To improve his skills as a professional, Colin Kaepernick had to work with a bunch of amateurs.
USA TODAY Sports reported that Kurt Warner has come away convinced that the offseason work he put in with EXOS Performance training quarterbacks instructor Dennis Gile has paid off for the San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
Warner and Gile have helped Kaepernick by getting him to balance his throwing base, taking something off his shorter-distance passes to add arc in drills with NFL wide receivers Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry.
"Warner and Giles have gotten Kaepernick to sink his hips to lower his narrow, upright throwing posture," USA TODAY Sports reported. "They've also helped him re-set his feet to help him cycle through reads more effectively and loft passes over linebackers to drop the ball into tighter windows."
Colin Kaepernick working on his image off the field as well, with video for "Jimmy Kimmel Live"
The publication reviewed Kaepernick's struggles at the Baltimore Ravens' 5-yard line on the 49ers final drive in Super Bowl XLVII, as well as his final drive against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game the following season resulting in a Richard Sherman interception in the end zone.
While Kaepernick showed improved touch in offseason drills, Warner said it's impossible to tell how that newfound skill will play out when next season rolls around.
"Is 10 weeks enough time for you to change what you've been doing your entire career? And what does that look like when bullets are flying and people are attacking you?" Warner asked. "Have we gone far enough where that becomes the norm for Colin?
"That's the big question none of us can answer. ... You talk about a guy who has been playing the position one way for twenty-something years, and we're (trying) to change him in three months?"
Kaepernick aced his practice exam, arranged by Warner. The former two-time NFL MVP hosts a charity flag football tournament in Arizona and had Kaepernick participate.
"We had some guys come out from the office playing in my corporate charity event, and there were a couple of times where I went, 'Whoa! Was that a little bit of touch I just saw?'" Warner said of Kaepernick's performance while speaking at a Super Bowl 50 promotional appearance this week at the NFL's owners meeting. "Colin laughed and told me, 'We're not out here working for nothing.'
He continued: "The situation forced him to throw with a little more touch. He couldn't throw it as hard as maybe he wanted to with those corporate guys. So we've seen strides being made. ... He's growing and wants to get better."
Does Kurt Warner's assessment of Colin Kaepernick's progress convince you that the 49ers quarterback will be an improved pocket passer in 2015? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
