Whitlock: Will Max Kellerman and the woke sports media sabotage the 49ers’ two-QB experiment?



The woke capital of the world could be home to the most interesting innovation in professional football … as long as critical racism theory doesn't ruin it.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is pondering playing two quarterbacks this season, veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Trey Lance. Shanahan unveiled the potential two-QB wrinkle in his team's final exhibition game against the Raiders. It worked to near perfection. The 49ers won in a romp, 34-10. Garoppolo and Lance combined to lead touchdown drives. Both quarterbacks rushed for TDs.

More importantly, neither quarterback seems to have a problem with sharing the position.

"We had two successful drives with it, scored on both of them," Garoppolo said after the game. "That's tough for defenses to handle. Whatever is best for the team, I'm here for it."

Lance added: "It's fun. I trust Coach Shanahan and I know Jimmy does and our whole team and locker room does. He's going to find ways to get the guys that need the ball the ball and do whatever it takes to win games."

The QB position in professional football is controlled by a cliche: "If you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one."

That cliche drives decision-making at quarterback. Every team starts every season on the hunt for its franchise quarterback, its version of Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, or Aaron Rodgers. Most teams fail to find their franchise guy. They end up with Jared Goff, Carson Wentz, or Teddy Bridgewater.

Quarterbacks are so central to team leadership that coaches are reluctant to unleash a mixed message within locker-room chemistry. Better to let Goff stand as a single leadership voice in the locker room than risk a divided message coming from a second quarterback. It's quite possibly an antiquated leadership model in an era when players take their cues from social media apps and brand managers about virtually everything. There are a million voices inside a locker room. Players check Twitter and Instagram at halftime.

What Shanahan is considering is long overdue. He's watched Saints head coach Sean Payton toy with the concept the last two or three seasons. For four to six snaps each game, the Saints spelled franchise quarterback Drew Brees with backup Taysom Hill. It worked. Hill is a terrific runner and a mediocre passer. It did not seem to break Brees' rhythm.

Trey Lance is an exceptional runner with far more upside as a passer than Hill. Garoppolo, of course, is the prototypical pocket passer. Four years ago, the 49ers traded a second-round pick to acquire Jimmy G from the Patriots. This past off-season, San Francisco traded up to select Lance with the number-three overall pick.

The 49ers have more invested in Lance than Garoppolo. It makes sense for the squad to explore how to get an immediate return on investment in Lance.

There's one factor that could potentially ruin Shanahan's much-needed experiment — an illogical discussion of race and racism forced by ESPN, Fox Sports, and Twitter.

Garoppolo is white. Lance is half black.

The never-ending search for Twitter-friendly content will cause sports talkers to needlessly inject race into the discussion. It's already started. ESPN's Max Kellerman got things rolling Monday morning with a chess analogy.

"I'm not saying it can't work," Kellerman blared. "You can innovate, but this ain't the way it's always been done. And I think you take a risk innovating, not if you're in a position where you don't have the horses, right? You've got to do something. You've got to have an asymmetrical kind of strategy. Like, if you play chess, and you're the black pieces, which always goes second. Go figure, right? If you just do the theoretically strongest move every time, you're always a step behind the white pieces who start first, you've got to do something asymmetrical. You've got to do something to throw off the balance."

Get it? Trey Lance is the black piece. Garoppolo starts the game, giving him an unfair advantage. Kellerman is doing the groundwork to frame the 49ers' QB strategy in racial terms, in ways that will increase his social media traction.

The 49ers are trying to win games. They have a roster capable of competing for a Super Bowl. Shanahan is taking an innovative approach to maxing out the QB position. It's not a racial conflict. Race has nothing to do with Shanahan's decision-making. He wants to win right now. Playing both quarterbacks could give the 49ers a shot at equaling the QB play in Tampa, Green Bay, and Seattle.

Playing two QBs is San Fran's theoretically strongest move.

Playing the race card is Kellerman's.

ESPN host claims 'extreme right-wing agitators' carrying out violence 'to make protests look bad'



ESPN host Max Kellerman claimed Tuesday that "a big percentage" of the violence that has occurred during the ongoing protests in the U.S. for the past several months has been carried out by "extremist right-wing agitators," who are trying "to make the protests look bad."

What are the details?

According to The Hill, Kellerman, who co-hosts "First Take" with Stephen A. Smith, told the show's audience that "93% of the protests are peaceful," arguing that "the 7 percent [that] are not, there is a very broad definition of what's not quote-unquote peaceful. For example, if you block traffic or something like that. Or if you respond to police provocation.

