, it’s just more desperation.

            All year we are gonna hear from losers like you and Seb about how the 49ers made a mistake by not keeping the kneeler. Pffffff!!!!

            1. Brian Hoyer is a serviceable bridge QB who’s skillset fits Kyle system well enough to get this team headed in the right direction, IMO. I don’t think he’s a guy you want to label your “franchise” QB.

              No question in my mind that Brian Hoyer will be a better QB in Kyle’s system, than Colin Kaepernick. The way I see it, there were a few factors that allowed Colin to excell early in his career.

              1) First and foremost, NFL defenses were not designed to stop the zone-read scheme when Colin broke onto the scene, because those concepts were considered exclusive to college football (and perhaps some high school programs) as recently as week 10 of the 2012 season. However, NFL defenses are living, breathing organism that have consistently evolved over time. By the time the 2014 season rolled around, defensive coordinators had devised schemes that could contain, or at least limit the QB’s ability to run wild in a zone-read system. Teams could still use these zone-read concepts as part of a more traditional NFL style offense and have success provided their QB could also win as a drop back, pocket passer, and that’s a part of Colin’s game that has never evolved over time, and in fact seemed to regress over the last few seasons.

              2) Jim Harbaugh is a maniac of a Head Coach, and took over a underachieving roster loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. Harbaugh taught his team how to win (he’s a good Head Coach) and he had arguably the best defense in the league during Colin’s rise.for a couple year

              3) Colin entered the league as a confident young QB and left the 2015 season as a broken one. He’s never regained that confidence and simply takes an overly cautious approach because he’s never evolved as a pocket passer and he’s unable to avoid turnovers when he pushes the ball downfield.

              Oh how times change!

              1. Exactly!
                I also believe that if he can stay healthy Hoyer will be a noticeable upgrade at the qb spot. I expect we will have fewer explosive plays but also far few negative plays. Contrary to popular belief over the past few years in terms of pass protection the niners Oline was average… not terrible, not great, but average and they graded out this way. Kaep made them look far worse than they were with his inability to go through his progressions quickly.
                Early on I would argue that the niners had the most talented team in the NFL. They had the best line in football, a pro bowl running back, and a defense always allowed the offense to play with a shorter field than their opponent.

              2. 49 the point wasn’t to compare CK and Hoyer. Or to prop up CK. It’s to be realistic about Hoyer and Barkley. I believe we’ll be better because we have a coach who knows how to pick players for his system. We’re not going to be muc better until we have a good QB. I also think we get crazy illogical because of CK. We had people predicting Gabbert would go to the pro bowl last season. Hoyer wasn’t winning games as a serviceable QB any place he’s been. Why would he start now? He’s the best available option that’s not very good. He threw for decent yards in cleveland and Texas. I am just asking for some realismin regards to Hoyer and Barkley.

            2. Prime,
              I strongly disagree Alex Smith is probably a top 15 QB in the NFL Brian Hoyer has not been.

              1. No one is saying Hoyer will lead the 49ers to 10 wins.
                But he’s better than Kap in terms of being functional in Shanahans system. A better mentor for Beathard and just overall accuracy and intelligence.

              2. No last years unit compared to this years to me is night and day.

                Talent wise CK is probably better than all three. But as we’ve seen he lacks the intangibles.
                That’s why he remains unemployed.
                I think Hoyer and Barkley will be fine as stop gaps until Beathard develops.

            3. I told you that you can’t move on from CK. You’re just like Seb stuck in the past with your hate and he is with his love. Stop pretending you know what people think. I am asking for some realism surrounding Hoyer and Barkley. They were 3 win QB’s last year. Yes 1 game better than our team.

              The rest of us are over CK and ready for something new. Do us a favor and follow Tubinsky to the Bears forums or Gabbert to the Cardinals

  6. Im sorry, but this blatantly stupid. You cant force anyone to give another person millions. Hes not a great football player and he was a distraction as a backup. Also, he requires a specfic type of offense. Many players just like him have been weeded out of football over the decades. Its part of the biz!

