New Stat Proves Colin Kaepernick Issue Is More Politics Than Football
By Erik Lambert
Even with the 2017 NFL offseason approaching its later stages, the talk of the football world, at least in part, remains quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
The continued exile of the former rising star remains one of the most hotly debated topics across all forms of media. Some believe he’s being blackballed for the stupidest reasons imaginable. Kneeling down for the national anthem and criticizing police brutality? When guys who beat women get a free pass? Really? Then there are those who say Kaepernick just isn’t that good of a quarterback and the distraction he brings isn’t worth it.
Unfortunately there are plenty of arguments against that, many of them involving concrete statistical facts. Peter King of the MMQB found an interesting one courtesy of stats expert Cian Fahey.
"“Fahey watches every snap of every NFL game, to study quarterbacks. It’s really quite intense, and quite informative. The part of his book I found more interesting is the section on interceptable passes. Those numbers are exactly what they sound like: a ball thrown poorly enough that it should have been intercepted, whether it was or not.The 2016 list (minimum 300 attempts) of interception-prone throwers will interest you … and that’s because, in terms of the quarterback who was most careful with the ball in 2016, a currently unemployed quarterback topped the list.Quarterbacks who threw the least-interceptable balls, by percentage, 2016:"
| Player | Interceptable Throws | Total Att. | Att. Per Int. Throw | Pct. of Int. Throws |
| 1. Colin Kaepernick, SF | 7 | 331 | 47.3 | 2.11 |
| 2. Tyrod Taylor, BUF | 10 | 436 | 43.6 | 2.29 |
| 3. Sam Bradford, MIN | 13 | 552 | 42.5 | 2.35 |
| 4. Aaron Rodgers, GB | 18 | 736 | 40.9 | 2.45 |
| 5. Dak Prescott, DAL | 13 | 497 | 38.2 | 2.62 |
Stop treating people like they’re idiots
If nothing else this chart proves that the excuses for Kaepernick’s exile are weak. If organizations came out and flatly admitted they don’t want him because he’s a distraction? Believe it or not, people would buy that. Yet to dodge the question and hint it’s not because of his beliefs but because they don’t think he can help a team on the field feels wrong.
These numbers reflect that much. Kaepernick threw just four interceptions in 11 starts last season. He also ran for 468 yards, which put him on pace to top his career high of 639 set back in 2014. He’s only 29-years old and teammates have sworn up and down that is not a problem in the locker room. So it comes down to whether a team is willing to brave the media blitz they’re sure to see for the first couple weeks upon signing him.
The Philadelphia Eagles did it with Michael Vick and his crimes were far more heinous. The payoff in return was great. Maybe somebody will see that same potential with Kaepernick.