By Michael Kelley ’14 & Mick Kowaleski ’14
Just looking at the 49ers record of 8-2-1, one would say all is well in San Francisco. But a quarterback controversy is brewing between the hot-handed Colin Kaepernick and long time starter Alex Smith.
Kelley: Head Coach Jim Harbaugh recently warned, “I wouldn’t assume anything,” in regards to the quarterback controversy that is dominating headlines in San Francisco.
Let me tell you, and our readers, the first thing I did when I read this was make an assumption – that Kaepernick will be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season and into the playoffs.
And now let me tell you why. It’s not that Smith has done anything wrong – he is the NFL’s fifth-ranked quarterback this season, boasting a passer rating of 104.1, and the league’s highest completion percentage at 70.0. It’s just thatKaepernick is that good.
His physical skills are off the charts. In his first game as quarterback, he completed 16-23 passes for 243 yards and two TDs in a 32-7 blowout against the Chicago Bears.
Second, Harbaugh drafted Kaepernick in 2011, and moved up in the second round to pick him. So if you look at it that way, it was not a matter of if he got the starting job, but when.
As former San Francisco Director of Player Personnel Vinny Cerrato said, “Kaepernick is a playmaker, where Alex Smith is more of an assist guy.”
Kowaleski: Now, I initially liked Harbaugh’s decision to start Kaepernick. He’s the hot hand, and much more athletic than Smith. However, the more I think about this, the less I like it.
First off, it shows very little loyalty to Smith, who has dealt with a lifetime’s worth of setbacks and doubters before he proved his worth last year. Secondly, Kaepernick isn’t really that much better than Smith. Although he isn’t as electric with his playmaking ability, Smith more than compensates with his cerebral approach to the game. Harbaugh isn’t getting much more with Kaepernick than he would with Smith.
It makes little sense to opt for a second-year quarterback with no postseason experience when you have an equally talented quarterback who, just last year, took the 49ers to the NFC Championship. Smith has the experience, the ability, and he’s paid his dues.
Knock it off, Harbaugh. Start him already.
Former MLB superstars and alleged steroid users Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa headline the 2012 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot.
Brown: Compared to recent years, the 2013 Baseball Hall of Fame class has received a shot in the arm. It’s a class with alleged steroid users including Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Sammy Sosa.
I am divided about granting alleged steroid users to the Hall. Please, hear me out.
I am not in favor of rewarding cheaters – period. But Bonds and Clemens claimed to have unknowingly taken steroids. Does ignorance justify deniability? If they are telling the truth, it feels like a travesty to exclude them. Innocent until proven guilty.
What upsets me is that the cases of Bagwell and Piazza are hurt. Because they were big, strong, and hit home runs, there is speculation that they were juicers. And their records have been completely clean. Worse, the cases of guys like Dale Murphy — a solid player and humanitarian off the field — are hurt by the gargantuan numbers put up by Bonds.
To their credit, Bonds, Sosa, and McGwire renewed widespread interest in the game in the late 1990s with their moon shot home runs. Juice or no juice, they saved baseball, but at a cost.
Kowaleski: This is absolutely ridiculous. This is my worst nightmare come true. Are these guys seriously on the ballot before Pete Rose? Before Shoeless Joe?!
Look, I know that people playing devil’s advocate will claim that steroids were pervasive in the sport in the 90’s and early 00’s. But let’s really take a step back and examine our ethics. Even if that is the case, do we really want to reward players who knowingly usedperformance-enhancers? Because if that is the case, then they’ve won. There’s no real consequence to using steroids. All you have to do is to not get caught long enough to establish your legacy, and then it doesn’t matter! You can get caught without any future consequences.
Pete Rose may have bet on his own team, but he never cheated. Shoeless Joe Jackson “allegedly” accepted money to throw the World Series during the Black Sox scandal, but you couldn’t tell by looking at his numbers. If you ask me, both of them should be on the ballot before we even think about letting these jokers get consideration for Cooperstown.
