Chip Kelly on Colin Kaepernick: “We’re hopeful that he’ll be ready to go” Friday vs. the Packers

SANTA CLARA — Here’s the transcript of Chip Kelly’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

 

Let’s start off with the obligatory. If nothing changes as far as QB Colin Kaepernick’s health situation, what will his role be Friday night?

“We haven’t discussed it yet. We’ve got two days of training to go through. We’ll see. He’s on track and we’re excited and we’re hopeful that he’ll be ready to go. But again, we’re not going to put the cart before the horse. We have a system. I know you guys don’t like the answer, but we’re going to do it the same every time. When we get to Friday, we’ll make sure we know exactly from [vice president of football operations Jeff Ferguson] Ferg who’s up, who’s down and then parcel out the plans. If he’s up, then he’s going to play.”

 

Has he been full-go this week?

“He’s been full-go this week, yeah. He’s done everything on Monday and everything on Tuesday and so he’s been good so far.”

 

Are you back to the pre-shoulder schedule where he splits first team–?

“Yeah, they split reps.”

 

Does he have to get his shoulder iced or do any extra treatment on it?

“Those are good questions for Kap.”

 

For Kap?

“Yes. I don’t go in, I don’t know. I don’t go in and follow him around and say ‘What are your protocols post-practice?’ So–.”

 

Is he on a pitch count during practice for you though?

“He was leading up to it. He wasn’t the last two days. So, we were building him up to what we were going to do, but he was full on Monday and full on Tuesday.”

 

Have you seen any rust? Has he been able to at least kind of pick up close to where he was?

“He’s been sharp with all the things mentally. There’s always a little bit, when you take some time off from a physical standpoint there may be a ball that was behind from a timing standpoint. But, there’s not indecision in terms of he doesn’t know where he’s going with it.”

 

DL DeForest Buckner, is he going to be able to play Friday?

“Again, we’ll evaluate everybody on Friday after Ferg gives us a heads in where we are with the whole thing. So, can’t predict from now until then. He’s practiced full the last two days, so we’re excited to see where he is. We’ll do the same thing every Friday that we normally do on game day to make sure we’ve got the right rotations going on.”

 

In this third preseason game, do you plan to maybe install a little bit more or keep it sort of where it’s been?

“We’ve had everything installed. It just depends on what kind of comes up in the game, in terms of what we want to run, what we want to feature, what we want to see. Sometimes there’s evaluations going on, like we may want to do this scheme with these guys in there more to see if they can handle this or that. But, it’s not that we don’t have everything in. We have everything in. It’s just what we’re going to choose from.”

 

Are you going to expand what you’re going to use in the game. For instance, against Denver from what I understand there were about 40 plays that you guys prepared. I didn’t know if you were going to try to do more–?

“It depends on who’s available to us. Like when [QB] Christian Ponder is in there, that 40 plays went down to about five plays because that’s what Christian understood. You know what I mean? We also had a receiver banged up, so we played a little bit more two tight ends in the second half. So, to have a game plan going in, a lot of that is out the window depending on what’s available to you in the game. So, we were predominantly in two tight ends and with Christian in in the second half, that limits us a little bit from a play-call standpoint.”

 

If all four quarterbacks are healthy and able to play, do you plan on playing all four or is it something–?

“We’re going to see on Friday if those guys are available and ready to go. I’m not a big ‘if guy,’ so we’ll see what’s available. If anybody is up and healthy and we have to make an evaluation of them, we want to play them in a game.”

 

Did you get to use the tackling dummies, the robotic tackling dummies? What’d you think if so?

“We liked them. I know [Dartmouth College head coach] Buddy Teevens from Dartmouth very well. They are the ones who designed them and came with up with the original idea. We actually tried to build one when I was at Oregon. It broke after the first tackle. It went really fast, but, we had a great guy that was a local guy in town at Oregon that did a great job with it. But, to put it together where it’s also safe, because you also don’t want to get an injury from it. But, I think it’s advantageous that you can do some live tackling. We used it with the offensive line yesterday in our screen drills and some of them were cut blocking it when obviously you’re not going to cut block a player in practice. But, you can cut block a bag. So, I think it’s a huge step for everybody. You want to get accomplished a lot of things in training sessions, but you also want to do it in a safe environment. A lot of times, it’s not the guy doing the tackling, it’s the guy getting tackled. So, the fact that the guy getting tackled is an inanimate object, lends itself to, I think we’ll continue to do more with that.”