    Im sure he wants a lot more than he is worth… when his price comes down, certain teams will be more willing to look at him… Or maybe they wont, its their money!!!

    1. Have you noticed that the other pea in Kaepernick’s pod is ignored? Where are the protests for RGIII? Where are the charges of racism because teams aren’t signing him? THe charges of black-balling?

      In RGIII’s three years in Washington his QB rating was 90.6. Higher than Kaepernick’s 88.9 with the 49ers. Yet I don’t see anyone writing odes to his struggles. Even though he was a better QB until the hell-hole of Cleveland.

      Bad QBs who want to be starters have a hard time finding jobs. It’s even worse on them when they require a complete gutting of an NFL offense to run a junk-college offense the NFL figured out years ago.

        1. You are arguing that CK is being blackballed because of his protest when the actual fact is he doesn’t have a big market because he’s not that good, runs a very limited offense, is one-read, is inaccurate, has poor vision, and is not nearly as explosive as he used to be. He, like Cutler and RG3, aren’t getting offers because their worth do not match their price.

          Why are you incapable of accepting the fact that he doesnt yet have a job because of who he is as a player instead of what he did months ago. RG3 isn’t signed because of who he is as a player. Cutler isn’t signed because of who he is as a player. There are hundreds of QBs over the last half decade who are now out of the league because of these same reasons. Its life in the NFL…or as a crazy man once said “Not For Long”.

    1. I wonder what it’s like living the apartments/condos adjacent to the 9er practice facility, especially where one might have a view…?

      1. Imagine having a view from a second floor bathroom…sitting there on the throne…

        1. There are none.

          The facility is surrounded by a stadium, soccer fields, a power station and an expressway.

  7. Do you think this protest helped Kaepernick?

    Don’t know and honestly don’t care.

    And do you think he will sign soon with the Seahawks? Why or why not?

    I do think he will eventually sign with the Seahawks since they will need a QB that is able to take a knee to run out the clock.

  8. I’ll pass on those questions and the topic generally, but fifty people showed up in Manhatten?
    There are fifty people waiting for the light to change so they cross the street in that part of town.

  9. The piece from Mike Sando yesterday on how Kaepernick was viewed around the league even prior to the protest stuff was excellent.

      1. A great read and truthful timeline to his entire situation.

        It’s unfortunate his high draft status didn’t pan out.
        It really has set the 49ers back considerably the past 5 years.

        Time to move on. Now it’s getting boring

        1. Yes, it’s been a setback, but the damage could have been far worse if the 49ers had given Colin a more traditional, “franchise QB” type contract. I give Marathe a lot of credit for his creative approach to Colin’s contract, because the way Colin’s contract was constructed thankfully protected the 49ers salary cap future. If Colin had received a Cam Newton contract ( $103.76 million over five years with $60 million in guaranteed money for injury only, and $31 million fully guaranteed), it could have been a disaster.

          That said, the great exodus of the 2015 offseason was probably just as big of a factor for the 49ers struggles over the past 2+ seasons. The 49ers had arguably the worst offseason in league history during the 2015 offseason, losing a lot of proven talent on both sides of the ball, and York’s poor Head Coaching decisions only compounded the problem.

          1. I must add York’s decision to retain Baalke as another brutal decision that contributed to the downward spiral that reached rock bottom by the end of last season.

            But hey, the 49ers are back on track IMO, and the future is bright thanks to the hirings of Shanahan and Lynch, and the way these two seem to be in lock step rebuilding this roster. IMO, the rebuild is already ahead of schedule, and if we can lure Kirk Cousins no later than next offseason, this team can be back in postseason contention sooner rather than later!

      2. ” Greg Roman has done a great job.”
        “and they had a coordinator [Greg Roman] who did a great job creating space in the run game and creating confusion”

        Hehe. Nope, it was always Greg Romans fault the offense sucked. Man, don’t they know nothing?

