watching you today. What is your message directly to them?
After the years that you have been off the on the off
the field? What is your
message to NFL team
that I can help make you a better team?
I can help you win games,
you know, I know right now the situation
likely won't allow me to come in and step into a starting role.
I know, I'll be able to work my way to that though
and show that very quickly. So
So the teams that have questions,
more than anything, I would say, no, I'd love to come in
for a workout. I'd love to sit down with you and
have that conversation about how I can help you be a better
team.
Colin Kaepernick getting a workout on Saturday at
the Michigan
spring game. And this was a very smart move by Jim
Harbaugh. The coach of the Michigan Wolverines because it
gave NFL Scouts cover
to see Colin Kaepernick in person not on tape. Not
secondhand, you get to see him in person without bringing him
in for a workout. No one wants to bring them for a workout
because nobody wants to activate 30% of the fan base,
that will huff and puff about canceling season tickets and
never watching a game on TV. And we all know that's true at
this point, whether we agree with it or not. I think we can
all accept that if anybody brings in common cabinet for
a workout 30 percent or so of their fan base is going to lose
their minds or some
other bodily function.
I think we understand that
which is why it's brilliant to give Scouts a chance to go see
him where they were going to be anyway at the Michigan spring
game, you get to see him, throw
the scouts report back to their teams, man. This guy can still
fling it. I saw it, right? I witnessed it. I heard the zip
in the ball coming. And out of his hands. All of that stuff,
Harbaugh gave him the chance to do that. And I think that it
was brilliant. And now we see where it goes from here.
I don't have much optimism. It's going anywhere, but I think it
was a brilliant way
to eliminate one of the barriers, which has been
Scouts. Don't see him throw in person because no one was going
to bring him in for a workout. Yeah. That's right. Nobody
wants to deal with that. Initial, you know, public surge
of having to defend them bringing in the work out what
it could be. So people chickened out from that
standpoint, that lets
the first So I want to start off Jim Harbaugh
as much as I don't like the guy in root against them.
It was a really awesome, cool, move by him and what he did for
Colin Kaepernick. It really is.
I will say that respect it. Greatly the support. He's
continued to show through cut with Colin Kaepernick, really
from the get-go has been Top Notch. I respect John huh, Jim
Harbaugh a lot for that, I do.
And hey, it's good for him to with Jim Harbaugh
again, you know, he's in a sport where recruiting
African-American players and young kids is a very important.
Portent thing. That's its that's going to go over well in
that Community as well. Now I'm with you. I don't know of this
really does anything. I don't it's just been so long and like
we talked about
it's it's
it's it's a, it's an issue. You know, it's Arts organizations
having to deal with the publicity and then like you
said the 30% backlash.
What I want to say is just like but the other thing that comes
to my mind too is like man, we can't get Colin. For Nick on
a team. But
you know,
we're everybody was okay with DeShaun Watson in that
situation. That's where a little bit, you know, I know
it's not Apples to Apples there, but you just talking
about bringing a player in controversy
now and publicity on that situation and having to deal with it.
And I understand Watson's in the prime of his career, I get
that, but it just it looks weird. That teams are like,
hey, 22, civil lawsuits, and some really shady Behavior
here. Hey, best contract in the history of football, actually,
for all that you did. Thank you. And then here's another
guy at,
you know, stood up for a cause that
was real. I mean, I don't know any of it and say it. No,
I mean, people unarmed black people just getting shot and
killed for nothing.
Okay? Yeah, and he stood up for that and he can't get on it.
Nobody wants to deal with that distraction. That's where I'm,
I'm not cool that it's not a good look for the NFL that way.
Now, obviously the difference is DeShaun, Watson is supremely
talented. Ya seen it recently and there's no death right
would walk through the door and be one of the best quarterbacks
in the NFL. And if people felt that way, Colin Kaepernick
currently, he would have a job. Now. There's a lot of
revisionist history and it wasn't even revisionist
history. It was revisionist present back in 2017. When
Colin Kaepernick, became a free agent, all of the BS narratives
that were being fed by
people in the league. I believe the justify giving him the cold
shoulder when he still was good enough to play for someone good
enough to start for someone at a minimum good enough to be on
someone's roster. That was when we were getting all the,
well, he opted out of his contract. He's a vegan.
Remember that concern He's a vegan. So Tom Brady,
he's a vegan. He really doesn't want to play football. All
these assumptions that were made to justify not doing
business with him. And Chris. We've talked about it before
they successfully kick-the-can through five years. Yeah, half
of a decade, right? It makes it even easier to say we're not
interested. Now, he's making it harder on
them, to say, we're not interested. I think he
recognized when the quarterback Carousel started to spin.
The supply wasn't going to meet the demand. This was his
chance. It's
to really put pressure on the league
to do something and he came out and said he would take a back
out job. I'm back up. Excuse me. I'm waiting for him to say
I'll take the veteran minimum salary because back there's
some backups out there, making a lot of money.
