Marvin, sometimes you are the most daft guy, other times slightly less so. This is the former. Yes, I know that you are in the midst of reclaiming hope for the season, but you are fluffing yourself trying to convince yourself It's just this one team in this one place that you can't beat.
Kaep has things he does well. Things he doesn't. Your coaching staff has done an awesome job of fitting the offense to him and his skills. Any truthful list of what he does best pisses off Niner faithful because so much of Gabriel's offense is one primary read that takes time to develop, and it isn't even meant (by me) as an insult. It just is what it is. Of course Kaep can make second and third reads. But most of Gabriel's offensive reads happen pre snap. When a team runs a lot of 2 or 3 man floods, clearouts, and drags, a patient read of the play as it develops is an asset, not an insult.
However, when Kaep makes 2nd and third reads, his efficiency plummets. The interception to Kam was a 2nd read, his first read was McDonald in the underneath LB zone. Either that or it was a look off. The missed TD to Boldin in the end zone in week 1 was both late and not his primary read, Boldin was alone by 15 yards and Kaep struggles with sideline accuracy, especially when moving.
But nobody in the NFL throws a better dig than Kaepernick. Nobody. 6 yards or 30, static targets between the numbers are mostly perfect passes. Even outside the numbers, he is very accurate on digs.
So why is he so hard to scheme, seemingly for everyone but the Hawks and Rams? Here is what I think:
1. Most secondaries do not communicate well pre snap. Gabriel's route designs require corners and safeties to change assignments at the pick/rub. The famous throw where Davis got smoked last year by Kam? Davis was wide open, and that was because Malcom Smith got rubbed. Good communication between corner and LB would have prevented that route. Good thing Kaep hung him out to dry. Gabriel's offense seems to have routes almost every pass play designed to take advantage of the poor communication in most secondaries.
2. Kaepernick makes very good pre snap reads. He can spot the mismatch. And he has no fear of challenging his offense to make plays.
3. Forgetting what happened last week, the offensive line he plays behind is very good.
4. He can salvage a bad play with legs.
5. He is the fastest of all the RO QBs to make up his mind on the keep or give.
So why is Seattle his worst matchup? We give away the sidelines in our press, and sideline accuracy is not his strength. Our secondary communicates maybe better than any other, as seen by the way they switched assignements on rub routes Sunday. There is extreme speed at the edges, so for every big run Colin breaks, there is one where he gets chased down before he can make a big play.
So far, I can only think of one other team that has the talent to stop your guy, and that is the Rams. There are a few other teams with the firepower to outscore your team, but that is the only other squad with the speed and talent to line up and shut Colin down.