 

From what you understand, do you know when those could be viable for everybody around?

“I don’t know about, the production? Yeah, I’m not privy to that, but Buddy was great. I talked to Buddy and he helped us out and got us in touch with who we needed to get in touch with. I think we’ve got three right now.”

 

When did you get them in?

Monday, I think.”

 

Have you had a chance to tackle, use them?

“I personally have not tackled them, no.”

 

What other usage besides the offensive line can use them?

“Everybody on defense can tackle them. So, you get the whole defense who can use them to work on pass rush, trying to come up and under. I think, the longer our coaches put their heads together, there’s a lot of different things you can use them for. It’s, basically, we do a lot of work with sleds and dummies, but now you have a sled/dummy that can move. So, kind of, I don’t think there’s a limitation in terms of where we are from that standpoint.”

 

T Anthony Davis working now more at right guard, what does that say about where OL Trent Brown is?

“It means Trent Brown is at right tackle. So, Trent is here and Anthony is here. Again, we are rolling everybody, so we played, I don’t know if you saw we played [G] Zane Beadles a little bit at center. You’re trying to figure out as a group, not only who your top five are, but really who your top seven are. And, who six and seven are, is a versatility standpoint also because one of them has to be a guard/tackle, the other has to be a center/guard, basically, and however we figure that out as we continue to move forward, and again, with people staying healthy and what not. So, we’re just trying to, with some other guys, just to get them in spots where we’ve got more versatility and our decisions become a little bit easier. So, [C] Marcus Martin has played a little bit more guard this week. He hasn’t gotten a lot of guard work, but he’s gotten a lot of center work. We’ve tried to get Zane in a little bit at center, because if [G/C Daniel] Danny Kilgore were to go down, then where are we? So, there’s a lot of different variables you’re looking at, but we’re still not set exactly where we’re going to end up in the offensive line. But, the more versatile we can get those players, the better off we’re going to be.”

 

You talked a lot about how you have plenty of time to make those decisions. Now it looks like maybe you don’t have plenty of time–?

“No, I think we still have plenty of time.”

 

You still have plenty of time?

“We’ve got two preseason games and we don’t open until September 12th. So, I look at that as plenty of time.”

 

Cuts start next week.

“Yeah, but I don’t anticipate cutting Anthony or Trent. I’m pretty sure they’ll be here.”

 

Are you comfortable with what you’ve seen from Anthony at guard to trot him out there on Friday?

“No. I mean, we’ll go through today and tomorrow and a lot of it is feedback from Anthony. He’s such a perfectionist. We’ll really defer to the player a lot from that standpoint, you know, his comfort level in terms of where he is. But, it doesn’t benefit him or us if he doesn’t feel comfortable there. So, we’ll continue to work through that. He’s been fantastic in everything he’s done since he’s gotten back here. So, the one thing I truly appreciate about Anthony is he’s a team guy and he’s a team-first guy. It’s, you know, whatever I can do to help the football organization win, is what he’s all about and he’s shown that every day he’s been out there in training sessions and we’ll continue to build off of that.”

 

Aside from versatility across the offensive line specifically, a lot of coaches like to cross-train their players so they have a better grasp on who’s on left and who’s on right side. Is that one thing that you’re trying to coach up on these players because I see it both on the offense as well as the defensive secondary as well?

“It’s a good question. And I think anytime a player, the better they understand the global picture as opposed to the specific picture for what they’re doing, it’s beneficial to them. So, there’s a lot to that. When you have to kind of move in different situations, you’re not always seeing things one way. You’re seeing it another way and I think it benefits them as a player. So, yeah, that is a byproduct of being able to move those guys around a little bit.”

 

Trent Brown said something interesting yesterday. He said he’s having the most fun playing football since junior college. He said you make it fun. Is that something you consciously try to do? How do you make practice fun? I mean, these are professional players. It’s important. It keeps you engaged.

“Well, I think it’s important for anybody in whatever job you have. I think, you know, you go into work every day and you’re not having fun, I don’t know how successful you’re going to be, whether you’re a construction worker or football player or a reporter. But, I know how you guys, if you guys wake up every day and go, ‘Oh god, I’ve got to go to practice today,’ not really excited about covering the team, you’re probably not going to give your best effort. But, I also think having fun goes hand in hand with success. There aren’t many people that aren’t having success in their jobs that will say, ‘You know what? I’m having a blast. I just got blown out of the water four straight days in a row, but this is awesome.’ You know? So, I think some of what’s going on with Trent is I think Trent is realizing his abilities and understanding how successful he can be at this game. From a coach standpoint, it’s awesome to see. It’s watching him kind of mature and grow and get better and better. It’s pretty cool to see from that standpoint, but a lot of it, the credit goes to Trent because of what he’s invested in himself.”

