NFL Quarterback Carousel eyes Colin Kaepernick, Nick Foles, and Robert Griffin III
By Dan Salem
The NFL Quarterback Carousel is a creaky machine full of holes and three signal callers look to enter the 2015 offseason as available. Who do you pick to lead your team; Colin Kaepernick, Nick Foles, or Robert Griffin III? Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL TD Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate the NFL and sports.
DAN:
Three teams that are on the verge of falling way short of expectations this season have quarterbacks who appear to be available come the 2015 NFL offseason. The NFL quarterback carousel rolls on as the Washington Redskins, Philadelphia Eagles, and San Francisco 49ers throw their quarterbacks to the NFL masses.
Who would you rather have at quarterback next season, Nick Foles, Robert Griffin III, or Colin Kaepernick? Many teams will be looking for a new man to lead their squad, but this ‘debate’ is rather lopsided. The choice is easy, but first here are the career and 2014 numbers for all three quarterbacks.
Nick Foles:
| CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | AVG | TD | LNG | INT | FUM | QBR | RAT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Regular Season | 186 | 311 | 2,163 | 59.8 | 6.96 | 13 | 68 | 10 | 4 | 62.2 | 81.4 |
| Career | 550 | 893 | 6,753 | 61.6 | 7.56 | 46 | 68 | 17 | 16 | N/A | 94.2 |
Robert Griffin III:
| CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | AVG | TD | LNG | INT | FUM | QBR | RAT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Regular Season | 104 | 150 | 1,138 | 69.3 | 7.59 | 3 | 61 | 3 | 7 | 25.5 | 89.8 |
| Career | 636 | 999 | 7,541 | 63.7 | 7.55 | 39 | 88 | 20 | 30 | N/A | 91.3 |
Colin Kaepernick:
| CMP | ATT | YDS | CMP% | AVG | TD | LNG | INT | FUM | QBR | RAT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Regular Season | 259 | 428 | 3,051 | 60.5 | 7.13 | 16 | 80 | 10 | 7 | 49.7 | 84.9 |
| Career | 641 | 1,067 | 8,097 | 60.1 | 7.59 | 47 | 80 | 21 | 22 | N/A | 90.3 |
All three quarterbacks have played below their career numbers this season, besides RGIII who has his completion% up a bit. These are just the passing numbers, but they are quite comparable to one another, with only a few outlying statistics. But none of this matters. The decision of whom to pick is very simple. Its Colin Kaepernick.
Not only does Kaepernick win the statistical matchup, but he wins the most important test of all, the eye test. Kaepernick has certainly dipped a bit this season in overall effectiveness, but his team is not nearly as strong as in prior seasons. Despite that and all the turmoil that hit his locker room and team, Colin has quietly put up over 3K yards passing. But the eye test tells me all I need to know. Colin Kaepernick is in control of his team and the game when it matters most.
Kaepernick has the playoff experience. He has played for the hardest coach to play for in the league. And I see no one questioning his leadership. Both Foles and RGIII come with several question marks, but the only question I have about Kaepernick is who he’ll be throwing to. A quarterback without weapons is not a very good quarterback.
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TODD:
I’m really surprised at this. Your decision is not surprising, but the ease with which you came to that conclusion is. My own choice between the three downward trending quarterbacks would really be nothing more than a pick against the other two.
If I am choosing a QB to lead my team in the fictional (yet plausible) scenario where all three of these men were released and became free agents, there is no circumstance where I would feel great about naming any of them first string. The numbers are all well and good, but the play on the field has been horrendous.
Even before Nick Foles got hurt, he was playing atrociously for one of the easiest offenses in the NFL to excel in. 2013 Nick Foles is a perfect example of that. This year Foles was seemingly the opposite. He couldn’t connect on any passes down field, relying on swings and screens. He made too many mistakes, both in the amount of overthrows and interceptions.
The most reasonable expectation for 2015 Foles would be somewhere in the middle of his great second season and poor third season, however I am under the impression that the latter is more in line with his skill set.
I get to a similar outcome with Griffin although for different reasons. He strikes me as a lost cause as far as franchise quarterback is concerned. RGIII will certainly deserve a roster spot next year and the chance to compete for a starting job, but his ceiling is no where close to meeting the building code anymore.
Really it comes down to the fact that he can’t/won’t run, and that was his greatest strength. Without the threat of the run, he becomes a mediocre pocket passer and nothing more.
For Colin Kaepernick, I don’t agree that no one is questioning his leadership. It also doesn’t make much sense to give him a pass on this season and not do the same for Foles when Nick had a beat-up offensive line and no running game to aid him.
But it comes down to the chances a player can improve the fortunes of a club, which is why I also have to come to the realization that Colin Kaepernick is the choice here. He still possess all the tools, despite something being “off” this season.
Kaep can and does run like a gazelle, especially in the playoffs as you pointed out. He has one of the strongest arms in the league, which is always a nice fallback even if his 2014 passes are spraying all over the place. He also may need to get out from under that head coach you referenced. It is impossible to know as an outsider whether Kaepernick’s struggles are reason for Harbaugh to leave or if Harbaugh is the reason for Kaepernick’s struggles.
The possibility of the latter must at least be considered.
Because of that unknown and because of the upside that the other two options lack, the 49er QB is the choice…even if it wasn’t as clear as you made it out to be.