Colin Kaepernick stepped in for Alex Smith and led the San Francisco 49ers to a resounding victory over the previously 7-1 Bears, but the performance earned more than just a win.
For Kaepernick, it might have won him the starting job.
San Francisco head coach Jim Harbaugh said that he tends to go with the quarterback with the hot hand, leading many to believe that Colin Kaepernick will continue to start, the San Francisco Chronicle noted .
Kaepernick himself couldn’t say exactly what Harbaugh meant by the comment.
“I really don’t know what to make of it,” he during an interview on ESPN Radio . “We both have been playing well, so that’s ultimately going to be his decision.”
He later added that he’ll respect whatever decision Harbaugh makes and isn’t looking to start a quarterback controversy.
“Obviously, I’ll be disappointed,” Kaepernick said when asked about his emotions if Alex Smith retains the starting spot. “But at the same time, that’s their decision. If they think that’s what’s best for the team, then that’s what we’re going to go with.”
Monte Poole of the Mercury News says that the job should belong to Colin Kaepernick. He wrote :
“Kaepernick’s starring role in San Francisco’s 32-7 exposing of Chicago’s paper Bears raised the ante. What once was a quarterback curiosity is now a full-fledged competition. A controversy, if you will, between Kaepernick and incumbent Alex Smith, exacerbated by coach Jim Harbaugh claiming each has a ‘hot hand.’
“Kaepernick proved himself capable of undressing an NFL defense. Chicago’s defense is of dubious quality — though we can conclude it was overrated. Still, the unit has some very good players, and they appeared helpless against the passing and scrambling skills of the second-year NFL athlete from Nevada.
“At the least, Kaepernick earned the opportunity to start Sunday in New Orleans, when the 49ers face the resurgent Saints. It’s another test, a bigger test insofar as road games in domes present particularly difficult challenges for a quarterback.”
It does appear that, outside of the media, Colin Kaepernick is angling for the starting job. On October 30, he wrote on Twitter : “Bout to get this workout in because yall ain’t goin keep me on this sideline forever!”