 

For someone like DL Arik Armstead, how important would preseason reps be for him given that he’s missed so much time in team drills?

“Arik?”

 

Armstead.

“We have a couple. That’s why I asked.”

 

Yeah. Sorry.

“Because [S] Eric Reid missed a few, but Armstead–.”

 

In my head I was thinking Armstead.

“OK. I’m not in your head [laughing].”

 

My fault.

“That’s OK. There’s no fault, there’s no blame. Just trying to get on the same page. They’re all valuable, but you also want to make sure that your guys that are going to be available in the first game are available in the first game. So, you know, there’s that fine line that you walk between he’s got to get reps, where if the reps are going to set him back then does he need to get those reps? The bottom line is that we need to put the best 46 out there when we play [Los Angeles]. So, we’ll always err on the side of caution from that standpoint because you do want to win every preseason game. You want to be successful in everything you do, but you really don’t get a whole heck of a lot if, you know, hey, we were 4-0 in preseason and killed everybody but when we go to play our first game, we’re not playing with the top 46 because six or seven of them are sitting on the sidelines.”

 

At one point in the plan, before Colin’s shoulder injury I think at the Kezar practice, you said you wanted both of those guys to be able to play with the first team in the preseason. Is that still possible or do you have to kind of tweak that now?

“We’re going to sit down Friday as a staff after we talk to Ferg and work out all those details on that. So, I hope so.”

 

Hypothetically–?

“I’m not a big hypothetical guy because–.”

 

I’m not either.

“Well, if you’re not, then why’d you ask? This is my deal with hypotheticals because everybody wants to use them to some degree. So, if we’re going to use hypotheticals, we should cancel the season because hypothetically we won the Super Bowl. Let’s just go all out with the hypothetical. Let’s just say we won the Super Bowl, so it’s over. And we did it without a quarterback in the hypothetical world that I live in. Wouldn’t it be cool? It doesn’t work that way. So, we’re a real literal, black and white deal. We’re going to sit down when we find out exactly who’s available. I would hope that based on what he’s done so far that he’s going to be available. If he’s available, he’s going to play.”

 

With the first team, potentially?

“Sure. Yes.”

 

Another question, but not regarding that topic. Do you find when you run no-huddle, oftentimes obviously you could have defenses on their heels or in defenses they don’t want to be in, do you find often sometimes that short passes are available just because of the fact they don’t want to get beat deep?

“There are times, it depends on the team. It’s a good question. There are some teams, when you play at pace, want to throw a blanket around it. So, they want to kind of back up and keep the ball in front of them. Therefore, the answer going into that is that we know going against team such and such, this is going to be available to us if we can start to play at some type of tempo and kind of play at the speed that we’d like to play at, that would be helpful for us. There are other teams that play man coverage when they’re in a fast, up-tempo look it’s because I have that guy and wherever he goes, I’m going to line up on him. So, the short stuff isn’t available. It really just depends on who you’re playing and what their philosophy is in terms of how they’re going to try and defend you. And you’ll see it because some people’s philosophy is to kind of throw a blanket around it and keep the ball in front of them. If that’s the case, then you’re going to be able to get some short passes.”

 

Some teams will mix that up, throwing a blanket and man to man, you generally find?

“I think all of us in the coaching profession never want to be in a situation where you have always or nevers. So, you never want to be so predictable that they always do this, or they never do this. They’re always still going to try and change it up and sometimes it’s a halftime adjustment, sometimes it’s a series-to-series adjustment. Sometimes some teams will present you a different look on every single play, just so you can’t say, ‘Hey, we’re always getting this or never getting this.’ And when you play against guys like that, you have to be prepared for all. But, I think the good ones, and there’s some outstanding ones in this league that you’ve got to challenge yourself with every single week. They’re never going to give you an always and they’re never going to give you a never. So, I will always answer a hypothetical or I will never answer a hypothetical. One or the other.”