    1. Wish you were posting more often JH, one of the few that actually writes something worth reading.

    1. Wonder how long we’d last if all on this blog were stationed together in a small compound on Mars…

        1. The more senior members among us will remember the TV show ‘Lost in Space’ from the mid 60s. There was a character, Dr. Smith–a self absorbed rascal…

  10. Trust me. John and Kyle can’t pray hard enough for the Seahawks to put in CK to surplant RW as the starter when they play each other. That’s the equivalent of replacing Juan Marichal with Jeff Simardjica!! Bring it on!! LOL!

    1. Samardzija is erratic, not bad. He had the second-most dominant starts for the Giants in April this year. But when it went wrong, it went DISASTER wrong. Which is his career in a nutshell.

      Last year is a perfect example. He recorded 17 QS which had him tied for 33rd (Top-25%) in MLB. People he was tied with included Jake Arrieta, Josh Tomlin, and Ervin Santana. So he’s keeping good company when things are working. However, he had 5 really bad starts where he gave up buckets of runs which has a way of distorting the ERA.

      He’s, currently, tied for 37th in QS. Which, when you think about it, is pretty good as there are 30 teams with 5 starters (150 pitchers). So he’s Top-Quarter (AGAIN) in QS despite your kvetching.

      In short, he’s a perfectly fine pitcher who has a tendency to suffer from extremes that people like you only focus on instead of, oh, actually looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the the players’ performance.

  11. Cassie Baalke says:

    Cassie is correct. No one in their right mind would stick with Kaep, owner of a career losing record at : 28-30-0, and a completion % of: comp% 59.8.

    The percentage is what gets me. Basically everytime Kaep tosses a pass it has a 50/50 chance of being completed, or taken to the house for an interception, for the less positive football minds.

    Thanks Seb, but no thanks !!

    For years Seb has tried to get the 49ers to stockpile his loser player evaluations:

    Who can forget the year-long tirade he lent his support to in Jarryd Hayne–now out of football, and his life or death struggle to keep the 49ers losing by resigning Kaep.

    Enough, Seb…We won’t take your losing anymore, and paraphrasing Shanahan:

    “with Kaep we’d have to change our entire offense to suit one player, so it wouldn’t matter what the O-Line or Wide receivers were doing, it would be all about one player, and we wanted to go in another direction.”

    May 25, 2017 at 2:33 pm

    The more senior members among us will remember the TV show ‘Lost in Space’ from the mid 60s. There was a character, Dr. Smith–a self absorbed rascal…

  12. He’s not good enough to start. He doesn’t grow. He is self absorbed. The game is football, meant for football fans to enjoy football. It is show biz entertainment. It is meant as an escape from the fans daily grind reality. He is not changing, throws bad passes and kneels during anthems. That is not entertaining except to those of his ilk. That ilk is the social justice/socialist crowds who couldn’t give a F about football. Now back to football, where it belongs. Oh in this part of the world football matters.

    1. As I discussed in an earlier article, Tampa Bay reporter Matt Baker gave us some insight into Shanahan and Lynch’s marriage of scheme and personnel approach in his story about the pitch they made to UDFA RB Matt Breida.

      They told Breida about the two-back system the coaching staff previously used in Atlanta with Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. Even though they drafted Utah’s Joe Williams in the fourth round, he’s a bigger back. They needed a speedy one. They needed Breida. If another team offered a better signing bonus, they’d match it.

      That’s the shrewdness of Shanahan’s approach. From his many years of experience dating back to his college days, he knows you can’t always get ideal big, fast, smart, talented players in the NFL, and he knows what kind of players you can reliably get, year after year.

      His genius is that he has crafted a scheme that works with exactly those kinds of players.

      http://www.ninersnation.com/2017/5/25/15687998/49ers-personnel-philosophy-john-lynch-kyle-shanahan

    2. JW,

      It seems you have psychoanalysed Seb to perfection.

      It’s an avenue I never really would have thought of until your brilliance….

