doing his thing. Chef T reported that Kaepernick's in
the best shape of his life and he still wants all Concentra.
Lather, rinse, repeat. It's always the same report. He's in
the best shape of his life
and he's waiting for an opportunity five years. After
he opted, out of his contract with the 49ers in time of
the 49ers would have cut him. If he hadn't, he still waiting for
a real opportunity.
He was shunned wrongfully
by the NFL. We've established that by now. They paid
a settlement, a seven-figure maybe. Figure settlement to
Colin Kaepernick for colluding in their desire to keep him out
of the league even though he plays the most important
position in the game and he was playing it at a sufficiently
high level to at least be employed by an NFL team. Peter
here was my first reaction because I had a couple people
emailed me. Yesterday, Sims. And I went through all
the teams that don't
have quarterbacks all the teams that may have quarterbacks all
the teams that claim they have quarterbacks, and maybe they
don't and I had multiple emails from viewers. H saying, what
about Colin Kaepernick? Is this the chance for Colin Kaepernick
and
know five years at some point you successfully
shun? Someone long enough
that it's over five years later.
They've congratulations NFL. You pulled it off. You
blackballed. This guy, you violated his rights. You
thumbed your nose out of me. Put your finger in his eye. You
gave all of us, the middle finger,
by insulting our intelligence, as to, why he doesn't have
a job in the NFL. Five years later. The ship has sailed
has it, not Peter.
I think it probably has
and I think even a team that
would not give to darns about
what public perception or anything like that was
at a time that they need a quarterback.
First thing. I thought when I saw that yesterday
was the Pittsburgh Steelers.
What the Steelers do. When Brian Flory sued the league?
They hired, Brian. Flurries.
What did the Steelers? Do at all times. When they,
you know, I'm reminded in. This is a different this a football
part of it. Everybody said, what in the world are you doing
trade? No one for Mika Fitzpatrick. Given up your one
for a safety. What is that? That's turned out to be
a really good deal for them.
So
the Steelers very often go against the grain.
And now that they're sitting there,
maybe maybe
in the sweepstakes for Jimmy Garoppolo,
but but just wondering, gee,
I wonder what Kaepernick really does have left and, you know,
you think about it and and one of the first things I think
about because you know, my in-laws are all from
Pittsburgh.
My wife is from there
and I know Pittsburgh
is that they do not. You know, they wouldn't love anybody, who
wore, you know, Pig socks, you know, the, you know, who demean
police
officers with those socks that he wore. But, but look, my
whole point is it is going to take. If it ever happens. It's
going to take an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers,
who would say, we don't care what the The outside world
thinks if we think that there's a scintilla of a chance that
this guy could help
and it wouldn't be the most distracting thing in the world.
Then let's sign them and bring them to manycam and just see
how he plays
and then decide whether we want to take him to training camp or
not. Look, I have no idea if they're even remotely
interested, but that's the one team I think of especially. Now
in this time of the
quarterback way. Sland in free agency in the draft relatively
speaking.
I think it's a it's a why not?
The article, I wrote last night making the case that the door
is shut on Colin Kaepernick, giving the mere passage of time
during which the NFL successfully, shunned him. It
ended with this observation.
Meanwhile, the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh is
Mason Rudolph and
Peter look and I feel bad. I mean,
Pittsburgh's only 100 miles away. Mason Rudolph, come down
here and beat the crap out of me. And he may do it at some
point, but the Steelers cannot
go forward with Mason Rudolph as their quarterback. They
cannot do it Peter. I have seen enough. It's over. It's done.
Don't even
it occurred to me earlier this week. Maybe they're just
messing with us. Maybe they're just trying to set up whatever
move they're going to make by acting like Mason Rudolph is
their guy, they can't go forward, Mason Rudolph. And
yes,
five years later. Colin Kaepernick is still better than
Mason Rudolph will ever be. Here's the problem. It's one
thing to give Brian Flores. A no-brainer job
on your coaching.
Staff, that's one thing. Yeah, you're not going to have
any of the people in Pittsburgh pissed off about that.
But here's the problem and I hate articulating this because
I think it's wrong. I think it's wrong headed.
But at some point, when you run a business that is premised on
separating people from their money,
getting people to show up in your stadium so that they can
separate even more of their money from themselves by buying
all sorts of overpriced. Crap,
which is part of the grift, frankly.
Why do you want to piss off 30% of them right out of the gates
at a time when local viewership of the Steelers is down by 10%
at a time when they've had according to an article. It was
in pain live.com. Last week, eight thousand, no shows
on average per game. Last year, not unsold tickets. They have
a waiting list, of course, so did Washington until they admitted.
They were lying about it, but I digress.
You want people to show up you want people to engage.
I've lived in and around Pittsburgh, my whole life
grew up. 60 miles from Pittsburgh, went to college in
Pittsburgh practice law. In Pittsburgh. I'm not setting
a hundred miles from the Golden Triangle right now.
They signed. Colin Kaepernick is going to be hell to pay in
Pittsburgh by
a certain percentage of the fan base.
