Kaep

Mark Sanchez. 


The Redskins signed Mark Sanchez to back-up Colt McKoy after Alex Smith broke his leg.  They also signed troubled and perhaps felonious linebacker Reuben Foster after the 49ers released him owing to additional charges of domestic abuse.  Sanchez has participated in most teams' rodeos, that is, teams looking for insurance QBs have thought of him, worked him out, or even signed him.  He has become the Harry "Suitcase" Simpson of the NFL.


The reason that teams sign him is that they believe he is predictable (sure he is -- he has thrown as many interceptions in his career as touchdowns) and accepts the role of a backup quarterback.  That and he is still young enough to function but old enough to have more reps as a starter than anyone else available. 


The problem is that he is not any good.  Teams keep recycling him, but he just does not play any better than his past statistics suggest he would.  They sign him because he led the Jets to road playoff wins -- plural -- when he was their starter.  But he is no longer that quarterback, and when he was that quarterback he wasn't THAT good.


Last night, Mark Sanchez was thrust into action after McCoy broke his fibula against the Eagles.  What also exacerbates the Redskins' situation is that their offensive linemen seem more injury prone that octogenarian widows walking to the corner store for bread during an ice storm.  Sanchez, well, looked like Sanchez and not, say, Frank Reich off the bench for the Bills (you can Google what he did), and the Redskins lost.  He is not even as good as the proverbial "replacement player" anymore.


Which brings us to Colin Kaepernick.  In golf they have a saying that someone is "the best player never to have won a major."  Right now, Kaep is the best available QB who does not get signed.  Remember, he did QB his team to a Super Bowl (even if his performance in a subsequent season or two was among the worst in the league).  By the logic that gives Mark Sanchez additional opportunities to play quarterback in the league, teams should be shoving each other out of the way to sign Kaep.  But they don't.


Why not?  Is it because he is a run-pass-option quarterback and some teams don't run that offense?  Is it because his last body of work was not good?  Is it because of his role in leading NFL players in kneeling to protest racial injustice?  Is it because he once wore socks that portrayed policemen as pigs?  Is it because of the looming media feeding frenzy that might ensue if a team signs him?  (Some respected pundits suggested that this was the case with Tim Tebow -- that teams refrained from looking at him because they did not want a media circus -- that is, until Tebow proved that he could not play quarterback well in the NFL).  Some say it's because management won't want to be called racists if they sign Kaep and then bench him or let him go.


It could be a little of all of the above.  If you want a pure dropback passer, Kaep probably is miscast.  If you base it on his recent body of work, you have a point, but remember, the question is not one of whether he can start for your team as the #1 quarterback for a full-season, but whether he might be able to vie and hold a back-up's job (with the possibility -- perhaps -- of someday becoming a starter again).  Many back-ups are back-ups precisely because they did not fare well as starters; Kaep is no different.  The kneeling?  For me, this is a serious issue -- as the President of the United States threw down a gauntlet to the NFL about saluting the American flag.  Some owners will not want to draw that criticism; others must disagree with Kaep's point of view and just wouldn't want him around.  The socks?  They are a corollary to the kneeling, go hand in hand.  The feeding frenzy?  Another compelling reason. It's hard enough to coach an NFL team let alone field endless questions about a back-up quarterback.  Typically, in a league as conservative as the NFL, the back-ups are expected to be seen and not heard.  Draw too much attention to yourself for non-football reasons, the argument goes, and they will find someone who is lower maintenance.


With all that said, the Redskins are desperate.  Kaep has shown he can run and at times pass very well.  Who are the alternatives?  The team was willing to take a chance on Reuben Foster, so why not be willing to take a chance on Colin Kaepernick.  The Redskins are well-equipped to handle all the attention from the media -- after all, they are in Washington.