Winter came to Green Bay yesterday. Unfortunately for Packers fans, so did Colin Kaepernick.
Despite a regular season of fluctuating fortunes, Green Bay headed into the NFL’s wildcard weekend yesterday only slight outsiders to roll a high flying San Francisco side, who only wore the ignominy of their wildcard status thanks to the consistent excellence of divisional rivals Seattle.
Star quarterback Aaron Rodgers was back, Eddie Lacy had given the Cheese Heads a running game and, most importantly, the weather had turned from bad to biblical.
Honestly, it looked cold enough that keen eyed viewers sitting at home in their undies and air con at eight in the morning may have noticed Prince Harry leading a charity expedition to the Lambeau lavatories in the third quarter.
But while the fabled frozen tundra seemed set to take the place of the Packers injured Clay Matthews as the hardest thing in town, another force had made its way to Wisconsin.
To be any chance on the Green Bay ice, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick needed to fire.
As we speak a number of the Green Bay defence are being treated for third degree burns.
Kaepernick was nothing short of scintillating against the Packers, and even in a weekend where a number of quarterbacks who aren’t Andy Dalton vied for the throne, the San Francisco quarterback deserved to be recognised as the most dangerous man under centre.
The inked one dodged, duked, down-towned and even tackled like a man hell bent on shedding the occasional second year syndrome that dogged him this season, or perhaps he was just trying desperately to stay warm.
Whatever the case, one gets the feeling if coach Jim Harbaugh had decided to let Kaepernick attempt the game winning field goal he would have relished the opportunity, cooly slotted the 33-yarder and taken an intense, angry satisfaction in doing so.
It’s easy to pin an NFL side’s hopes on its quarterback, over praising them in victory and death riding them in defeat.
Kaepernick also has more than a fair offensive supporting cast too, as with Frank Gore at running back and a trio of quality receivers, Kaepernick is hardly fighting his games single handily.
But it’s the way in which Kaepernick went about his business that was just so damn exciting.
Against the Packers, Kaepernick didn’t look like a quarterback who can do a bit of rushing. He looked more like a rugby league or union five-eighth, weighing up his options to pass before spotting a gap and taking off on long striding runs up field.
98 yards worth to be precise.
Is Kaepernick the best all-round quarterback in the league?
Probably not, as he seems to have trouble remembering what team’s hat he should wear for starters.
But if Col can lead San Francisco to Super Bowl glory against the calibre of quarterbacks that are still active this season, he definitely deserves his place at the super friends table.
And it all starts next weekend.
His opposite number? Cam ‘Superman’ Newton.
Time to see what happens when you fight fire with fire
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