I don't think Art Rooney wants that right now. And again,
I hate saying it because it shouldn't be this way.
What it is
and when you have
a business that is fundamentally, not a sports
business and entertainment business.
You got to be sensitive to things like that. I hate saying it,
but it's also the truth.
Let me ask you this question
right now today,
if you were the owner of franchise X
and you lived in
Nirvana,
USA.
All right, and I asked you, I have to free agents out here.
One is Andy. Dalton
one is Colin Kaepernick.
My question to you would be. First of all, did you know that
Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick? Not only are both
34,
but they were born five days apart. So they're the same age.
So let's say everything else was taken off the table. You've
got one guy
who's been playing consistently
getting the tar beat out of them and not playing
particularly. Well,
Versus a guy who at one point looked like he could be really,
really good in the NFL.
And then
all heck broke loose and it's been five years since he played
in the game. I'm just asking you,
who would you pick to sign
as a prospect to perhaps quarterback your team in 2022.
Let me take your comparison, One Step farther.
They also were drafted, the
Year,
the same round, same round back-to-back
Dalton,
35 Kaepernick, 36
back-to-back Dalton to The Bangles Kaepernick to the 49ers
consecutive selections, and we I don't think we ever quite
connected them because Dalton was the starter right away.
Dalton went to the playoffs first five years and then
Kaepernick had his trajectory the next year where he goes to
the stratosphere.
Remember?
18, August Ron Jaworski, then with ESPN gives the four-letter
Network, multiple days of programming, is the snake ate
its own tail. Talking about Jaworski's hot. Take that
Kaepernick. Maybe the greatest quarterback of all
time and how that blew up. So
yeah, all hell did break loose late, August of 2016 when Colin
Kaepernick decided well, and it wasn't the first time he
decided to sit.
It was the first time we saw it in late. August, it was because
he had Jersey on the first two times, he wasn't in uniform
that preseason. So people didn't notice.
But that's when everything changed and if it was
Nirvana, well, if it was truly Nirvana wouldn't be choosing
between Andy Dalton Colin Kaepernick could be my
quarterback that already undermines Nirvana if those are
my choices, but but
I'm picking Kaepernick over Andy Dalton at this point.
Absolutely. I am if, if I don't have to worry about 30% of my
customer base
at a minimum huffing and puffing. Huffing and
threatening to blow my house down. Possibly blowing my house
down
and I'm hinging so much on Kaepernick being able
to win enough games to shut them up. See the problem is
that 30%
is going to constantly look for any flaw any issue, any
problem, bad decision, interception, fumble sack,
whatever, he's going to be scrutinized so much more than
any other quarterback would be.
But again, we're talking about Nirvana.
I don't have to worry about that.
Don't have to be concerned with 30% of my fan base.
Being pissed off at me
and putting my new quarterback under a gigantic microscope.
Yeah, II would do it if I didn't have to worry about
that. I would do it.
What if Colin Kaepernick walked into the Pittsburgh Steelers
and he sat down with Mike Tomlin Kevin, the outgoing
Kevin kolbert, but he's still there, obviously, through this
draft
and Art, Rooney,
and they made this request of them,
not to make him a eunuch. Okay,
but that's another non Sims word.
But,
you know, in order to basically find out how serious
he would be about.
Thing to do this,
if they said to him,
we ask. Okay. The only thing that we ask
is that during the season,
okay?
That we leave all
social things,
anything that you're going to do socially, we leave all that
to Tuesday.
Okay, and all the rest of your time is spent on football.
Okay, and then in the offseason, you do whatever you
want. But Mike, I've heard this before.
Okay, and it reminds me of a team
that do you remember there were a few teams
a few years ago when this happened
who seriously were thinking about Colin Kaepernick who has
Ox her Ava discussions about Colin.
Yes,
and I talked to a high-ranking official for one of the teams
and I just said, are you a little worried about
the sideshow?
And I'm going to tell you exactly what this person said.
What we think is
that on day one, maybe,
you know, he comes out to practice
and then there's Anderson Cooper on the sidelines
on Day 2.
Maybe, you know, whoever else is on the sidelines, you know,
and and trying to get his attention so that maybe
he'll do an interview with a more or something like that.
And if all of that stuff at some point,
you know, it reminds me of the whole Michael same thing.
Michael Sam was a lot less than what Kaepernick would be. But
oh, geez, aren't you worried about drafting
an openly gay player
and the Rams knew that after a couple of days,
you know that it was just going to be a non-factor
and my only reason that I bring this up Mike
is that in my opinion.
If Colin Kaepernick
were competing for the starting quarterback job of
the Pittsburgh Steelers. If he were or, or team X, just make it
team X,
the anger of all of the people who were totally ticked off
that he got signed
is going to start to dissolve.
When he throws a 63-yard, touchdown pass
to Juju Smith Schuster,
to beat the Ravens
in early, October.
That's all I'm saying. And I'm not saying he would do that.
I'm not saying he would be good, but people who were
generally the people who yell the loudest, all of a sudden
clam up,
when a guy plays. Well,
that's just my gut feeling.