Should Miami Sign Colin Kaepernick?

Now, I know what you are all thinking. This is another hate piece on Ryan Tannehill from ct1361 (even though I don’t hate him). Just give me a chance here to explain my thought process.

Ryan Tannehill is the starting QB for Miami. The Coaching Staff and Front Office has made that clear. But we saw what could happen to Miami’s starting QB in 2016. Tannehill got hurt. The back-up QB, Matt Moore, had to come in and start 3 games in the regular season and 1 playoff game.

This is where I think Colin Kaepernick could help Miami, as the back-up QB. Here’s why:

· Face it, he is a better QB than Matt Moore.

· He has experience in big games having been the starting QB for a team that has played in Championship Games and in the Super Bowl.

· His skill set, mobile with a big arm, is similar to Tannehill’s skill set.

· If and when he comes into a game, DC’s will have to adjust their game plan because he can run.

Let’s look into these in a little more detail. Kaepernick is better than Matt Moore, period. Moore showed his limitations as a QB when he got into the game. Don’t get me wrong, I like Matt Moore, he is a “good soldier” and a solid back-up QB. Saying that, Kaepernick is better at EVERYTHING. More mobile, better arm, more experience. Kaepernick could start for a handful of teams in the NFL, Moore can’t.

Miami is a relatively young team, a very young team if you consider amount of playoff games played or won. They lack experience, with the majority of the roster having played in their 1^st playoff game of their careers against Pittsburgh. Having a player on the roster with Super Bowl playing experience is a plus. Having a QB on the roster having been the starting QB in a Super Bowl is HUGE. Kaepernick being able to pass along that experience to players in how to prepare, what to expect, how to handle the distractions, from a player to player perspective the deeper you get into the playoffs is a big deal.

When you put together an offensive game plan for an opponent, you take your 6” binder playbook (I know it is an I-Pad now, but I’m old school) with hundreds or thousands of plays and narrow it down to 30-50 run out of several personnel groups and formations. These are the plays you practice. If the QB gets injured, and the back-up can’t physically do the same things the starter can, those 30-50 plays get shrunk even more. Miami is effective on offense when Tannehill has the ability to move the pocket. Tannehill throws well on the move, being able to roll out in either direction. With Matt Moore, because he isn’t mobile, you lose that aspect of your play calling if he is in the game. With Kaepernick, you wouldn’t because he is just as mobile (more so) than Tannehill. Plus, with the big arm (like Tannehill), Kaepernick can make all the throws that Moore can’t, which further limits the play calling. With Kaepernick, Miami’s play calling ability wouldn’t be as limited.

As we saw when Miami played San Francisco last year, Colin Kaepernick is really dangerous when he runs the football. He had 10 carries for 113 yards against Miami and all those carries came when he dropped back to throw and scrambled to avoid the rush. If and when he came into the game, this is another aspect that DC’s would have to adjust too. This ability to run effectively, changes the defense and it is something Matt Moore cannot do. Basically, because of Moore’s running and arm strength limitations, when he comes into the game, DC’s adjust their game for less instead of more.

Now, does Kaepernick come with some baggage? Yes, most definitely. If he didn’t have that baggage, he is probably on a roster right now and probably named the starting QB. This, in my opinion, could prove to be another reason why Miami would be a good fit for his services.

There is no pressure to start here. Being a back-up takes some of the spot light off Kaepernick. That helps. But what I really think could happen if he comes to Miami is that Adam Gase, the QB Whisperer, could turn him into an asset. Let me explain.

Kaepernick needs work on his game. In the past he has shown that he can play QB at a very high level. The last couple of years he has regressed. That’s why he has lost his starting job. Let’s assume that Gase gets Kaepernick close to his Super Bowl type form after working with him for a year or two. He could then become a tradeable asset.

We all saw what happened when Teddy Bridgewater got injured in the preseason last year and what they gave up to get Sam Bradford from the Eagles. We have seen what Green Bay and what New England has done by trading their back-up QB’s to QB hungry teams in the past. Maybe Miami could do that.

If you can get a draft pick or draft picks for a back-up QB, that’s a good thing. That’s using all of your roster intelligently and using all your aspects. Having more draft picks is better than having less.

Basically, I think signing Colin Kaepernick is a relatively low risk (I think he will be cheap) potentially high reward signing. He is better than Matt Moore so Miami improves their roster and their ability to win games if Tannehill gets hurt. That’s in the immediate short term for this year. But in a year or two, if Gase can work his QB Whisperer magic with Kaepernick, Miami could have a tradeable asset at QB. That could help build the roster.

And if Miami does sign Kaepernick and he turns out to be a waste of time and effort, cut him in camp. No harm no foul. But I think he could be worth taking a chance on. Like I said, he could be a low risk, high reward signing.

Plus, he already has a Miami Dolphins hat and they wouldn’t have to give him another one.