NFC Championship: 49ers at Seahawks

Who will win?

  • Seattle

    Votes: 110 62.5%
  • San Francisco

    Votes: 66 37.5%

  • Total voters
    176

86spike

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coremiller said:
 
The problem was the playcall, not Kaepernick's read.  Crabtree was the first option if they got single coverage on the outside.  Check the presnap defensive alignment: Sherman is the only Seattle defender on that side of the field.  The play was designed to get that one-on-one matchup and Kaepernick made the proper read within the playcall.  
 
I don't like the playcall at all, and Kaepernick left the pass about a yard short, but there was nothing wrong with his decision.
 
Kaep had Patton wide open to his left for a 6-10 yd gain and an easy step out of bounds to stop the clock if he had only looked beyond his first option.
 
Look at No. 11 at the top of the screen in this shot.  If Brady or Manning (or many others) had that ball, they hit Patton every time for a nice gain.
 

 
Kaepernick locked onto Crabtree and got torched.  Maybe a longer throw allows Crabtree to catch it, but he threw into double coverage hoping for a quick 6 points when he should have settled for what the defense gave him.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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coremiller said:
 
The problem was the playcall, not Kaepernick's read.  Crabtree was the first option if they got single coverage on the outside.  Check the presnap defensive alignment: Sherman is the only Seattle defender on that side of the field.  The play was designed to get that one-on-one matchup and Kaepernick made the proper read within the playcall.  
 
I don't like the playcall at all, and Kaepernick left the pass about a yard short, but there was nothing wrong with his decision.
 
If the playcall entailed "Throw it to Crabtree if there's single coverage no matter how tight that coverage might be and who the corner might be" then the playcall is definitely awful.  If Kaepernick was supposed go elsewhere if Crabtree wasn't open then its at least partially on him because you really cannot be closer to the receiver (and not be committing pass interference) than Sherman was to Crabtree for that entire route.
 

coremiller

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Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
 
If the playcall entailed "Throw it to Crabtree if there's single coverage no matter how tight that coverage might be and who the corner might be" then the playcall is definitely awful.  If Kaepernick was supposed go elsewhere if Crabtree wasn't open then its at least partially on him because you really cannot be closer to the receiver (and not be committing pass interference) than Sherman was to Crabtree for that entire route.
 
Calling for a jump ball in the end zone against Sherman is pretty dumb, yeah.  I hated the call then and hated it now.  I'm guessing they weren't thinking about an interception and figured they'd take a shot, with a worst case being an incomplete that stops the clock.  
 
As for Patton, he's standing two yards behind the line of scrimmage and is almost certainly the 4th read in this progression.  By the time Kaepernick resets his feet and gets through all his reads, I'm not convinced that's anything more than a 3 yard play, even assuming Kaepernick had enough time to go through that progression considering Anthony Davis's terrible pass blocking on the play.  Obviously a 3-yard gaain would have been preferable to an INT, but it has zero upside and risks a sack. 
 
Roman's mistake was thinking that a) Kaepernick could make a perfect throw, and b) that Crabtree could make that kind of play on the ball against Sherman.  Instead, Kaepernick made an ok but slightly short throw (the ball really needs to be thrown to the back pylon), and Sherman outjumped Crabtree and made a great athletic play.  
 

redsahx

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Tony C said:
On the other hand, can you win with a guy who can't go through his progressions? My take is that in the long run spectacular plays don't outweigh inconsistency. He's still inexperienced, so it may be that he matures  his game to match his physical skills. But, all the same, if the 49ers sign him to a $20 million per year-ish extension, I suspect that may end up being an albatross.
If you give San Fran a mediocre defense, can Kaepernick carry them to contender status the way Brady, Manning, Bree's and Rodgers have carried such teams? To give a QB a mega-deal like that, I'd think you'd have to be convinced that the answer is yes. A lot of quarterbacks would look good given that defense, and with decent weapons like Crabtree, Boldin, Davis and Gore.

Some have said that Kaepernick was the only reason the team even had a shot there at the end, but I strongly disagree. The 49er defense bailed him out by holding Seattle to only 3 points after the back to back turnovers early in the 4th. If Seattle had turned those into 10 or 14 points instead, that game is over and Kaepernick's meltdown is the lasting image of that game, not Richard Sherman. Does anyone have an animated gif of that earlier pick he threw in the 4th? That must look hysterical in slow motion and reduced frames.