This article has 124 Comments

  1. That’s the biggest concern I have going into the season. Kilgore has yet to prove he has the ability to stay healthy over the course of a 16 game season. It seems Seb doesn’t need to warn Chip Kelly about Martin, “We’ve tried to get Zane in a little bit at center, because if [G/C Daniel] Danny Kilgore were to go down, then where are we”? Btw, I just tried one of those new Reese’s Big Cups with Reese’s Pieces in them and they are delicious!

    1. I wanted Balducci to make the 53 because he was slated as a backup center, but if Beadles can be versatile enough, that is fine.

      I do not need to warn them, they have reams of tape….

      1. It was a joke, but I don’t want you to assume just because they’ve seen it on tape, that they don’t come here for confirmation….

  2. I also stated if Gamble and Kelly gain control of offensive drafting for Kelly’s system–not the dinosaur, Baalke–the 49ers have a chance to be good.

    So, future insults to a person who was a running back in the industry can be saved.

    Change and positive results will not be an over-night success. Watch out next year–if and I mean If, Gamble and Kelly gain control…..By the way, credit Gamble for A WCO hire in Kelly here, Baalke is a Parcell’s guy, not a Walsh guy.

    1. …after initial cuts. Niners could trade Davis just before the season starts or before the trade deadline.

      1. I’d advise against it, because this team isn’t good enough to get rid of talent. Especially up front….

          1. Not at Center it isn’t, but I get your point. The other thing to consider is Davis can fill in at LT if Staley breaks. Without Davis, that would mean you would have to waste a roster spot on Pears. One more thing, Kaepernick needs a strong offensive line if he’s to regain his confidence. I think seeing Bam in front of him gives him that….

          1. Gamble is credited with the Kelly hire, not Baalke….Whatever is going on, by season’s end expect info….stay tuned.

          2. During that interview Baalke gave, I sensed he ate a lotta crow.

            There is a new sheriff in town, and Chip is flexing his muscles.

        1. It was a play on words when he was talking about naked authority. Now this. What do YOU think they look like?

        2. That imagery combined with his gun collection while packing a copy of the War Lord, Sun Tzu, underarm suggest caution.

    1. As seen on TV ™ (Hard Knocks on HBO). I’m glad to see we haven’t fallen behind the Rams in robotic dummy technology.

      They have probably fallen behind us in robotic dummies posting in fan sites though.

  3. Yeah, that comment Kelly made about Kilgore potentially going down and then “where are we”. I thought he might say something about Martin simply because Martin has the most experience on the OL at center after Kilgore. His silence could be construed to mean that Martin is most likely a cut.

    1. He did mention Martin actually:

      So, we’re just trying to, with some other guys, just to get them in spots where we’ve got more versatility and our decisions become a little bit easier. So, [C] Marcus Martin has played a little bit more guard this week. He hasn’t gotten a lot of guard work, but he’s gotten a lot of center work. We’ve tried to get Zane in a little bit at center, because if [G/C Daniel] Danny Kilgore were to go down, then where are we

      Not saying Martin is guaranteed to make the team, but I don’t think the Coaching staff has made that decision yet.

        1. Most likely, and if Baalke is still in charge of picking the final roster, which I believe he is, Martin may be back for another year of roller skating fun.

      1. I was expecting him to mention Martin after his Kilgore remark. After all, didn’t Martin back up Kilgore the past two years. Kelly made it sound as if they had no one.

        1. I think it was more of just mentioning players who were practicing at other positions. Martin practiced at Guard and Beadles practiced at Center.

        2. Reading between the lines, it sounded to me like Martin is unlikely to be in their best 7 OL (thus not suiting up on game day), so they need to have someone else capable of playing centre in case Kilgore gets hurt during a game.

      2. Martin will be kept on the 53. Probably won’t suit up unless there is an injury though.

  4. Regarding our depth at center or lack of, does anyone wish to speculate on why they are not trying Tiller there? Very strong guy, maybe our strongest.

      1. I don’t think that’s it because they say Beadles is getting work there, and he’s never played center (according to Wikipedia). Maybe Tiller is just not light enough on his feet for them. Maybe they’ll trade him for Tom Brady.

  5. “Have you seen any rust?”

    “He’s been sharp with all the things mentally.”

    In other words, same ol Kaep.

      1. How did using the same arm slot help him a season ago when he was pounding the turf at Levi’s and hitting trainers on the sideline?

          1. What does this have to do with Gabbert?

            Thought Kelly’s choice of words was telling.

