It's safe to say Colin Kaepernick left a lasting impression on the Green Bay Packers.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback made NFL history against the Packers in the divisional playoff round, rushing for 181 yards and two touchdowns in a blowout win.
Packers coaches -- understandably disturbed by Kaepernick's victorious performance -- trekked to Texas A&M during the offseason for a tutorial on combating the read-option offense. Improving against the read-option played a role in Green Bay's selection of UCLA defensive end Datone Jones in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Jones is known for his ability in facing read-option offenses. He doesn't see Kaepernick's legs as a long-term issue.
"I thought he was pretty good," Jones said of Kaepernick's playoff game against Green Bay, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "But I don't think they're going to be able to run him like that. He takes one good hit, there goes their season."
Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee rightly points out that Kaepernick did a nice job avoiding big hits last season. Beyond that, much of Kaepernick's damage was done on plays that were designed passes but turned into scrambles.
In other words, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh doesn't necessarily game plan with the hope of Kaepernick shredding defenses with his legs. It just happened. Jones and other defenders always must remain on guard.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