"And even then," Kellerman continued, "a big percentage of that that wasn't peaceful is actually outside agitators, extremist right-wing agitators posing as protesters to make the protests look bad."

Max Kellerman reacts to Colby Covington trashing LeBron James | First Take www.youtube.com

Politicos on both sides of the aisle reacted to Kellerman's comments on social media, with conservative Ian Miles Cheong tweeting, "There is no evidence to support this claim, and it dismisses the unrest Antifa itself is proud of."

Liberal Wajahat Ali tweeted, "White Trump supporters are really angry with Max Kellerman which means he probably said something on point."

The sports pundit was reacting to UFC star Colby Covington, a fan of President Donald Trump, saying in a post-victory speech over the weekend, "I'm sick of these woke athletes and these spineless cowards like LeBron James."

Anything else?

Kellerman is starting to make a name for himself in the political world, thanks to statements he has made recently that have won him both praise and scorn on social media.

Last month, Kellerman said on "First Take" that SEC football fans "seem to be very low, susceptible to very low quality information and easy to propagandize and almost immune to facts," such as Fox News' "propaganda."

Kellerman echoed similar feelings in a separate segment, saying that Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher seemed "susceptible to low-quality information" after the former NFL player criticized NBA players for boycotting playoff games over the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

"Brett Favre played the MNF game the day his dad died, threw 4 TDs in the first half, and was a legend for playing in the face of adversity," Urlacher posted on Instagram, according to NFL.com. "NBA players boycott the playoffs because a dude reaching for a knife, wanted on a felony sexual assault warrant, was shot by police."

The NFL's news release distanced the league and the Chicago Bears from Urlacher over his comments, but noted, "Court records show an arrest warrant had been issued for Blake for criminal trespass, disorderly conduct and third-degree sexual assault, a felony, per The New York Times."

ESPN's Max Kellerman says SEC football fans seem 'easy to propagandize and almost immune to facts'



ESPN host Max Kellerman suggested Thursday that Southeastern Conference football fans are dumb and incapable of discernment, declaring on his show, "First Take," that they seem "easy to propagandize and almost immune to facts."

What are the details?

During a discussion with co-host Stephen A. Smith over sports players taking a stand against racial injustices through protest, Kellerman took a turn to discuss the general election and his view of southerners.

Kellerman said:

Stephen A., you made the argument a couple weeks ago that you thought that if SEC football wasn't played, that could swing the general election because people in the base—in Trump's base—would be very upset that they didn't have football which is practically a religion down there.

And I disagreed because [Trump] would simply shift blame, and you know because the pandemic is raging and they seem to be very low, susceptible to very low quality information and easy to propagandize and almost immune to facts.

Because as Kellyanne Conway, adviser to Trump, said, you know, she may have alternative facts. And if they stand their kind of propaganda silos, like the Fox News propaganda silo, it wouldn't matter what happened because they would say 'Oh no, the handling of the pandemic has been great.'

You can view an excerpt from the segment below. Kellerman's remarks begin around the 6:22 mark:

Stephen A. doesn't expect NBA protests to impact the NFL season | First Take www.youtube.com

Reactions to Kellerman's comments were mixed on social media, with many people praising him for his branding of the folks who live in the southeast as ignorant. One person wrote, ".@maxkellerman is my new hero. He spoke the truth about Trumpers and they predictably couldn't deal with it." Another said the analysis was "Max Kellerman's best take in years, possibly since joining First Take."

Others were not impressed. One person tweeted, "Thanks for stereotyping my whole family for cheering for the Gators today @maxkellerman . A true shame to the Max community. #SEC."

Another wrote, "You sir are one of the reasons ESPN is losing so many viewers... You and [the] network have destroyed professional sports in the USA."

The Daily Caller's David Hookstead even penned an op-ed over Kellerman's insults, calling them " an absolutely pathetic and disgraceful thing to say."

"What the hell did we all just watch?" he wrote. "I understand that it might be hard for Max Kellerman to understand from his ivory tower and big salary, but people in SEC country aren't stupid."

Hookstead closed with a suggestion: "Max Kellerman should try to broaden his horizons a bit. He might find that he actually likes people from the south. Turns out, they're pretty damn smart! They just love their football. If that's a crime, then lock me up."

ESPN’s Max Kellerman Attacks SEC Football Fans, Slurs Them As ‘Easy To Propagandize’

ESPN's Max Kellerman and host of "First Take" said Thursday SEC football fans were especially "susceptible to very low-quality information."