Colin Kaepernick’s understudy

Who will be the 49ers’ backup quarterback next season? Probably not Blaine Gabbert or Josh Johnson, a couple of free-agent retreads the 49ers should not re-sign. The Niners need to find a quarterback worth developing, a quarterback with a future. I count five quarterbacks who fit that description in the upcoming draft: Tier 1: Marcus Mariota. A dual-threat quarterback who is quicker and faster than Kaepernick. Tier 2: Jameis Winston….

February 27, 2015
Read More >>

2015 NFL draft quarterback comparisons

This is what I see when I watch the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class. Marcus Mariota: Alex Smith. Why: Smart quarterbacks who dominated college football and don’t make many mistakes. Practically the same size – 6-4, 218 pounds. Fast runners, although Mariota is faster. Good passers, although neither has a cannon and neither has pin-point placement. Neither had to throw into tight windows, neither had to anticipate openings…

January 26, 2015
Read More >>

The quarterback deficiencies of Colin Rand Kaepernick

This is my Sunday column. As Jed York and Trent Baalke search for someone who can make Colin Kaepernick a competent pocket passer, keep in mind that Jim Harbaugh, the Quarterback Whisperer, couldn’t do it; George Whitfield, the Quarterback Guru, couldn’t do it; and Bill Walsh, The Genius, almost certainly wouldn’t care to try. Of course, I can’t prove that last part — Walsh passed away in 2007 — but…

January 3, 2015
Read More >>