Tony C said:
I'm not sure what is more absurd:
 
1-the "omg, that was the most classless outburst in the entire history of sports!"
Like Richard Sherman I was high on adrenaline when I made that comment, but it is what it is. To all the haters, I say a lion doesn't concern himself with the opinion of sheep.
 

Tony C

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Good retort, that made me laugh. (I watched Jason Whitlock on PTI today and thought he was good on this issue: both that the reaction against Sherman was over the top, as was the reaction against those who had that reaction)
 
And, yeah, that's my sense of Kaepernick, too. I mean it's not just that he has a good/great D to bail him out, but he has had a studly offensive line, terrific TE, above average WRs (once Crabtree was back), and a top flight RB.
 

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Core's right about the progression -- Crabtree was obviously the first option, which means Patton was likely the third or fourth. It's not like the QB gets to survey the field from a bird's-eye view and pick the open receiver -- this isn't a video game. Perhaps the play should've been run for Patton, but that's on the coaching staff; when the primary receiver is covered one-on-one, I don't think you can get on CK for not changing the play.

Getting on him for the throw is another story. I don't think the intent was to heave a "jump ball" into the end zone; if it was, CK's throw was worse than I thought. I think CK chose to try to fit the ball into a narrow (or perhaps non-existent) window. If you're going to make that questionable decision, the ball absolutely cannot be under thrown -- it's the old saw about putting the ball where only your guy can get it.

Russell Wilson made a few throws in similar circumstances, all of which sailed well over the receiver's head. The only time he tried to squeeze one into a window that narrow was on the ad-libbed free play, where the consequence of failure was nil. That difference in judgment is the single biggest reason Wilson is playing for the championship and CK isn't.
 

coremiller

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redsahx said:
If you give San Fran a mediocre defense, can Kaepernick carry them to contender status the way Brady, Manning, Bree's and Rodgers have carried such teams? To give a QB a mega-deal like that, I'd think you'd have to be convinced that the answer is yes. A lot of quarterbacks would look good given that defense, and with decent weapons like Crabtree, Boldin, Davis and Gore.

Some have said that Kaepernick was the only reason the team even had a shot there at the end, but I strongly disagree. The 49er defense bailed him out by holding Seattle to only 3 points after the back to back turnovers early in the 4th. If Seattle had turned those into 10 or 14 points instead, that game is over and Kaepernick's meltdown is the lasting image of that game, not Richard Sherman. Does anyone have an animated gif of that earlier pick he threw in the 4th? That must look hysterical in slow motion and reduced frames.


Like Richard Sherman I was high on adrenaline when I made that comment, but it is what it is. To all the haters, I say a lion doesn't concern himself with the opinion of sheep.
 
FWIW, although Kaepernick sucked in the fourth quarter, all his turnovers occurred after the defense had already blown the lead.  He had them ahead on the road going into the fourth quarter and the D couldn't hold it.  
 
Also, Kaepernick is not nearly as bad a pocket passer as he's frequently made out to be.  It's true that he can struggle with reads and progressions, but the "one-read QB" thing is way overblown.  He was in the Top 10 this year in virtually every rate statistic (passer rating, QBR, DVOA, DYAR, Y/A, ANY/A, etc.).  He had a low completion % but a high Y/C b/c the 49ers don't throw many short passes (it's mostly downfield stuff), and for a guy throwing mostly downfield he doesn't throw a lot of interceptions.  And that's without considering his considerable rushing value.
 
I don't think Kaepernick could carry a mediocre team right now to a title right now, but those guys you named weren't carrying mediocre teams to contender status early in their careers either.  Manning did have a great second year, but then regressed horribly in year 4, missing the playoffs when he was second in the league in interceptions.  Brady didn't really become a guy who could carry a team until 2004, his fourth season as a starter (his ANY/A had a huge spike that season).  Brees' first star season was his third year starting and fourth year in the league.  Rodgers had a great second year as a starter but it was his fifth year in the league.  Kaepernick has been a starter for only 1.5 seasons.  If he doesn't show any improvement next year, that would be a worrying sign.
 