      You may be on to something, since we all know how self-absorbed Seb is. What if he is so self-absorbed that he doesn’t give a damn about football or the 49ers–just that his personnel predictions come true….Hmmmmm ?

      1. TrollD, I would like to make another prediction. I will have to endure more imbecilic rants and more moronic screeds from you.
        .
        Oh look, just found out I was right again. I write on a football blog site and love the 49ers.

  13. These folks would be well advised not to hitch their wagon to Kaep’s star they might get an albatross.

  14. These unfortunately , are the same people who protest the fact that Trump won the Presidency.
    Why don’t they hire Kapernick? There must be plenty of use for an overrated QB in the world of protestors.
    Maybe he can work for George Soros or Nancy Pelosi?
    As a life long Niner fan, I believe Kaps best days may be behind him. When the team made the ginormous mistake of letting Harbaugh walk, Kap lost his true creator.

    Maybe under the right coach Kap could thrive. We may never know.

    But he’s been a lousy leader, a locker room menace, a person who cared more about himself than his team, and a guy who is not a good passer or reader of defenses.

    Good luck Kap. Work for a lot less and earn your way back to the top.

    1. Alice
      “A locker room menace” is an oft mentioned and widely believed total fabrication.
      CK is NOT a locker room problem; that’s untrue.
      I am someone who is relieved he has moved on from the 49ers (and not coming back, haha), but in fairness, I challenge you or others to show me statements from players he’s teamed with that he’s a distraction.
      I lost patience with his performance.

      1. Aldon Smith,,, Ask him about the girlfriend episode. Talk about violating the Guy Code, not to mention the Teammate Code.

  15. Professional sports are the dumbing down of America. When you’re posting these dummies stats, post their GPA while in college.

  16. http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/Foster-frenzy-49ers-interest-in-ILB-began-11174486.php

    “One of Lynch’s first questions to his soon-to-be right-hand man was about the upcoming draft: “We’ve got the No. 2 pick. Who are you taking?”

    “Lynch recently laughed as relayed Peters’ answer: “Without hesitation,” Lynch recalled, “he said ‘Reuben Foster.”

    “Yes, Peters, the 49ers vice president of player personnel, was championing Foster four months ago and Lynch also fell for the Alabama inside linebacker before his first draft.”

    1. Starting to sound a lot like we did in 2013. Beginning of the end for them me thinks.

  17. The protest will not help Kap. The owners do not care what 50 people, who are probably not football fans think.
    50 major advertisers, now then they would care.
    Kap is not a QB who has grown and progressed, that is his problem.
    The defenses adapted, he didn’t respond.

  18. Nice little gig Kaepernick got going…..”pssst, I’ll donate 50 suits in exchange for 50 sheep protesting for me in front of NFL HQ. It’s amazing, black people want to charge racism and protest about every little thing and yet I see some black people make the most blatant racist comments about other races. And than NAACP and other black activists and leaders are no where to be found to condemn their racist behavior.

  19. Anybody who has coached at any level knows that statistics are deceiving. A pitcher or a quarterback can be in the top 5 in every category but if he has a losing record, who cares! The stats don’t mean squat. My comparison of replacing Russell Wilson with Colin Kaepernick was the equivalent to replacing Juan Marichal with Jeff Samardzija is spot on. Samardzija and Kaepernick are equally mediocre. Jeff is currently 1-5 and has a career record of 60-77. Calling him mediocre is a stretch. He stinks. Who gives a flying goat how many QS’s he has. He should have stuck with football. Just the opposite, Kaepernick should have stuck with baseball. Calling him a mediocre quarterback is also a stretch. He stinks. Who gives a flying sheep if he played in and lost a Super Bowl 4 years ago. Marichal has a career 243-142 record and is a Hall of Famer. Wilson has one Super Bowl ring and with another or more, he also some day could land in the Hall of Fame. There is only ONE stat that matters. WINS. Period. All the rest is just fodder. :)

