San Francisco 49ers: Kaepernick Doesn’t Understand As Gabbert Set To Start
Speaking for the first time since he was benched, Colin Kaepernick doesn’t understand why he was looked over for Blaine Gabbert. The decision by the 49ers has Kaepernick stunned, but he has no choice but to go with the decision of the coaches.
Kaepernick is upset with the way he has been portrayed by the 49ers coaches. Coach Tomsula was quoted as saying the quarterback needed a break. He needed to “step back and breathe.”
“I’m not out of breath, so I don’t understand that reference,” Kaepernick responed, via ESPN.
Kaepernick was told Monday he wouldn’t start against the Falcons, but said he hasn’t had a harder time going to work. He has been preparing as normal for the 49ers game against the Falcons. But he wants to support Gabbert as much as possible.
”No, to me that’s selfish, to put that on myself and take away from my teammates and away from Blaine,” Kaepernick said. ”I’ll support my teammates, I’ll support Blaine, in everything they do because they support me.”
Gabbert will take the field Sunday against the Falcons without top running back Carlos Hyde, ruled out Friday with a stress fracture in his left foot after not practicing all week. Wideout Anquan Boldin was listed as doubtful with an injured hamstring.
The idea of being a “scapegoat” for the sliding 49ers (2-6) hasn’t entered Kaepernick’s train of thoughts yet. He’s still grinding it out and willing to do whatever to help the team win.
“I don’t believe in pressure. The pressure’s not being prepared for what you want to do,” he said. ”To me, I played full seasons, I’ve played full seasons and been successful. It’s something that mentally, I’ve been through before. I’m not incapable of going through things.”
Offensive coordinator Geep Chryst hinted Thursday that Kaepernick might be trying too hard this season to make plays that have come more naturally in the past when things were going well.
Colin Kaepernick doesn’t see it that way. He took over the starting job from Alex Smith in November 2012 under coach Jim Harbaugh and wound up keeping the job and leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl, and a three-point loss to Baltimore.
The supporting cast around Kaepernick is not the same as it was when the 49ers went to the Super Bowl three seasons ago. Only three players – one on offense – from that team remain in their same starting positions: left tackle Joe Staley, outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks, and inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman.
“They told me they were going to sit me, and that was the extent of the conversation,” Kaepernick said of the Niners’ decision earlier this week. “That decision is out of my control, and I respect their authority.”
On paper, San Francisco is set up for a textbook blowout. The 49ers have scored seven or fewer points in four of their six losses. And their defense hasn’t been able to hold the line long enough to keep the team in the game in later quarters.
Tomsula was quick to point out that the 49ers’ horrible playing was not completely the fault of Kaepernick.
Tomsula on #49ers QB change: "I felt like this was the direction we needed to go. In no way is 2-6 all on Colin Kaepernick."
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 4, 2015
Even though Chryst isn’t blaming Kaepernick either, he was full of praise for Gabbert and compared him to Alex Smith, via the Bleacher Report.
“When we got Blaine on board here, there were some similarities to what we felt Alex Smith went through,” Chryst explained. “Alex came here, was very young and played, had to slug out a lot of tough situations. And we felt like Blaine had all this talent, and as a young player, maybe a change of scenery would be good for him.”
Sounds like Colin Kaepernick may be doing a lot of “breathing.”
[Feature Photo by Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images]