In 3 or 4 years, I could absolutely see Kaepernick being a top-5 QB.  It would take some development and there's a reasonable chance he doesn't get there, but of the QBs under 27 (say, Luck, Newton, Wilson, RG3, Stafford, Tannehill, Dalton, Foles) I think Luck is the only one who's clearly a better prospect going forward.
 
As for the money, it's not just the absolute top guys who get $20m a year.  Sure, I'd rather have Aaron Rodgers, but I'd also much rather pay Kaepernick $20m/year in 2018 than Cutler or Flacco or Eli Manning or an old Tony Romo.
 

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maufman said:
Core's right about the progression -- Crabtree was obviously the first option, which means Patton was likely the third or fourth. It's not like the QB gets to survey the field from a bird's-eye view and pick the open receiver -- this isn't a video game. Perhaps the play should've been run for Patton, but that's on the coaching staff; when the primary receiver is covered one-on-one, I don't think you can get on CK for not changing the play.

Getting on him for the throw is another story. I don't think the intent was to heave a "jump ball" into the end zone; if it was, CK's throw was worse than I thought. I think CK chose to try to fit the ball into a narrow (or perhaps non-existent) window. If you're going to make that questionable decision, the ball absolutely cannot be under thrown -- it's the old saw about putting the ball where only your guy can get it.

Russell Wilson made a few throws in similar circumstances, all of which sailed well over the receiver's head. The only time he tried to squeeze one into a window that narrow was on the ad-libbed free play, where the consequence of failure was nil. That difference in judgment is the single biggest reason Wilson is playing for the championship and CK isn't.
 
Not picking on you here just using this as a jumping off point.
 
I wish you guys would simply read the thread. All of his has been discussed in this very thread about this play. Kaep is on record as saying, while walking up to the LOS, that he made the decision to throw to Crabtree.  There was no progression, there is no blame on anyone by Kaep for this play. Kaep never looked anywhere else on the field after snapping the ball because he already made up his mind presnap. He stared down Crabtree and that allowed Sherman to make the play he did. Irrespective of the underthrown pass, good QB's don't make the decision Kaep did in this situation.
 

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Dogman2 said:
 
Not picking on you here just using this as a jumping off point.
 
I wish you guys would simply read the thread. All of his has been discussed in this very thread about this play. Kaep is on record as saying, while walking up to the LOS, that he made the decision to throw to Crabtree.  There was no progression, there is no blame on anyone by Kaep for this play. Kaep never looked anywhere else on the field after snapping the ball because he already made up his mind presnap. He stared down Crabtree and that allowed Sherman to make the play he did. Irrespective of the underthrown pass, good QB's don't make the decision Kaep did in this situation.
I can think of at least one example of a good QB throwing at Richard Sherman in a one-on-one matchup on the back side:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap1000000080180/Sherman-picks-off-Brady
 
I think a pre-snap decision about the best matchup is pretty common. Kaepernick gets the snap, takes a three-step drop, and throws; the play isn't designed for him to take a long time with his decisions / progressions. Taking a sack there is almost as bad as throwing a pick. And whether or not Kaepernick stared down Crabtree is irrelevant; Sherman's in man coverage there, and is sticking with Crabtree whether or not the ball is thrown his way. There's no safety to come over and make the play even if Kaepernick telegraphs the throw with his eyes (which he doesn't; he gives a brief look towards the seam route during his drop).
 
Someone like mascho probably can judge better, but I think it's a fair read with respect to the "best-located safety" principle, but he underthrew it a little and Sherman made a great play.
 

coremiller

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Dogman2 said:
 
Not picking on you here just using this as a jumping off point.
 
I wish you guys would simply read the thread. All of his has been discussed in this very thread about this play. Kaep is on record as saying, while walking up to the LOS, that he made the decision to throw to Crabtree.  There was no progression, there is no blame on anyone by Kaep for this play. Kaep never looked anywhere else on the field after snapping the ball because he already made up his mind presnap. He stared down Crabtree and that allowed Sherman to make the play he did. Irrespective of the underthrown pass, good QB's don't make the decision Kaep did in this situation.
 
There was no "progression" because the playcall said, "first option: if you get 1-on-1 coverage on Crabtree, throw it in the endzone to Crabtree".  Kaep confirmed the coverage look at the LoS and then did what the playcall told him to do.  The problem was that it was a dumb playcall, and the pass was slightly underthrown which allowed Sherman to make a great play.
 