  20. Kaeper…….who???? Oh, right. That idiot that disrespected our Country, the very one that supplied his fan base and bucks. Yeah……because of his stupidity, I can no longer hear or see the TRADITION of the National Anthem on TV ant more. Having said that……you reap what you sow. Oh, and BTW….. YOU’RE STILL 50% WHITE. #RacistPersonified #YouAreFinished

    1. Jayden,
      Which part of CK do you dislike, the 50% white or 50% black?
      BTW, many national TV sports programs have not been televising the National Anthem long before the CK protest.
      Networks have found it much more profitable to run commercial ads than show the National Anthem – but if you feel that you need to blame Kaep for this have at it.

  21. Yup, from all these comments, racism is alive and well in America. if ignorance is bliss, many are in the throes of ecstasy.
    .
    Kaep is not un- American, he embodies the American spirit.
    .
    He is also not a horrendous QB. He may have regressed, but he will come storming back. He regressed because he was injured, but now he is fully healthy and is at his ideal playing weight. Posters on this site expose their biases and lack of football knowledge by declaring that he does not have a job because he is terrible, but when QBs like Sanchez, Manuel, Geno Smith, McCown, Fitz and Gabbert have signed before him, the only logical explanation is that he is being blackballed by intolerant and conservative owners.
    .
    Kaep is not an inaccurate one read QB with happy feet and can only throw fastballs. An inaccurate QB cannot throw for 400 yards. He makes reads even before the snap, and countless times has gotten to the third read. Countless times, he has used his agility to avoid pass rushers, while his O line acted as turnstiles too many times. He can throw with touch, because I have seen him throw over the LBs and in front of the safeties. Additionally, he can zing it through small windows. In fact, I have seen him make jaw dropping throws that other QBs can only dream of making, much less even attempting. What really sets him apart is his speed, and he can put his foot on the half yard line, then sprint upfield untouched for a TD, out racing the safeties.
    .
    KS may state that he does not want to deal with Kaep because he is different from the slow pocket passers. Different? No, he is a difference maker. KS may not want to bother trying to tap Kaep’s potential. but when he says things like that, I just question his desire to win. The funny thing is, I think KS is smart enough to take any QB, and make him better.
    .
    Right this second, Kaep is superior to every QB who is presently on the team. He has superior skillsets, and has achieved way more accomplishments in the league. His detractors ignore the fact that he has set QB rushing records in the playoffs. In Hoyer’s only playoff game, he threw like the DBs were the intended receivers, became rattled, and gave the game away. Some detractors will point out the fact that he lost the SB game, but he got there in only 10 games, and mounted a furious comeback that only fell 5 yards short from winning it all. Then he came within one pass of returning.
    .
    Barkley, who I think will out compete Hoyer, has never even sniffed the playoffs. CJB may be KS’s pet project, but he would benefit from sitting down, working hard to bulk up, while studying hard for a year. Kaep, with his 4-2 road playoff record, make the present QBs look like water boys.
    .
    If KS is clouding his judgement by considering politics and emotions, he will not succeed. If Lynch lets Kaep go to a division rival, he risks looking clueless if Kaep starts to play well with a strong supporting cast. Kaep will not sit back and be content to hold a clipboard. Pete Carroll is smart and innovative enough to get Kaep on the field. It was interesting to note that KS said he wanted pocket passers, then during practice, he had the QBs roll out on bootlegs, which is something Kaep would excel at.
    .
    If Lynch goes cheap and lets Kaep go, he will be pulling a Baalke, especially when he has 63 mil in cap space. He should just pay Kaep the same salary as Hoyer, and declare it is an open competition.
    Lynch better figure out one thing; does he want Kaep to play for him, or against him. I think Lynch is smart enough to come to a wise decision, because he also said that he will do everything in his power to try and win.

    1. “Right this second, Kaep is superior to every QB who is presently on the team. ”
      I disagree… Hoyer’s stats the past two years have been far superior to Colin’s for the past 2 seasons. Who had 2 good seasons with the most talented roster in football and has regressed dramatically since then.

