NFL Week 9: Shane Matthews coaches at Tebow High

If the Niners don't win this year, it will likely go to Kaepernick. He's shown some and is as dynamic as a QB option as there is around. Only question is whether the Niners can get him to play intelligently. I'm with LTL, I think he burst on the scene when he gets the chance.

 

I don't get the anti-Alex thing. Other than one three-interception game -- the same number as Peyton Manning -- the guy's been as solid as any quarterback in the NFL this season.

Look at the numbers:

He's first in the league in completion percentage, fourth in rating and fifth in yards per attempt (hey, qtlaw, his average is around 8 -- 7.9 -- and only Peyton, Josh Freeman, Robert Griffin and Cam Newton have better ones). For those who say he can't make big plays, he has more 20-plus-yard completions (22) than Aaron Rodgers (21) and Matt Ryan (19). He has the same number of 40-plus-yard completions (4) as Peyton Manning, Rodgers, Ryan and Matt Stafford, and one more than Tom Brady.

I keep seeing criticism that he can't win you games, but the fact is, he doesn't have to. He has the league's No. 1 rushing attack and No. 1 defense (well, first in yards allowed, second in points allowed). When a game was put on his shoulders and he had to win one, I seem to remember him doing pretty well against New Orleans in the playoffs last season. Don't know if he can do that consistently, but he's shown he can do it.


I don't think the guy's a Hall of Famer in waiting or anything (don't even think about starting a thread), and I'd rather have Rodgers or Brady or either Manning and probably a few others if I thought about it hard enough, but geez, why would you even think about replacing him right now?

 

Ya, but he can't "throw receivers open." Love that ridiculous phrase.

 

Dear Da Man: X percent of fans of any football team ALWAYS think it'd be better with another quarterback. Hell, when Brady got hurt in 2008, after the season there were people here saying the Pats should trade Brady and keep Matt Cassel!!!

 

The kid I'm liking more and more every week is Josh Freeman. When I saw him play against Dallas in Week 3 (I think) I thought he might be headed for Canada. Since then, he's looked like an actual NFL quarterback -- and a pretty damned good one, at that.

 

In the Bay Area, there was heavy support in 1991 for the idea of playing Steve Bono ahead of Steve Young.

 

I get that -- the backup QB is always the team's most popular player. But I'm talking about people on this board, who you'd think might know better.

 

Did you watch any football last year? He was terrible.

That said, Tampa Bay's offense has plenty of weapons. He should be more like the 2010 version than the 2011 version going forward.

 

Ah, that lovely season which I think was the only one in about a 20-year stretch where they missed the playoffs, although by the end of that season you could have argued they were playing as well as anyone in the NFC.

 

Yes, I watched him last year and this year. He's looked infinitely better since Week 3 this year. You've seen him since then, right?

 

Ya, he's been much better. Although I no longer count performances against the Saints or Bills as normal in any way. He looked good Thursday.

 

Freeman definitely seems to be improving.