Colin Kaepernick is not playing well at the moment. The quarterback was entering what many believed to be a bounce back year for the San Francisco 49ers and so far things are not going as planned. After getting a win against the Minnesota Vikings, the 49ers were blown out in consecutive games and now prepare to face the Green Bay Packers on the road. The quarterback is getting most of the blame for the struggles right now and could be facing a lot of questions about his future if the 49ers do not string together some wins.
Kaepernick is supposed to be 'the guy' for the 49ers. The team re-signed the quarterback to the tune of $114 million, but as the production continues to drop, so does the confidence that Kaepernick is really the man for the job in San Francisco. Head coach Jim Tomsula is saying all of the right things. The coach is sticking with his quarterback and denying any idea that Blaine Gabbert will see playing time soon, but it is fair to wonder if the 49ers are thinking what their options will be in 2016.
According to ESPN NFL Insider Mike Sano, the chances the 49ers stick with Kaepernick are high. While he is coming off a four-interception performance against the Arizona Cardinals, his contract dictates that Kaepernick stays put. To Kaepernick's benefit, he has the 20-3 performance against the Vikings where he looked strong and he did play well against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sano is right to say it is far too quick to throw in the towel on Kaepernick. Now if the trend continues for the rest of the season, then there are talking points.
Players are confident they can rebound from the poor effort against the Cardinals. Anquan Boldin told the media that it is up to the players to push themselves to another level and step up for a win this week. That will not be easy as they face the Packers and Aaron Rodgers who is in mid-season form.
"[Coaches] don't play," Boldin said, via CSNBayArea.com. "It's up to the players to change that. The only thing they do is call plays, call defenses. It's up to the players to go out and execute."
Things could get harder for the 49ers. Vernon Davis has missed the past two days of practice. According to Tomsula via ESPN.com, Davis had his knee drained and will participate in practice in a limited fashion while his status against the Packers still remains uncertain right now. With Davis, players like Boldin and Torrey Smith will have to improve. Reggie Bush did return which is good news for Kaepernick and it could also help Carlos Hyde get moving as well in Week 4.
