Colin Kaepernick came into the season as a backup, not expecting to play any relevant snaps for the San Francisco 49ers this season. Alex Smith was their guy they stuck with through thick and thin, as difficult as it was at times for a 49ers fan to watch, Smith was the ultimate game manager, going 19-5-1 over the last 2 seasons, and getting his team to the NFC Championship last season.
Suddenly, in mid November, after coming in as a backup against St. Louis and playing well enough to make an impression, Coach Jim Harbaugh decides to go with the more mobile, bigger armed, QB in Kap, and hasn’t ever looked back in anything but bliss.
Coming from Nevada, drafted in the 2nd round, at the 36th spot, Kap was a kid with prospects but not a whole lot was really banking on him to be what he has become. He has become a leader for his team, as Alex Smith now watches on the sidelines with his cap on.
Joe Flacco, known for his cannon right arm that can easily cover 70 yards is getting his moment he has waited for, for 4 years. With so many doubters, and people who felt he was never going to be the guy to get the Ravens over the hump. So many, saying Ray Rice was the only ingredient to the Ravens success. And don’t get me wrong, I still feel Ray Rice is the key ingredient, but, let’s give Flacco his substantial due. When Flacco throws for 270+ yards in a game, his career record is 18-2.
He is really good. Yes, Joe Flacco, from Delaware. When he was drafted in 2008, he was going to a team that had grave problems at QB. Flacco got his crack immediately, came out and won his game vs division rivals, rushing for a TD, suddenly; Flacco was the name for Baltimore fans.
Flacco certainly has come a longer way to get where he is now, with 80 games behind him, a 54-26 starting record, his many big games, his 8 playoff wins, including 6 on the road (most all time in NFL history)and 102 career regular season TD passes, to only 56 picks. And he is by no stretch afraid to use that cannon to find his WRs downfield.
Then there is the bad Flacco, the one that so many seem to love to loathe, the one who’s winless vs Tennessee, with 1 TD and 4 ints vs them. Who, during the regular season was shabby on the road, and his statistical numbers went crashing to earth, going from excellent to poor.
Colin Kaepernick is only 25 years old, with a rocket arm, great accuracy, and fast feet on his long 6-5 frame, that when he gets moving, it seems he gains 10 yards on a scramble in three steps. Flacco and Kaepernick are both a great story for everyone to enjoy, it makes us root for the modest guy, the guys who don’t come from the SEC, the Big 10, that come from smaller schools and gave hope to QBs playing for the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens.
Flacco, with his 5 years behind him, considerably built his way up into eventually getting there, passing the doubters. Maybe in ’08, Kansas City or the Jets would be different teams if they grabbed Flacco. Kap came in and shocked everyone with his skills, after only 10 career games, he is playing for a championship, pretty astonishing.
These 2 quarterbacks of the future, coming from virtual small ended schools, showing us all, maybe it’s time to look deeper for potential stars.