              1. Thats like saying a D+ is better than a D……….i suppose it is.

                But that’s not good enough.

    1. I want an opinion from you guys and anyone else that wants to chime in: What do you need to see from Kap on Friday night to view it as successful?

      1. I think 2 successful drives without turnovers. One with a TD pass to the end zone at least. The other could be a run. I still remember the red zone woes and I don’t think it was Roman.

        1. It was in large part. Roman liked a stone-age offense. The beauty of Kelly’s offense is, or seems to be, that if your looking for it to come one way, its probably going to come from another. He’s not a neanderthal-he has imagination.

      2. Great question, Rocket. I don’t know the answer, but I bet we fans will want to see more than the coaches. Because we don’t know the plays called and often don’t know during the game who was at fault for a busted/bad play, we want to see plays that move the chains and result in TDs. The CS has more information and can be satisfied with a lot less especially if unsuccessful plays are not CK’s fault.

          1. Rocket

            That is (IMHO) the problem with you analytical statistical guys. You’re asking for categorized groupings measured against a series of what you have already have called in the answers. What I would call successful, is some over-the-top plays that show that Kaep can do what other QBs do….lift up your team-mates…make them better…work with them cooperatively and be thinking
            “team…team…team…” and show up with more points than the Packers have….

            1. I didn’t put any stipulations on what constituted success. I asked a pretty simple and open ended question. So you want to see some long pass completions, and a sign that he is working with his teammates. I don’t know if you’ll get your wish, as none of the QB’s have thrown anything over the top, but I’m guessing he’ll work with his teammates just fine. As for making them better, that’s not all up to him. It’s a team sport.

        1. Good points Cubus. I think they will likely have a package of plays he’s worked on and been successful with in practice to try and build his confidence, but it’s been awhile since he’s seen live action.

      3. Whether he’s good or bad I hope it’s fantastic. The last thing I want to see is just middle of the road play.

        Something along the lines of what we saw from him in that Chargers preseason game back in 2012 would be good.

        1. You may end up being disappointed. Middle of the road play is likely what we get at best. I don’t see him being much better than that with how long it’s been since he’s played and the lack of reps overall. It’s why I think Gabbert is likely named starter after this game.

      4. One Td drive, no turnovers, a grasp of Chips offense, and a completion percentage above 55%.

      5. Good question Rocket…. for me he just has to look better than Gab, which so far doesn’t seem too difficult. BG stalled out his first few drives. If we can a fast start from Kap and if he looks like he fits in this offense, hey why not give him a chance.

      6. That’s entirely dependent upon the the personnel he’s facing… If it’s the ones I will expect much less than I will against the two’s

    2. Probably due to him going through mental reps over the course of his recent inability to throw….

  6. Matt Barrows ✔ @mattbarrows
    Colin Kaepernick on his his relationship with #49ers GM Trent Baalke: “We have a business relationship. That’s the point where we’re at.”

    Translation: F that guy.

    1. That may have always been what it was. Baalke I don’t think ever won any awards in congeniality.

    2. Well he asked to be traded so of course Baalke is not his biggest fan. They wasted a 2nd round pick on a guy who was good then 3 years later is average at best. You tell me how that relationship is repairable?

      1. They got a lot more out of that second round pick than have any others under Baalke’s watch.

        1. Are you satisfied with a trip to the SB and 2 NFCCG appearances? And now the guy might be a career back up or out of the league potentially?
          Yeah great value there.

          1. I wouldn’t say satisfied at all, but certainly not a wasted pick, especially compared to Baalke’s other second round picks.

            1. A QB chosen that high and who’s play has dropped significantly in less than 3 years was not a waste?
              Nobody in the NFL wanted him at his current salary. What does that tell you?

              1. Taking the team to back to back NFCCG’s and a SB is not a waste of a pick no. Would I have liked him to develop into something more, yes of course, but those couple of years were not a waste, and again, look at what we’ve gotten out of Baalke’s other second rounders when you view that pick.

              2. The QB pick that high for an organization that will always hold the position in such high esteem was a waste. He didn’t carry the team, the team and coaching carried him those playoff runs. He never made others around him better, he never showed he was a true leader once the team lost some talent.
                He was a guy who stepped into a very favourable position at a time when the team was poised to win. Now with the team in a rebuild, he can’t even be relied upon to help through this transition because we don’t even know what he can do anymore. I’d say all this unknown after only 3 years is a waste.