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Super Nomario said:
I can think of at least one example of a good QB throwing at Richard Sherman in a one-on-one matchup on the back side:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap1000000080180/Sherman-picks-off-Brady
 
I think a pre-snap decision about the best matchup is pretty common. Kaepernick gets the snap, takes a three-step drop, and throws; the play isn't designed for him to take a long time with his decisions / progressions. Taking a sack there is almost as bad as throwing a pick. And whether or not Kaepernick stared down Crabtree is irrelevant; Sherman's in man coverage there, and is sticking with Crabtree whether or not the ball is thrown his way. There's no safety to come over and make the play even if Kaepernick telegraphs the throw with his eyes (which he doesn't; he gives a brief look towards the seam route during his drop).
 
Someone like mascho probably can judge better, but I think it's a fair read with respect to the "best-located safety" principle, but he underthrew it a little and Sherman made a great play.
 
Do you think Brady walked to the line having already made that decision? I don't. I think Brady looked at the coverage, after getting to the line,  prior to making the decision.
coremiller said:
 
There was no "progression" because the playcall said, "first option: if you get 1-on-1 coverage on Crabtree, throw it in the endzone to Crabtree".  Kaep confirmed the coverage look at the LoS and then did what the playcall told him to do.  The problem was that it was a dumb playcall, and the pass was slightly underthrown which allowed Sherman to make a great play.
 
Again, while walking to the line the decision was made prior to seeing how the D was lining up so we are going to disagree on whether Kaep confirmed anything. There is no way Kaep knew, before getting to the line, if he had 1-on-1 or where the safety was playing. I don't think it was a dumb playcall as there were two guys open prior to Kaep throwing the ball. He should have made the progression.
 

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Super Nomario said:
I can think of at least one example of a good QB throwing at Richard Sherman in a one-on-one matchup on the back side:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap1000000080180/Sherman-picks-off-Brady
 
I think a pre-snap decision about the best matchup is pretty common. Kaepernick gets the snap, takes a three-step drop, and throws; the play isn't designed for him to take a long time with his decisions / progressions. Taking a sack there is almost as bad as throwing a pick. And whether or not Kaepernick stared down Crabtree is irrelevant; Sherman's in man coverage there, and is sticking with Crabtree whether or not the ball is thrown his way. There's no safety to come over and make the play even if Kaepernick telegraphs the throw with his eyes (which he doesn't; he gives a brief look towards the seam route during his drop).
 
Someone like mascho probably can judge better, but I think it's a fair read with respect to the "best-located safety" principle, but he underthrew it a little and Sherman made a great play.
 
I agree with you and those that are saying that this is more on the playcall than Kaep (if it's true and they're not trying to just take some heat off Kaep, possibly worst playcall ever), but how is the bolded true? You have two timeouts. Interception ends the game, a sack at worst puts you at 2nd and 18 with one timeout @ the 26 and ~25s left. 
 

coremiller

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Dogman2 said:
 
Do you think Brady walked to the line having already made that decision? I don't. I think Brady looked at the coverage, after getting to the line,  prior to making the decision.
 
Again, while walking to the line the decision was made prior to seeing how the D was lining up so we are going to disagree on whether Kaep confirmed anything. There is no way Kaep knew, before getting to the line, if he had 1-on-1 or where the safety was playing. I don't think it was a dumb playcall as there were two guys open prior to Kaep throwing the ball. He should have made the progression.
 
Here's what Kaepernick actually said:
 
 
-Q: What did you see on that last play? Did you think you were about to win the game?
-KAEPERNICK: Had a one-on-one match up with Crab. I’ll take that every time.
-Q: Even against Richard Sherman?
-KAEPERNICK: Against anyone.
-Q: Did you make the right decision on that last pass?
-KAEPERNICK: I think so. I’ll take that match-up every time.
-Q: Did you not see Chancellor on your first INT?
-Q: Did you think that was a TD?
-KAEPERNICK: When I saw the match up I thought we were going to score on that play.
-Q: What were your other options?
-KAEPERNICK: The other three receivers on the play.
-Q: Did you put it where you wanted to?
-KAEPERNICK: Could’ve put it a little deeper in the corner and gave only Crab a chance.
-Q: Were there other receivers open on the last play?
-KAEPERNICK: We’ll have to go watch film to see that.
-Q: You were immediately going to Crabtree vs. Sherman no matter what?
-KAEPERNICK: I was going there.
-Q: The Super Bowl ended like that, too. Did that come to mind for you?
-KAEPERNICK: No. The match up was in my mind, one-on-one, back side.
 
