Debunking the bogus “Colin Kaepernick is bad — he went 1-10” argument

The 2017 NFL season begins tonight, and every argument about why Colin Kaepernick remains out of the NFL has been debunked — except one.

“He is bad — he went 1-10!”

Nonsense.

Yes, Kaepernick was 1-10 last season for the 2-14 49ers, but history tells us that a crappy record in merely one season is not enough to land a quarterback on the NFL’s unemployment list.

After all, Kaepernick’s 2016 was the 38th time in NFL/AFL history in which a quarterback in at least his 6th season won 3 or fewer games while losing 9 or more. Thirty-one quarterbacks other than Kaepernick produced such a season. Only two never played again.

On the John: Tales from the depths of a sports sewer

On the John

Tales from the depths of the sports sewer

Originally completed November 23, 2009

Life is ugly in the sports sewer.

I am a different sports fan than I was three years ago. I have…matured, let’s call it…into a fan of peace and calm. A such-is-life, it’s-just-a-game, enjoy-it-now and leave-it-all-behind sports fan. That is me. That is 28-year-old Jack.

Bear Down and Get Some Runs, best-of: That which matters most

 

Weddings and baseball: the times of our lives.

September 17, 2005

My mother was born on November 21^st, 1950. Two years later, she moved with her older sister and their parents to a house in Glencoe, Illinois. Nana still lives in that house, and apart from the kitchen, the furniture and design of the house all remain from when my mom was a kid. Walking through those rooms is like walking through childhood photos that your parents keep in a shoebox.

Bear Down and Get Some Runs, best-of: the death of Thomas Herrion

Thomas Herrion, 1981-2005

August 21, 2005

When Kevin Garnett became the first high schooler in twenty years to skip college and go straight to the NBA in 1995, and when Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O’Neal followed his lead in 1996, I knew that in 2000 there would be a kid my age who would do the same. That kid was Darius Miles, the East St. Louis standout who ended up being drafted third overall by the Clippers, and ever since then I’ve seen more and more kids my age or younger enter the ranks of professional sports. The guys I cheer for now are no longer my heroes. They are my peers.

From August 27, 2006: Two backs, one ball

On the John

Two backs, one ball

Originally completed on August 27, 2006

TJ ran for 112 yards on 15 carries (a 7.5 ypc average), including a 52 yard 1st quarter scamper that set up our second touchdown. If they'd run him more than eight times in the second half, we may have won SBXLI...and if we'd won behind Jones' monster day, they may not have traded him. You can go crazy thinking about this stuff...

The Chicago Bears have a running back problem. Or is it two problems? Two backs, two problems. Seems reasonable. On the other hand, much of the problem seems to stem not so much from the two backs, but rather from the other players—what will be, after final cuts, the remaining 51 players on the roster. Forget the coaches, media, and fans for now. For now, this one’s on the players. All of them. And if that’s the case, then the Bears actually have one big problem. One team, one problem.

From November 10, 2005: Jerkoffs finish last (but only if they’re losing)

On the John

Jerkoffs Finish Last (but only if they’re losing)

Completed on November 10, 2005

The only time teams really get bothered with T.O. is when they're losing.

As we float around the halfway mark of the NFL season, the general sentiment of fans and analysts is that this is a pretty boring year. On the field, the Colts are the only sure-fire Super Bowl contender, as injuries have taken the bite out of New England, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. Meanwhile, off the field stories have dominated, the most damaging of which involved the Minnesota Vikings and their “Love Boat” orgy party during their bye week.

The current story that has everybody talking?

Terrell Owens’ suspension from the Eagles due to repeated instances of conduct detrimental to the team along with his general dick-headedness, and Philly’s subsequent announcement that T.O. will not play for the rest of the year.

Bear Down and Get Some Runs, best-of: Man’s Great Equalizer

 

The troughs at Soldier Field were never this dirty…but you get the idea.

Man’s Great Equalizer

Revised for an IDS column, Sept. 5, 2003

The joy of watching good playoff football usually comes with the pain of knowing that your team isn’t good enough to get there. And when you watch the Chicago Bears, the pain of knowing that your team isn’t good enough to get there is augmented by the pain of knowing that maybe your team would be good enough to get there if only management knew what they were doing. Most of the Bears teams of the past fifteen years have been teams that suffered from the same problems: an inability to win close games (coaching and quarterbacks), and an inability to run a team and evaluate talent.