              3. Prime,
                Smith never carried the team or made anyone better as the #1 overall choice, yet that is suddenly your measuring stick for Kaepernick, who was a second round pick. The firing of Harbaugh and the rebuilding process were self inflicted and unnecessary. The future QB is not on the roster. Expecting Kaepernick to stick with this team through a rebuilding process wasn’t very smart after the last year and a half. Look at what Smith went through after extending his (team friendly) deal after Harbaugh’s first year. He was benched the following year, they controlled his rights and they traded him. Before they traded him, Paraag was bragging to the press about how they could easily afford to keep him as their backup because of his low salary. Maybe Kaep was taking notes and simply has the fortitude to push back, something that Smith always lacked.

              4. Big P you are seriously comparing the talent Smith stepped into compared to Kaepernick?

              5. Smith wanted to stay in SF because he loved his teammates and it wasn’t about the money. The 1st sign that CK had to compete for the job or would be in a competition he got all anti 49ers and wanted out.
                Everyone wants to blame Jed and Baalke.
                The bottom line is his performance lacked a lot of key skills from year to year. People built him up as a franchise QB after a SB run he only played in for half the season only because of injury. Then he declined every year. Wasn’t his fault, no it was Praage, Baalke, Pears, Devey etc.
                I also think Smith helped Vernon Davis become a good player. Pro bowler in fact.
                The only player someone on this blog said CK made better was Hammer in Bruce Miller. That’s it? Can you think of one player CK has elevated the play of?

              6. Prime,

                The QB pick that high for an organization that will always hold the position in such high esteem was a waste. He didn’t carry the team, the team and coaching carried him those playoff runs. He never made others around him better, he never showed he was a true leader once the team lost some talent.

                Complete nonsense Prime. The offense, and Kap especially, carried the team to the SB. The defense stunk during that run and it really gets tiring reading this same rhetoric over and over again. You don’t have to like the guy, but stop lying about what actually happened.

                The Niners don’t get to the SB without him. Period. To me that is not a waste of a draft pick.

              7. Name a player then Rocket that when CK played with his production went up, became a pro bowler with his help?

              8. Why do you keep going to this “who did he make better stuff?” He made the WR’s better and more involved immediately, but he made the entire offense better because of his running ability. They were explosive due to both his running and passing. Look at how poorly the defense was playing and how many yards and point’s the offense had to put up to win. Do I really have to go and bring up the stats again? We’ve been through this before.

              9. Just want a name Rocket, that’s all. I’ll gladly look up the stats for you. A name is all, if you can?

              10. Crabtree.

                Doesn’t really make any sense to single out one player when the whole offense got better, but I’ll humor you.

              11. Michael Crabtree? Keep trying. The guy who said CK didn’t have what it took because he never studied. Had a 1000 yard season then bolted and was low balled by the organization? That Michael Crabtree? Did he make the pro bowl?

              12. Lol. There’s no way you can spin this to say what you want it to Prime. Kap took over, the offense scored a lot of points, carried the team to the SB. The end.

              13. This CK arguement about who’s game he elevated always ends the same. No one can come up with an answer because he never made any guy on the offense a legitimate threat. The 49ers under CK’s leadership never had a #1 go to threat. Why? Because when the defense took away his safety blanket, he couldn’t find any one else. That’s why he was so easy to game plan for and why players on others teams said they knew how to contain him.
                The Hawks or Cards would throw Sherman and Peterson on Crabtree and it was game over.
                Then it was send 7 drop 3 in coverage and blame the oline because they allegedly could not block.
                Guys remember, the QB position in the NFL will always be about precision, accuracy, leadership and decision making. Either you have it or you don’t!

              14. Prime,

                It ends the same way because you move the goal posts in an attempt to downplay what Kap did. You specifically said, and I quoted above, that the team carried him. That was categorically wrong. Zero truth to that statement. The defense did not play well the last part of that season and into the playoffs. The offense carried them and Kap was the catalyst of that offense. He won the GB game by himself. You can’t accept it and that’s your problem. You continue on with this “who did he elevate” nonsense, when he elevated the entire offense. The truth is the Niners didn’t have great receivers then and still don’t. Crabtree’s yardage numbers went up once Kap took over, but in that system, with the lack of a true #1 WR threat, there was never going to be great passing numbers.

              15. He won the GB game all by himself? That’s false. Vic Fangio and his defense did a great job limiting a real QB in Aaron Rodgers.

