49ers see runs of success in their quarterback’s future

This is my Sunday column. Keep running him until he breaks down. That is the 49ers’ plan for Colin Kaepernick next season. I can’t prove it beyond a reasonable doubt, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, but I can make a case. Exhibit A: Mike Shanahan and Rob Chudzinski – the top candidates to become the Niners’ new offensive coordinator, according to reports. Shanahan was Robert Griffin III’s head coach…

January 17, 2015
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49ers need Kap insurance

This is my column for Wednesday. The 49ers need a new quarterback. This is not to say the 49ers should give up on Colin Kaepernick — with the right coaching he may still have a future. But they shouldn’t go all in with him, either. The 49ers should hedge their bets, draft a quarterback who could back up Kaepernick as a rookie and could eventually take over as the starter…

January 22, 2014
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Redskins can be troublesome

Here is my column previewing the 49ers-Redskins Monday Night game. Sure, the 49ers should beat the Redskins Monday night, should blow them away. The 49ers are a good team fighting for a playoff spot and the Redskins are 3-7, going nowhere. I just can’t help noticing a few factors which work in the Redskins’ favor against the Niners. Take this one, it’s the craziest thing: During the Jim Harbaugh Era,…

November 22, 2013
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Redskins v. 49ers by the numbers

Here are some interesting stats to consider for the 49ers’ upcoming game against the Redskins. Offensive points per game 49ers: 24.7 Redskins: 24.6 Yards per rush 49ers: 4.5 Redskins: 5.1 Yards per pass attempt 49ers: 6.7 Redskins 6.7 Yards per rush allowed 49ers: 3.9 Redskins: 4.3 Yards per pass attempt allowed 49ers: 6.1 Redskins: 8.0 Passer rating the past three games Kaepernick: 73.5 Griffin: 94.8

November 19, 2013
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The Skelton signing is a huge development for the 49ers and here’s why

Here is my Thursday column about the 49ers’ signing of John Skelton. SANTA CLARA – You think you know Jim Harbaugh, and then he goes and signs John Skelton as a backup quarterback. Signing Skelton is a defining move of the Harbaugh Era. Not because Skelton is good. He isn’t. He represents a dramatic shift in the 49ers’ offensive philosophy. Skelton does not fit into the offense the 49ers have…

October 3, 2013
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Harbaugh says Wallace can “do a lot of the things a QB that can move could do in our system.”

Here’s the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.   Tell us about the addition of QB Seneca Wallace? How do you see him fitting in here over the next, whatever it is, several weeks of the exhibition season? “I think he hit the ground running. Professional, he’s played in the league, experienced guy. So, going over a lot of things that he is familiar with,…

August 23, 2013
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Which NFL quarterbacks will have passer ratings better than 95 this season?

Last season, 10 quarterbacks finished the regular season with passer ratings better than 95.0. Those quarterbacks were: 1. Aaron Rodgers: 108.0 2. Peyton Manning: 105.8 3. Alex Smith: 104.1 4. Robert Griffin III: 102.4 5. Russell Wilson: 100.0 6. Matt Ryan: 99.1 7. Tom Brady: 98.7 8. Colin Kaepernick: 98.3 9. Ben Roethlisberger: 97.0 10. Drew Brees: 96.3 Which quarterbacks do you think will have passer ratings better than 95.0…

June 30, 2013
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Kaepernick vs. the QBs on the 49ers’ 2013 schedule

49ers fans and Bay Area residents are hyper-aware of Colin Kaepernick’s excellent 2012 season. He took Alex Smith’s starting job Week 10, started the final-seven games of the regular season and was one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL over that stretch. I thought it would be interesting to compare Kaepernick’s final-seven regular season games to the final-seven regular season games of each of the quarterbacks the 49ers will…

May 20, 2013
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Falcons-49ers matchups: Part I – Weatherspoon v. Kaepernick

The 49ers play the Falcons Sunday at the Georgia Dome. In the meantime, I’ll break down the key matchups. WLB Sean Weatherspoon vs. QB Colin Kaepernick. On passing downs, like third down and second-and-long, the Falcons will put a “spy” on Colin Kaepernick. That spy will be Atlanta’s fastest linebacker, Sean Weatherspoon. The Green Bay Packers did not spy Kaepernick, and he scrambled five times for 75 yards. It will…

January 18, 2013
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Why the Packers are a lucky draw for the 49ers

The 49ers are lucky they get to play the Packers on Saturday night and not the Seahawks or the Redskins. Why? Let me list the reasons. 1. The Seahawks and the Redskins have two of the best running backs in the NFL. The 49ers run defense has been mediocre to bad recently. They do not want to face Marshawn Lynch or Alfred Morris. They want to face the Packers subpar…

January 5, 2013
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Harbaugh: “We’re going to have to run more data and log some more time on Washington.”

