Mike Morbeck-Flickr
After Thursday night’s game against the resilient Seattle Seahawks, one has to wonder if the San Francisco 49ers are ready to move on from Colin Kaepernick?
Carlos Hyde had this to say about the evening according to 49ers.com:
“It was all on us as an offense. Definitely, me, the offensive line, we have to do a better job of communicating with that pass rush so we can give the quarterback time to get the ball out. So, it was more of us, not them.”
There were so many errant throws, so may missed opportunities to run for the first-down. The lackluster performance warrants the jeers from the home team making everyone ponder the Niners bringing in someone off the street or even making a trade in order to turn things around. Let’s take a look at who is out there as a free agent.
- Matt Flynn – Matt was signed and then dropped by the Jets this year. They just brought him in for the reps to give relief to the Ryan Fitzpatrick in lieu of Geno Smith’s absence due to a broken jaw. Flynn has plenty of upside as he can make all of the throws and would be a great fit into Geep Chryst’s Offense.
- TJ Yates – Some guys are looking for the right system and an opportunity. This former Tar Heel thrived in Houston and even go them to the first round of the playoffs 2011 prior to the Texans losing confidence in him. I believe he has the ability with the right coaching to be a par QB. Par is what the Niners need right now.
- Jason Campbell – I have never seen a QB deal with more offensive system changes than Jason Campbell. The good thing is there is now system he is not familiar with and his 11 TDs in Cleveland (2013) will tell you he still has plenty of talent left in the tank. I believe an instant connection between Campbell and Anquan Boldin would develop.
All three of these options are reasonable but I believe Matt Flynn would bring the most upside to the Niners as his talent level is slightly above that of Yates and Campbell. Speaking of talent, let’s take a look at some viable trade options with other teams.
- EJ Manuel – Manuel proved this past weekend that he can manage a game. His stats were not jaw-dropping but he was able to crack the foundation of one of the NFL’s toughest defenses in the Cincinnati Bengals with 28 for 42/263-yards/1-TD/1-INT in last week’s matchup. Kap is not even a game manager at this point. Manuel with a change of scene from Buffalo, would provide more consistency to this abysmal offense.
- Matt Schaub – This guy is not exactly a step up from Kap but has potential. SF needs a plug and play for now and while I am not a fan of this option, he is still an option.
- Mark Sanchez – The artist formally known as the “Sanchise” showed he can flourish in the right system. I believe he is just one more flop game from Sam Bradford away from starting in Philadelphia. Boldin and Jordan Matthews’ gameplay are similar and Sanchez would benefit from having an excellent RB in Carlos Hyde to hand the ball off to until he can orient into new system.
- Luke McCown – This is my wildcard. As he says on the commercial “if those backups were just given a chance, they could really shine”. The New Orleans Saints have been holding on to this Gem because they know what he is capable of. A glimpse of his talent was displayed in week 3 against the Carolina Panthers as he went 31 of 38 for 310-yards and a pick. Carolina’s pass D is ranked 3rd in the league in INTs (8) so for him to slice them up via air like that shows that he has a really high ceiling.
Whatever the option may be, the team needs to act now in order to save their porous season and avoid looking to the 2016 season for hope.
Jermaine Lockett is a Writer and CEO for Couch Rider Report. Follow us on Facebook or twitter.
