We’ve heard the sports media churn out some pretty crazy ideas of places where free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick could go. Yet, this story could be the biggest head scratcher.
The offensive struggles of the Cincinnati Bengals have been well-documented in the early part of the season. Cincy has already fired their offensive co-ordinator after only two games and no touchdowns. Many fans have begun blaming quarterback Andy Dalton for the offense’s struggles. According to Pro Football Talk, with the “Red Rifle” firing blanks, many in the Bengals locker-room have begun venting their frustrations as well.
According to PFT:
The team insists that quarterback Andy Dalton is safe. But the feeling within the locker room, we’re told, is that the leash isn’t quite so long, and that if the struggles continue under new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, the next one to go could be Dalton.
This means that A.J. McCarron would take over, if Dalton is indeed benched. But there’s a feeling among some of the players that the Bengals should go off the board and consider bringing in Colin Kaepernick.
Yes, Colin Kaepernick. Though there’s no indication that the team would consider making such a move, zero touchdowns and nine points in two full games can cause a team to start turning over stones in search of answer.
And Kaepernick is sitting there in plain sight.
Of all the nutty stories hypothesizing potential Kaepernick landing spots, this might be the nuttiest. Note that there’s not even a reference to “sources close to the team,” or, “players and coaches speaking off the record.” No, instead, the sourcing for the story is a non-hyperlinked, “we’re told.”
Okay, that seems incredibly flimsy and potentially lacking foundation, but okay.
However, if the story istrue, the players advocating for Kaepernick would be well-served to pay attention to their own team. The Bengals offensive line has all the ferocity of Mother Goose. They literally rival only Houston, for the dubious honor of being the worst line in all of football. Anyone who thinks Kaepernick would thrive in that situation, especially in a bad weather division where he faces the Steelers and Ravens four times a year, should probably donate their brain to CTE research.
Secondly, there’s the issue of McCarron himself. McCarron is one of the better backups in all of football. He played well enough, in relief of Dalton, to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in a playoff game two years ago. Not only that, it’s widely reported, that when Bengals Owner Mike Brown was looking to trade McCarron, he was looking for a 2nd round pick in return. That’s a very high pick.
If the Bengals have a 2nd round grade on McCarron’s trade value, then why would they bring in Kaepernick?
In fact, the whole thing makes no sense. Unless we’re just at the point where people look at struggling quarterbacks, ignore the circumstances around them, ignore the suitable replacement player already on the roster, only to then launch into pre-scripted articles that have nothing to do with football, and everything to do with politics.
It definitely seems like we’re at that point.