      “Kaep is not an inaccurate one read QB with happy feet and can only throw fastballs. An inaccurate QB cannot throw for 400 yards. ”
      This happens all the time… a quick look at the record shows that Vince Young, Matt Flynn, Kellen Moore, Josh McCown, Nick Foles, Josh Freeman, Chad Henne, Matt Cassel, Kyle Orton, Joey Harrington, Matt Leinart, Chis Wenke, Billy Volek, Kelly Holcomb, Tim Rattay, Tommy Maddox, Charlie Batch have also done this.

      Are you saying that they were accurate qb’s?

      1. Shoup, how many times have they thrown for over 300 yards and run for over 50 yards in a Super Bowl?
        .
        None of them have done that, because only Joe Montana has ever also accomplished that feat. Obviously, those QBs were all starters when they did that, but Kaep’s dual threat to run or pass still makes him superior to those QBs. He is also presently superior to many QBs who have signed contracts this season, who I named before.
        .
        Disagree all you want. I will stand by my statements, and am glad that some posters admit they are biased because Kaep deigned to peacefully and silently protest against injustices.
        .
        Tout Hoyer all you want. I will just remember his only playoff game where he crumbled under pressure.
        .
        Sure, I would rather talk about the OTAs and the roster, but after they have gotten film on the QBs, many teams will be reassessing their positions. Texans have anointed Savage as their starter, and Watson is the second string, but in the OTA, both QBs made poor decisions. Tannehill is back, but still is wearing a big bulky brace. Mariota broke his leg, and even though he resumed practicing, they are not saying that he is back at 100%. Bortles is on thin ice, and Siemian still has shoulder questions because he had a surgery, while Paxton Lynch has not impressed according to the reports. Cards have a geriatric CP, and his backup is Gabbert, who lost his job to Kaep. Goff may be anointed the starter but he admits McVay has taken things off his plate. Jets will suck this year no matter who the QB is.
        .
        Of course, the Seahawks may be the most logical spot with Boykins off field issues, but I would much rather Kaep play for the Niners than against them.

        1. Seb,
          You just changed your argument. You said inaccurate qb’s don’t throw 400 yards. I named multiple inaccurate qb’s who have.
          Now the sb argument is better but that was before teams learned how to defend the zone read.

          1. Shoup, maybe I was over generalizing about 400 yard QBs, but I think Kaep can throw the ball with accuracy, just like those QBs did at times. You can knock him for being inconsistent at times, and cite the Bears game, but it is hard to succeed with inclement weather, slow WRs, poor pass protection and incompetent coaches.

  22. 50 suits? “Hey man, c’mere, I’ll buy you some clothes but you have to show up at this address and say you’re protesting”

    abother moronic play call out of “How Not to Manage PR” by C.K.

    but everyone just STFU…he beat the RAMS!!!!!!

  23. Maybe that 50 people can send him back to Kurt Warner and teach him how to pass and read defenses! You can not fix stupid!

  24. I have no use for CK as a football player and more importantly I have no use for him as a man. I have said this many times before I will say it again – when you disrespect the very thing that allows all of us to speak/protest, then you get no respect from me.

    1. UNDERCENTER, what points of interest have you enjoyed since your last post, and what’s on deck? Hope everything is good with you and your friend, and of course, Little Joe….

  25. Is there nothing new to learn about actual 49ers?

    Heck I’d enjoy reading a piece on how Joe Montana Sr.’s influence on his son over this drivel any day. You know he passed away, right?

    This is all old news and worthless. We all know the talking points and they have been done to death ?!

    Please, for all that is good and worthwhile in this precious football world let’s talk about something else!

  26. East – Well said. Might have been more correct to say let’s ARGUE about something else though. Just saying.

    1. True! WC. I overlooked that! Thanks for the correction.

      This cannot end too soon!!