                The Niners never had legitimate WR’s. I thought that was an Alexcuse?

                I’ve never downplayed what CK did. He took the league by storm, faded and now is a flash in the pan until he proves otherwise this year.
                You don’t build around one hit wonders or what you guys termed at that time franchise QB.
                Again you will deny saying that but I remember me and DS having countless arguements about you saying that.
                Again, he was good, but quickly faded. He never got better and never made others around him better. That’s a fact but you want to blame it on saying none of those guys were legit anyways. Well how then did they make it to the playoffs all those years? CK carried them or was it a stellar supporting cast?
                Gore,Davis, Harbaugh, Roman, a great defense and minimal film made CK successful, not the other way around.
                If he was so good why is he fighting with Gabbert for a starting job?

              16. Prime,

                We’ve been through this before and it’s apparent we’ll never find common ground. I absolutely thought Kap had franchise talent and made no secret of that. I also said he needed to learn to play from the pocket to have long term success. This discussion has nothing to do with what is happening now. It’s about the part Kap played in a pretty good two year playoff run. He put up over 450 yards against GB and was the catalyst of the SB run. He also did pretty well the following year until the 4th quarter meltdown in Seattle.

                Where is as a player now has nothing to do with what he did then, and I didn’t make Alexcuses either. I support Alex.

              17. Prime,
                As usual, it’s revisionist history when it comes to you and Smith. Smith never made anybody a better player. He never carried the team. He never lived up to being the #1 overall pick. He was about the money when he signed his rookie contract and joked about being called “Dollar Bill” by his teammates. He wasn’t about the money a few years later because he had been terrible and he was going to be cut. His teammates referred to him as ‘Alex the Lion’ because he was considered a coward. That is how things really played out.

              18. Prime,
                I’m not a Kaep fan but this argument is ridiculous. That season the niners won and Kaep was a big reason they made it to SuperBowl.It was a case of right man, right moment… the league had not yet caught up to the zone read and had limited tape on Kaep.
                The injuries that were suffered by Justin and Aldon Smith greatly hurt the Defense and the offense needed to pick up the slack which they did. While I feel Alex is the better overall qb currently, I am not certain he would have been able to beat Green Bay in the playoffs that year.

                And, IMHO if any player is responsible for getting you to a SB and he was not a first rd pick, regardless of how played in other years he was worth the pick.

  7. As much disdain as I have for Jed and Baalke at this point in time, at least I’m not a Chargers fan. They are really trying to set a new bar for most inept/cheap franchise in all of sports.

    1. Makes one wonder if we’ll have an Eli Manning style rookie holdout for the Chargers in future years.

      1. I would be more surprised if that didn’t happen Cubus. The fact the Chargers are now negotiating through the media will really turn current and future players off even more than they already were.

        1. Never underestimate the ability of family owed NFL franchises to show how inept they can be and ultimately how much they are responsible for the poor performance of their teams. While I’m a 49er faithful for life (since my first game in 1955), I now live in Arizona where, despite current indications the Bidwell will find a way to continue their tradition of not winning a championship since 1947. So to is it with the Spanos family and, sad to say, more than likely the Yorks. Add in the Fords (Detroit Lions – rebuilding since 1957), the Browns (Still hoping since 1964) and…. well you get the picture.

  8. Seb doesn’t Kelly’s paragraph here kinda shoot down your theory on a week in Kelly’s system makes QB’s superstars?

    “It depends on who’s available to us. Like when [QB] Christian Ponder is in there, that 40 plays went down to about five plays because that’s what Christian understood. You know what I mean? We also had a receiver banged up, so we played a little bit more two tight ends in the second half. So, to have a game plan going in, a lot of that is out the window depending on what’s available to you in the game. So, we were predominantly in two tight ends and with Christian in in the second half, that limits us a little bit from a play-call standpoint.”

    1. Did I say that? Wilson, I thought I said that Chip took average QBs who excelled in his system but did not make the transition to the NFL. I did not say that they were superstars. Mariota is the exception.

      1. You did imply that Chip could take a house painter and turn them into a star after a week cause he threw 2 TD’s.

        1. You must admit that Ponder did well with limited time, but he was also sitting on his couch watching the paint dry when they called. From being out of the league to becoming a star is a slight stretch……

  9. Grant

    Good exchange….the answer will be in two (2) short days….Gentlemen…place your bets!!!

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