SANTA CLARA – This morning I wrote the 49ers should spend their bye week preparing and game planning more for the Redskins than the Packers or Seahawks. I asked Jim Harbaugh this afternoon if the 49ers coaches will indeed spend more time preparing for the Redskins than the other teams. Here’s what he said. COHN: Are you preparing more for the Redskins because you haven’t faced Robert Griffin III and…

December 31, 2012
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Harbaugh: “RG III, Colin, they got a pretty good callus of running the ball.”

SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said about Colin Kaepernick at the head coach’s Monday press conference. Q: You mentioned yesterday that the play-calls weren’t getting out of the huddle fast enough, and you had to burn a couple timeouts. Were they getting to Colin fast enough? Was he having some issues? HARBAUGH: I think it was happening after the play got in. The plays were in good, in…

December 10, 2012
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Sunday matchup: Dolphins offense vs. 49ers defense

I think the Dolphins will struggle dramatically on offense, especially in the passing game. They do not possess a wide receiver who can stretch the field. They basically have a “chains” or “sticks” passing game – it doesn’t extend beyond ten yards. They have not demonstrated the capacity to design “double move” routes for any of their wide receivers or tight ends to get deep. Anthony Fasano has the speed of…

December 5, 2012
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Ranking young quarterbacks, part II: Grant’s ranking

Earlier today I asked you to rank Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick in order of which QB you would most want to build an NFL team around. Here’s my ranking. Colin Kaepernick – Of these four quarterbacks, Kaepernick has the strongest arm. He’s not quite as athletic as Griffin, but Kaepernick is more athletic than Luck and Newton. Kaepernick can throw from the pocket or…

December 1, 2012
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Ranking Kaepernick, Luck, Newton and RGIII

There are currently four young, athletic quarterbacks who have the potential to become elite – Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick. Which one would you most want to build an NFL franchise around? Which one do you think will become the best quarterback? I want you to rank these quarterback 1-4 and give a reason for each ranking. I will give my ranking at the end…

December 1, 2012
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Doug Farrar calls Kaepernick “the perfect quarterback” for the 49ers offensive scheme

Here’s what Doug Farrar and Greg Cosell said Friday on the Week 12 Shutdown Corner podcast about the 49ers offense with Colin Kaepernick. FARRAR: Watching the 49ers offense against the Bears, it reminded me a little bit of what Washington does with their offense, although there are very different principles. The 49ers switched pre-snap from a full house to split backs. I thought I was watching the 1975 Cowboys. The…

November 23, 2012
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Kaepernick cracks Berry’s top-10 fantasy QBs

ESPN’s fantasy football guru Matthew Berry just posted his top-10 fantasy quarterbacks for Week 12. They are: 1. Aaron Rodgers 2. Peyton Manning 3. Robert Griffin III 4. Matt Ryan 5. Tom Brady 6. Andrew Luck 7. Drew Brees 8. Colin Kaepernick 9. Cam Newton 10. Andy Dalton Who’s not on the list: Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo, Matthew Stafford, Alex Smith.

November 21, 2012
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Greg Cosell mock draft: The Niners draft Peter Konz

Greg Cosell just posted his mock draft and it’s very interesting, so I’m linking it for you here. Here are the highlights: 1. Cosell says Robert Griffin III is a better prospect than Andrew Luck. 2. Cosell says Stephon Gilmore is the best cornerback prospect, followed by Janoris Jenkins and then Morris Claiborne. 3. Cosell says Matt Kalil will slide to the Cardinals at pick No. 13. 4. Cosell calls…

April 23, 2012
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In five years, who will be the best NFL QBs?

CSNBayArea.com just posted my latest article on the top-five young quarterbacks in football. For the purposes of this article I define ‘young’ as incoming rookies and soon-to-be second-year guys. Of those QBs, which ones will be the best five years from now? Here’s my list: 1. Cam Newton 2. Andrew Luck 3. Robert Griffin III 4. Jake Locker 5. Colin Kaepernick. To read the article, click here.

February 28, 2012
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Combine: Forget Sanu and Randle. Enter Wright and Hill.

The wide receivers ran their 40-yard dashes this morning at the combine, and just like that, you can forget about Mohamed Sanu. He ran a 4.67 40-yard dash today at the NFL Combine, which means he’s slower than Michael Crabtree, which means the Niners probably aren’t going to drafting him. So, that narrows things down a bit. What else did we learn? Michael Floyd ran 4.47. He’s probably not going…

February 26, 2012
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