  27. ESPH just hired Chip Kelly. Seb’s dream of a Kaepernick-Kelly reunion is now crushed.

    1. Wait! You mean RainMan is wrong again? Hahaha. I guess Tomsula is the fall-back choice now.
      “If Lynch is low balling Kaep”
      “If Lynch goes cheap..”
      Newsflash: Lynch is definitely low-balling Kaep!
      Zero money. Zero job opportunity.
      Zero access to the facilities. Gave his jersey number to another guy.
      Drives a hard bargain. Tenacious negotiator that guy is.

    2. I wish him well, but also wish KS will hire an OC, because the Niners need all the help they can get, even with KS calling the plays.

  28. Well this is a conversation I will not participate in. Being literally 1 of maybe 3 black people on this site, reading your responses and making this racial, and/or racist is ridiculous. Grant, looking forward to your next column. Thanks in advance.

    1. Steele
      As a Niner fan, would you like Colin as the QB?
      I, for one, would not. I will say, and you can choose whether or not to believe me, my opinion is not based on race or politics.

      1. Brotha it’s cool. Honestly, I was the happiest person when he replaced Alex Smith. Because he gave me hope that when it was time for the QB to make a “needed” play, he would make one. Not check down or throw out of bounds. Now people sure how he has been to the playoffs with the chiefs and kudos for that. But as for Lap as the QB here, no sir, it wore itself out in 2013 when the power struggle between Jim and Trent became obvious. The offensive playbook was tailored to this man and he still could not figure it out. I look at lap like I look at all those great street basketball legends. He’s a hell of a playground QB, making something out of nothing. But when it’s time to drop back and sling it, in my opinion he just doesn’t ha e it anymore. Maybe a change of scenery will do him best. But in San Francisco, I’m done with him. Hopefully he gets a shot somewhere, just not here.

        1. Agree on all points.
          I also acknowledge mean spirited thinking when I see it here, there, and alas, everywhere.

  29. Once the season gets started, QBs gets hurt and some team will pick him up since he’s better than a lot of other backups. Grant should make a poll on which team he’ll play for and at what week!

  30. black, white, new suits, old suits

    STFU it doesn’t matter

    He beat the RAMS! next step SB ( where as we have been told as many times as suits used for bribery…HE HAS EXPERIENCE!)

  31. I got a prediction for you. Solomon Thomas will be a much better draft choice then Trubrisky.

        1. To explain it to you would require a lot of time. You are not worth the first vowel!

  32. Poor Kaep.

    I guess providing free suits to law abiding, job seeking, low income black men isn’t as sexy as championing EX-CONVICTS. They’re not unemployed because they’re black; nobody wants to hire an ex-drug trafficker or violent offender, regardless of whether they are white, black, brown, purple, green or blue.

    I guess providing aid for starving low income children here in the US isn’t as sexy as providing aid to SOMALIA, which is a third world sh@# hole of it’s own making. The only benefit Somalians provide to the world is as pirates, which make cheap and plentiful target practice marks for ex-Navy Seals securing shipping vessels. Somalia’s top exports are female genital mutilation, radical Islamists and welfare recipients. The rival factions spend their days stealing the substantial foreign aid already being sent to the country, while hopped up on khat.

    He wiffed on his opportunity to make a lasting change much like he wiffed on his opportunity to progress as an NFL QB. I was a huge Kaep fan but playing the martyr after declaring to the NFL that you’re not ‘big on mechanics’ and showing zero progression over almost five years and a big contract is ridiculous.

    We all waited for your game to develop and it didn’t. The three surgeries you ‘required’ last off-season were not only an act of self-sabatoge, they also reflected poorly on your future durability prospects, especially when you consider that your ability to competently pass is 100% contingent on your ability to proficiently run. Best of luck with your vast collection of kicks, the Kaepernicking and your future tattoos. I sense a future BET movie in the works, with Alex Smith as the antagonist and many other ‘creative liberties’ thrown in to aid the storytelling.

Comments are closed.