Seems pretty clear to me that he only made the decision to throw to Crabtree when he saw the one-on-one coverage look.  
 

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Super Nomario said:
I can think of at least one example of a good QB throwing at Richard Sherman in a one-on-one matchup on the back side:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap1000000080180/Sherman-picks-off-Brady
That was a really, really terrible throw, especially to the inside with the safety help coming over anyway.
 
I think a pre-snap decision about the best matchup is pretty common. Kaepernick gets the snap, takes a three-step drop, and throws; the play isn't designed for him to take a long time with his decisions / progressions. Taking a sack there is almost as bad as throwing a pick. And whether or not Kaepernick stared down Crabtree is irrelevant; Sherman's in man coverage there, and is sticking with Crabtree whether or not the ball is thrown his way. There's no safety to come over and make the play even if Kaepernick telegraphs the throw with his eyes (which he doesn't; he gives a brief look towards the seam route during his drop).
 
Someone like mascho probably can judge better, but I think it's a fair read with respect to the "best-located safety" principle, but he underthrew it a little and Sherman made a great play.
I don't know what Kaep's instructions were on this play but I think the "best located safety" principle is not a good reason to call that play or throw that ball. Sherman spent much of last Sunday on an island and was only targeted twice - once the play when he was called for defensive holding and once on the interception. If you're not going to throw on him all afternoon, when the best located safety principle could have been at work innumerable times, it seems funny to do so with the game on the line and on a play on which he has perfect coverage.
 

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coremiller said:
 
Here's what Kaepernick actually said:
 
 
Seems pretty clear to me that he only made the decision to throw to Crabtree when he saw the one-on-one coverage look.  
 
But that isn't what he said prior to answering the Q&A you posted. Sounds like he was trying to justify the poor decision. It really doesn't matter.
 

Tony C

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Right. It's hard to know exactly what the instructions were or what Kaep. was thinking. But it was obviously a bad decision and Kaep's re-telling of it makes him sound, at a minimum, hardheaded. Almost like he was out to prove something in a mano a mano w/ Sherman. Why the trashtalk about how when he saw that matchup he was sure they'd score. Huh? A match-up he'd avoided all day long (cue Richard Sherman post-game rant which, while a rant, had some common sense to it, too) is now something he wants to seize on without even looking at other receivers?
 

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coremiller said:
FWIW, although Kaepernick sucked in the fourth quarter, all his turnovers occurred after the defense had already blown the lead.  He had them ahead on the road going into the fourth quarter and the D couldn't hold it.  
 
Also, Kaepernick is not nearly as bad a pocket passer as he's frequently made out to be.  It's true that he can struggle with reads and progressions, but the "one-read QB" thing is way overblown.  He was in the Top 10 this year in virtually every rate statistic (passer rating, QBR, DVOA, DYAR, Y/A, ANY/A, etc.).  He had a low completion % but a high Y/C b/c the 49ers don't throw many short passes (it's mostly downfield stuff), and for a guy throwing mostly downfield he doesn't throw a lot of interceptions.  And that's without considering his considerable rushing value.
 
I don't think Kaepernick could carry a mediocre team right now to a title right now, but those guys you named weren't carrying mediocre teams to contender status early in their careers either.  Manning did have a great second year, but then regressed horribly in year 4, missing the playoffs when he was second in the league in interceptions.  Brady didn't really become a guy who could carry a team until 2004, his fourth season as a starter (his ANY/A had a huge spike that season).  Brees' first star season was his third year starting and fourth year in the league.  Rodgers had a great second year as a starter but it was his fifth year in the league.  Kaepernick has been a starter for only 1.5 seasons.  If he doesn't show any improvement next year, that would be a worrying sign.
 
