San Francisco 49ers: Will Kaepernick Be Able To Use His Trump Card?

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick spent an awful lot of time with former NFL MVP Kurt Warner this offseason. The goal was to teach Kaepernick what it takes to be a successful NFL quarterback – which is primarily being an effective pocket passer. Warner believes that some progress was made, but he won’t know how much progress until the “bullets start flying.”

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For his part, 49ers quarterbacks coach Steve Logan is a believer, and in an interview given to the Sacramento Bee, he said that he thinks that Kaepernick will be highly effective in the pocket, and that his running ability is now his “trump card.”

He went on to say that despite the emphasis on becoming more of a pocket passer, along with all of the work he did in the offseason to accomplish that, Kaepernick wouldn’t be discouraged at all from pulling the ball down and running with it.

The question though becomes, given all of the upheaval and turnover the 49ers have experienced this offseason, is Kapernick’s running ability really the “trump card” he thinks it is? Or will it be more a means of survival?

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With Mike Iupati opting to sign with division rival Arizona as a free agent, and the unexpected retirement of 25-year old Anthony Davis, it’s safe to say that San Francisco’s offensive line is in a state of flux. Though the offensive line had been a source of strength for the 49ers over the last few seasons, it’s suddenly a source of question marks and angst.

Logan believes the only thing to be concerned about is Kaepernick’s patience and decision making.

"“The operative word is ‘discernment. You’ve got a trump card available to you that some quarterbacks don’t. What we need to learn is when to use the trump card and when not to. If we use the trump card too much, you’ll devolve as a pocket passer. If you learn to use it at the appropriate times, you can really blossom as a pocket passer.”"

But with holes suddenly appearing in what was once a rock solid line, there are a lot of questions about the sort of protection they will be able to provide Kaepernick. Will he have time to sit back in the pocket and make the throws to new deep threats Torrey Smith and Jerome Simpson?

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Or will the line falter early, forcing Kaepernick to pull it down and take off before he’s ever able to make the right reads, let alone the right throws?

Kaepernick has received a lot of praise through the offseason work in OTA’s. Many have remarked upon his more compact delivery and the fact that he appears to be more at ease working in the pocket. Kaepernick’s new throwing motion and confidence – coupled with new weapons Smith, Simpson, and Reggie Bush – has inspired a lot of optimism among the 49ers fan base.

There are many who believe that despite the nasty divorce with former HC Jim Harbaugh, the retirements of Davis, Chris Borland, Justin Smith, and Patrick Willis, as well as the myriad of free agent departures, the 49ers are still in position to make a deep playoff run this season. They believe that last season’s 8-8 record was an aberration and that San Francisco is still in very good shape.

While there is still talent on San Francisco’s roster, given the losses the team has suffered this offseason – particularly on the offensive line – a deep playoff run might not be in the cards for the 49ers in 2015. They are going to be hard pressed to duplicate, let alone exceed last season’s eight win total if they can’t protect their quarterback.

New 49ers OC Geep Chryst is promising that San Francisco will take more shots deep downfield and reinvigorate their passing attack. But if Kaepernick is forced to rely more on his legs than on his arm, is forced out of the pocket early and is unable to utilize his new offensive weapons, then everything he did in the desert with Warner is all for naught. And rather than long passes downfield, and the “explosion” plays Logan and Chryst are stressing will be a big factor in the team’s offense in 2015.

But if the line does not hold and they cannot keep Kaepernick upright – or in the pocket in general – then the offense may be in big trouble. And it may be a real uphill struggle to reach even the eight wins they did last year.

Next: 49ers Have Great Expectations

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