Colin Kaepernick Tryout Is Nothing but A PR Move for the NFL: TRAINA THOUGHTS

1. Why now?

That is the question I keep asking after the NFL announced that it was holding a private workout for Colin Kaepernick in Atlanta this weekend.

The NFL has already paid off Kaepernick after settling a lawsuit. The kneeling issue has been dormant. The league is enjoying a ratings surge. And the Tweeter-In-Chief is so busy dealing with impeachment that he hasn't bothered to fire off any rambling 240-character missives filled with misspellings about the NFL in a long time.

So why reignite the Kaerpernick issue? Because the NFL is so sensitive to criticism that if it can just change one mind about Kaepernick being blackballed, the whole dog-and-pony show this weekend will be worth it.

The bottom line, though, is that whatever happens this weekend does not change the fact that for the past three years, the NFL has been filled with quarterbacks who, on their best day, are waaaaaaaay worse than Kaepernick on his worst day.

Jeff Driskel, Josh Rosen, David Fales, AJ McCarron, Chad Kelly, Cooper Rush, Tim Boyle, Brett Hundley and Geno Smith, just to name a few, all have jobs in the NFL right now.

So no matter what happens on Saturday, Kaepernick was still done wrong by the NFL.

As for that workout on Saturday, the NFL can't even execute its attempt to salvage some good PR in the proper way.

According to the Associated Press, Kaepernick and his team were given two-hours to accept the league's offer to work out on Saturday. The NFL reportedly turned down Kaepernick's request to hold the workout a few days later. (PUBLICITY STUNT.)

The league also announced that all 32 teams have been invited to the workout. That does not mean 32 teams will watch Kaepernick try out. It could be one team for all we know. (PUBLICITY STUNT.)

But this workout isn't about Kaepernick. It's not about getting Kaepernick a job in the NFL. It's about the NFL trying to convince people that in the end, the league did the right thing. And the people who hate Kaepernick because he took a knee during the national anthem will buy what the NFL is selling.

I'm not. 

2. If there's one thing that's true about the WWE it's that they all come back. They. All. Come. Back.

This was not a complete shock because when I asked Triple H about Punk joining WWE Backstage on the SI Media Podcast in early October, he said, "never say never." 

And two weeks ago, WWE Backstage host, Renee Young told me on the SI Media Podcast that she'd love to work with Punk, so now she gets her wish.

3. ESPN's Marcus Spears, an LSU alum, went all Stephen A. Smith on Stephen A. Smith on Tuesday, even referencing Smith's new mega contract, and it was pretty great.

4. I'm just gonna leave this right here.

5. Math and probability are hard for a lot of people, including Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. According to Smith, he called heads in overtime on Monday because the coin flip to start the game came up tails and the odds on the coin flip are 50/50. Yes, I know that makes no sense. Just watch the clip below.                              

6. Everybody wants to be a sports reporter.

7. RANDOM YOUTUBE VIDEO OF THE DAY: I screwed up Tuesday because I forgot to mention that it was Al Michaels's 75th birthday. When people talk about the legendary broadcaster, the Miracle on Ice usually comes to mind first. For me, most of you know it's the infamous O.J. Simpson prank call on the night of the Bronco chase and his references to point spreads. But one Michaels moment that sometimes flies under the radar was when Al was on the air during the 1989 World Series when an earthquake hit.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter and Instagram.