In 3 or 4 years, I could absolutely see Kaepernick being a top-5 QB.  It would take some development and there's a reasonable chance he doesn't get there, but of the QBs under 27 (say, Luck, Newton, Wilson, RG3, Stafford, Tannehill, Dalton, Foles) I think Luck is the only one who's clearly a better prospect going forward.
 
As for the money, it's not just the absolute top guys who get $20m a year.  Sure, I'd rather have Aaron Rodgers, but I'd also much rather pay Kaepernick $20m/year in 2018 than Cutler or Flacco or Eli Manning or an old Tony Romo.
I think the contract situation with Kaepernick is really interesting. What do you expect the 49ers to do?

As far as Kaep's future, I think the range of outcomes is really wide. I can see him as the best QB in the league in three years. I can also see him never really progressing much in the mental part of the game and then eventually losing his mobility. He seems like a smart guy and a hard worker with a great coach behind him. But I'm not fully convinced he's playing the same mental game as other NFL QBs, ordering options based on coverage keys and then moving through them according to a very precise internal clock, and, given his high school and college background, it seems plausible that this kind of mental game is simply much more foreign to him than to most young QBs.
 

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Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
I don't know what Kaep's instructions were on this play but I think the "best located safety" principle is not a good reason to call that play or throw that ball. Sherman spent much of last Sunday on an island and was only targeted twice - once the play when he was called for defensive holding and once on the interception. If you're not going to throw on him all afternoon, when the best located safety principle could have been at work innumerable times, it seems funny to do so with the game on the line and on a play on which he has perfect coverage.
I haven't gone through the rest of the 49ers pass plays to see how they were aligned and how Seattle's safeties were aligned. On that play, Sherman clearly had no safety help, so I think it's the right first read; whether there was enough of a window to make the throw is debatable.
 
Dogman2 said:
 
But that isn't what he said prior to answering the Q&A you posted. Sounds like he was trying to justify the poor decision. It really doesn't matter.
Do you have a source for this? The only thing I've seen is the Q&A coremiller posted. This is the transcript, and it starts where he started posting.
 

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Morgan's Magic Snowplow said:
I think the contract situation with Kaepernick is really interesting. What do you expect the 49ers to do?

As far as Kaep's future, I think the range of outcomes is really wide. I can see him as the best QB in the league in three years. I can also see him never really progressing much in the mental part of the game and then eventually losing his mobility. He seems like a smart guy and a hard worker with a great coach behind him. But I'm not fully convinced he's playing the same mental game as other NFL QBs, ordering options based on coverage keys and then moving through them according to a very precise internal clock, and, given his high school and college background, it seems plausible that this kind of mental game is simply much more foreign to him than to most young QBs.
 
This is a very good question and it will be interesting to see how it plays out. My guess is he'll sign an extension this off-season for a little less than market (which I guess is about 5/100 these days?  Maybe more?  Flacco got 6/120, Cutler 7/120, Rodgers, 6/126).  Unlike most of the other QBs who have signed deals recently, Kaep was a 2nd round pick who did not get a big rookie contract with a large signing bonus.  Even under the new rookie scale, from the same draft year, Cam Newton got 4/22; Kaepernick got only 4/5.5.  He has a lot to gain in locking in real money now and reducing his risk going forward.  Especially with his running being so important to his value, it only takes one bad hit to really screw up his value.  So my hunch is he signs an extension for something like 5-6 years with an AAV around 15, a big signing bonus, and about 40m guaranteed, which I think would be a pretty good deal for both sides.
 

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jkempa said:
All right, this is definitely over the top in places, but a pretty good catalog of all the calls that went Seattle's way during the NFC Championship.
 
http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhs03U5ys3du70T9YW
 
This conspiracy stuff is obviously nonsense, and some of the "bad" calls highlighted in that video were actually correct (like the Dixon TD overturn).  But the refs had an awful game and nearly all of the bad calls favored Seattle.  The missed roughing the punter and the play clock fiascos were huge mistakes.  SF did get the balance of calls in the previous round against Carolina, but the disparity wasn't nearly that lopsided and the game wasn't that close anyway, SF just whipped Carolina in the second half.
 
The really frustrating thing is that SF probably wins that game if it's played at Candlestick ... and SF would have had home field except for the awful roughing the passer penalty on Ahmad Brooks in New Orleans.