I am of course answering your question understanding that you are speaking about the short-term. My hope is that whoever quarterbacks for the 49ers next year will be a better quarterback than they were this year.

My take on this is really simple. It sounds philosophical at first, but I can make a statistical case quite easily: I choose a ‘traditional’ pocket quarterback over a dual-threat quarterback in any case where the dual-threat quarterback is revealed to be a no-threat quarterback once defenses learn to contain them within the pocket.

Many 49ers fans have already christened Colin Kaepernick as the 49ers’ new franchise quarterback over the 49ers’ playoff win this past weekend, citing his record-breaking rushing performance. But whose records did he break? Michael Vick. A week after Michael Vick of the Atlanta Falcons set the playoff single-game rushing record back in the 2004 season, the Eagles contained him, he was unable to scramble, his completion percentage was less than 50%, and he didn’t account for a single TD. Today, Michael Vick isn’t wanted in Philadelphia any more by many Eagles fans, because in their perception, he cannot quarterback. And while I consider him a better quarterback than most give him credit for, he is not a top league quarterback. His style of play has gotten him injured to an excess, and he hasn’t proven to be a true dual-threat on a consistent basis.

This is the future for Colin Kaepernick if he can’t build on his current skill set when it comes to throwing from the pocket. He excels in a couple specific [throwing] categories that are typically linked to scramble-prone quarterbacks, but he is hardly a top league quarterback when you exclude his rushing numbers and evaluate his [throwing] ability as a whole.

Of course, many will balk at me even suggesting that you should look at him without his rushing numbers, but you need to remember that some defensive coordinators excel at building defensive schemes that neuter the ground threat mobile quarterbacks present. What is Colin Kaepernick going to do in those games? I haven’t seen him manifest the traits of a highly effective pocket quarterback.

And while many will argue that Colin Kaepernick’s numbers compare favorably against Alex Smith’s, the drop-off in performance of every player on the team except Michael Crabtree during that same period makes it very clear that whereas Alex Smith elevated the play of his teammates as a whole, Colin Kaepernick doesn’t have that effect on the team.

Therefore, I haven’t believed and continue to not believe that Colin Kaepernick is the best quarterback on the 49ers’ roster.

I’m not going to tout myself as an expert. I’m an armchair coach just like everybody else on this site. However, I have been watching football for over 30 years and that counts for at least qualifying as capable of performing the eye test.

When I look at Colin vs Alex, I just dont think they are even close in the impact they bring to the game. I will agree with Phatal in that Alex is better at checking the ball down to the backs. Colin does need to improve on check downs, however that’s a lot easier to teach than transforming a conservative QB into a playmaker.

When Alex was demoted, he was dead last in the NFL in completions beyond 10 yards. He was behind the likes of Brandon Weeden, Blaine Gabbert, and Mark Sanchez. That’s terrible! Teams smothered our vertical game and if Frank did not have a big day, our offense suffered.

Colin finished the season tied with Peyton Manning for the highest net average per throwing play. Our WRs became a part of our offense and Crabtree went from bust to boom over night. Our offensive impact is significantly trending up. The only change you can attribute that to is Colin being put into the starting lineup.

On top of all of that, in less than half a season, Colin finished #5 in the league in QB rushing yards. Using rushing yards per game, Colin would have been a 1000 yd rusher had he played the whole season. This quality has helped improve our 3rd down efficiency which has always been a problem for Alex.

I’m not going to try and convert you into a Colin fan. I truly could care less. The guy I want at the helm has the job, so no skin off my back. However, I just dont see how a knowledgeable fan can compare these two players and think we have a better opportunity to win a championship with Alex.

Jaws said it best. Alex was great at not making mistakes, but Colin is great at making plays.

I’ll take a playmaker any day.

1. You stated “Colin bounced back strongly from one of the worst post-season starts I’ve ever seen from a 49ers quarterback.” This was Colin’s first post-season start, so are you referring to Alex’s performance in last year’s Conf Championship?

2. Based on Colin’s performance this weekend, do you still believe that Alex gives us a better chance to win a championship?

3. What would you like to see Colin and/or the rest of the offense be able to accomplish before you’ll say he’s the right choice for the position?”

I’ve been busy for the last couple days, and would love to discuss this more, but here are my direct answers:

1) I was referring to Kaepernick’s starting off the game with a pick-six, not making a comparison from a start in a previous game to Kaepernick’s start this past weekend. Kaepernick gets commendation for not falling completely apart after making such a terrible decision. (He should have taken the sack, or if outside the tackles, thrown it away.)

2) I do believe Alex is the better quarterback. More is explained in answering question three.

3) Colin continues to stare down primary receivers on a given play, and this in turn leads to him not being able to make plays elsewhere when the opportunity exists. Games where the defense allowed him to get outside of the pocket where the secondary was soft masked this fundamental flaw. The Packers failed to contain Kaepernick, and much of that was the responsibility of Dom Capers (I’m strongly expecting his firing after his defense failed against opposing offenses in three out of the last four playoff seasons). My chief worry is that if a defense keeps Kaepernick contained in the pocket and successfully masks coverage, Kaepernick will be forced to do what he is not good at: Quarterbacking. In no instance have his throwing-based performances been consistently outstanding.

More later.