I'm waiting for him to say I will accept the veteran minimum
salary, even though I shouldn't have to even though I should
still be playing and making a hell of a lot more than
the veteran minimum salary. I will take the Bargain, Basement
minimum rate to come in the door and re-establish myself.
Elf and prove to you that I still belong in the NFL
and see where it goes.
That's the next step for him to really put them in. Checkmate.
It would be another added, you know, up the ante pressure Type
move, if he said that or
even added to that.
Hey, I'll go on the practice squad. How about that? I don't
even care. Just let me in the door. I'll
now that would. Now what ante up there. I mean, you know, any
of the pressure a little bit it would I'm impressed with his
stubbornness, I am.
The fact that we're still even sit here, five years from now
and he's still working out and try to do it. I do love it and
you're right. It's like you saw a little, you know, crack in
the armor there, whatever. Do where he went. Let's go for it.
But at the same time,
the one thing that happens like what you talked about would like
very successfully kicking the can down the road to where here
we are. Now, it's five years, is the number one thing that's
going to scare teams or in the number two. Things other than
the publicity
is the fact that now you just hasn't played five years.
Now, they dug that grave for him. But that's an issue now,
and especially at quarterback. It's just, it's, it's one of
those positions you need to practice. He needed to play,
and that's where that's going to really hurt him as well. And
that's where it's a shame
one other important point because I've had people raised
this question over the weekend and I did some digging
and it
it confirmed, some of the things that I heard at the time
here was the question that I was getting.
Did the Vikings ultimately back away from Jim Harbaugh? Because
they fear that he was going to try to bring Colin Kaepernick.
And I think that's a legitimate question. Now when you consider
where Harbaugh did on Saturday? Yeah, my understanding is
that was not a factor that was not an issue that that was not
the reason directly or indirectly, primarily, or
secondarily
as to why the Vikings went in a different direction, but it is
my understanding that he did. He did have Kaepernick on
his presentation.
When you put your staff together,
a potential quarterback coach, several options, deep.
You know what? I'm going to try to get this guy to try to get
this guy to his name was on the roster of potential
quarterback. Coaches. If he truly was done
with his effort to try to play and clearly he isn't. So his
name was mentioned but not within the confines of being
the Vikings quarterback or one of the quarterbacks on
the depth chart. And even then that was a, you know, if any team
I think is not going to have an issue.
With Colin Kaepernick, it would be the Minnesota Vikings.
They've got Kirk Cousins.
He's got a specific style,
you know, you want to have backups that are closer to
the style of your starter. So you have one offense not to
different playbooks. But
you know, I there would be some out there that would say
and be interesting to see
what Colin Kaepernick would do
in the Vikings quarterback room, if it had ever come to
that. But my understanding is that was not on the radar
screen and it definitely wasn't one of the reasons why
the Vikings went in a different direction than Jim Harbaugh.
Well, that's good to hear.
It is and And like I said, I respect Jim Harbaugh and his
ongoing efforts here to support. Colin Kaepernick, I do.
And again, you know, it's crazy here because
this is Colin Kaepernick who I'm not trying to sit here and
say he's, you know,
top Superstar quarterback in the history of football,
but he was really damn good.
And he went through like a two-year period where he was on
the top five quarterbacks and football conversation. And even
this last year plan, even though it
And perfect. I mean that was still a year where
if I remember correctly. It was like 16 and 4 16 touchdowns for
interceptions. I mean, if somewhere along those lines,
let alone in have been a few different head coaches and
offenses. He was involved in
towards the end of his career and
and dealt with a few injuries as well.
So,
the play was always good and Justified being on a roster,
the talent is big time. And again, we're talking about
the guy that ran for four. And as you can see, on this highlight
here could. Throw it 60 yards down the field effortlessly. So
it was all about that issue. It's a shame and here we are
five years
later. He still not on a team and I don't expect them to be
it. I don't like saying that. Yeah, look, I've said that
the moment, this all got kicked up again a few weeks back,
whenever it started its heart, the past
few weeks feel like a few years, with everything that's
gone on. But at the the windows closed, the ship has sailed
whatever metaphor you want to use its done. I they've
successfully made it this far. They are. Not
going to turn back around
and embrace Colin Kaepernick after making it five years.
It's you know, they it's they're not going to do it
there. It's free. It's clear. It's gone. It's over. They're
not going to turn back around at this point. I'd be stunned
if they do. I hope I'm
wrong. I hope I'm wrong. I'm wrong enough without hoping to
be wrong. This is one area where I hope to be wrong,
but I feel like as I've said before
there's no owner that has
the moral or financial courage
to do it and there's no reason to do it at this point because
they've Already escaped. The issue. There's no reason to
turn back around and