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What's that sound?
Oh, never mind. It's just the sound of Alex Smith's starting gig taking its last breath.
The Colin Kaepernick era has officially begun for the San Francisco 49ers.
Never mind that Smith currently ranks as the NFL's No. 3 quarterback with a 104.1 passer rating, right behind Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers.
Never mind that Smith's record since Jim Harbaugh took over is 19-5-1.
Never mind that Smith has thrown 30 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions during that time.
Kaepernick can do all that and more.
Blessed with a rocket for an arm and a 4.53-second 40-yard dash time, Kaepernick can make defenses pay every single play.
On plays when Smith would take a sack rather than try to force a pass into coverage, Kaepernick
can avoid the pressure and either run the ball for a big gain or make a
huge play downfield to one of the 49ers many talented receivers.
One
of the things I was worried about before the season began with this
young quarterback is that we didn't know whether or not he would be as
careful with the football as Smith—who has been one of the best in the
NFL since the beginning of 2011.
So far, Kaepernick
has proven to me that he's capable of playing with the same kind of
care and precision Smith has showed, but his upside is so much higher
than Smith's.
Sure, he needs to work on his touch. Sure, he is
raw. But there isn't a throw he can't make, and the 49ers offense is
significantly more dynamic with him behind center.
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Case in point: Vernon Davis.
Davis hasn't been
as involved in the passing game as I'm sure he'd like, and I know I'd
like, for the better part of a month. He hasn't caught a touchdown pass
since Week 3.
In his first career start, Kaepernick found Davis four times in the first quarter, including a three-yard touchdown pass. Kaepernick trusts his arm more than Smith does, and he's firing the ball into tighter spots than Smith feels comfortable doing.
He's
making the same checks at the line of scrimmage that we've seen from
Smith the past couple of years, too. One play in particular that stands
out to me from this game came in the first quarter: Kaepernick saw Randy Moss on an island on the left side of the field, changed the play and threw it right on the money for a first down.
Who should start for the 49ers the rest of the way in 2012?
As of this moment, with 12:40 remaining in the second half on Monday Night Football against the Chicago Bears, Kaepernick has hit on 9-of-11 passes for 158 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions.
Against. The. Bears.
Yes, Smith has been a winning quarterback since Harbaugh joined the franchise, but Kaepernick has what it takes to make the 49ers offense into one of the most feared units in the NFL.
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