Grading Colin Kaepernick’s first quarter of 2014

Colin Kaepernick is the life line of the San Francisco 49ers, but has he done enough the first half of the season to help his team win?

The San Francisco 49ers have started the season slowly, and are sitting at third in their division with a record of 2-2. Colin Kaepernick has gotten off to a rough start as well, but has also shown flashes of brilliance. It’s hard to gauge exactly where the 49ers are in terms of competing in the NFC, especially due to the rumors that are flying around about head coach Jim Harbaugh being on the hot seat and losing his team.

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Kaepernick has thrown for 912 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions, while also rushing for 187 yards on 33 attempts. The 49ers’ offense has been inconsistent to say the least, and it has a lot to do with their unwillingness to establish the ground game with Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde. Harbaugh’s offense is all about putting the football in Kaepernick’s hands and asking him to make plays with his arm.

Just a couple short years ago the 49ers had one of the most intriguing offenses in the league with Kaepernick being used more as a rusher. Using the option again would likely be a major help for the 49ers, but that doesn’t appear to be in the cards at this point in time. All of that being said, Kaepernick simply isn’t a pocket passing type of quarterback, and the 49ers need to look to get him out in the open field and outside the pocket to make plays.

San Francisco has been missing some players due to injury issues and suspensions, but that cannot be blamed for the slow start. The offense as a whole has not looked nearly as dangerous as it was expected to. Whether that is due to play-calling or simply not executing plays, it ends up being the same thing.

All of that being said, Kaepernick cannot be blamed for the entire offense starting slow. The coaching staf has to shoulder some of the blame, and the players around the quarterback are also responsible. Kaepernick’s stats certainly aren’t as good as the 49ers were wanting to see, but they haven’t been too terrible either.

It’s very difficult to figure out a fair grade for Kaepernick through the first quarter of the season, but the struggles have to be taken into consideration. He hasn’t seemed to grow too terribly much as a leader, and that is something to keep an eye on as well. While the struggles have been talked about much more than the positives, there have been quite a few impressive plays that Kaepernick had made, and those cannot be forgotten.

Kaepernick’s First Quarter Grade: B-

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