Colin Kaepernick: “I’m not being asked to do things outside of my character.”

SANTA CLARA – Here’s an interesting exchange from Colin Kaepernick’s Wednesday press conference.

Q: Coach Tomsula just said a few minutes that you’re not being asked to do anything that you’ve been asked to do in previous years. What do you think he meant by that, and what’s your take on what you’re being asked to do that’s different?

KAEPERNICK: I would say the biggest thing is I’m being asked to be myself this year. I don’t think anyone knows how to be myself better than me. It’s a comfort zone. It’s a situation where I’m not being asked to do things outside of my character.

Q: Do you feel like you were asked to do things outside of your character?

KAEPERNICK: Outside of how I would normally handle situations, yes.

Q: Meaning, to be more specific, being in the pocket more? Not getting outside? Is that what you’re getting at?

KAEPERNICK: No. I’m getting at that I was asked to do things outside of my character.

Q: Is it safe to say you feel more relaxed right now in the pocket?

KAEPERNICK: (Walks off stage without answering).

This article has 142 Comments

  1. Thats one strange interview. I take “outside his Character” to mean outside his personal chracter not phsyical issues of the game I.E passing in the pocket. That being said i have no freaking idea what he is refering to.

  2. Both Gore &Crabtree have taken cheap shots at their old QB. Here someone is trying to get Colin to take a cheapshot at Harbaugh/Roman. Good on him not to take the bait.

    1. And yet He has not responded to either of them,I like that in Kap because it shows he don`t have to respond to Droptree and Mumble Fumble yeah I said it ,they started with all this Football God QB crap,I`m really disappointed in Gore,if you are going to another team fine,but to take cheap shots @ Kap why? He was not responsible for you leaving, and Droptree well I`m for one is glad he`s gone.

  3. Pretty clear that Tomsula was referring to forcing Kap to stay in pocket and run less. Also clear that Kap doesnt know how to honestly answer that question.

  4. Does it really matter what he was asked to do before…..all I care about is now.obviously whatever there asking him to do now is working better (at least 2 games worth).just keep taking small steps.

    1. I would bet from what we know of him he’s walking off because he’s frustrated with the situation and doesn’t have an answer he feel comfortable with talking about.

  5. Why was the offense so bad last year? Because Harbaugh and Roman were too busy concocting a plan to relieve the Yorks of their billions. Kaepernick’s forced involvement in the plan made him uncomfortable.

  6. I’d like to see him take out his frustration in the Cardinals nest and ruffle their feathers with an Aces High performance….

  7. Kaepernicks press conference shows something to be worried about. This season is going to be a long one as everybody in the league has the man figured out.

    1. And here you are trying to engage a bunch of people who don’t like you. Maybe you should go celebrate your relevancy with your friends…Oops you don’t have any do you? Sorry!

      1. And having a player hold out. The real genius of Kam is, he’s coming back with the perfect timing. His team is 0-2 but their next 2 games are home games against bad teams. They’re gonna win big against Jimmy Clausen and the Bears, and Chancelor is gonna look like a hero.

    2. 0-2!!! Relevance revoked!
      It’s over! Graham isn’t happy, cheatin Pete isn’t happy, and soon the biggest fraud as fans will be back to irrelevancy!
      And half empty stadiums. Like it was for YEARS!!! You’re not on a national blog. Who do you think you’re fooling?
      Seattle fans are frauds… Ask the Thunder!!! Wheeeeeew!

    3. You said it. Freudian slip, but you said that the Seahawks were relevant, as in not relevant anymore.

  8. I don’t understand why everyone gets up in arms over a dam press confrence.so he didn’t want to say anything and walked off.big deal let’s spend all are time trying to figure out why……pointless

  9. Why did Kaepernick treat the press is a disrespectful manner. It all comes back to the same thing with this team — no discipline.

    1. He didn’t mistreat the media. He could have went marshawn Lynch and “I’m here so I don’t get fined”. It gets real irritating when they ask the same questions over and over. That’s his way of handling it. Nothing more nothing less

  10. Well if we actually ajust the game plan when there are 8-9 men in the box, then we will be better off. Our online isn’t good enough to play bully.. If Arizona single covers, its time to turn the dogs loose.. So I hope Colin stays focus. Make the world eat their words

  11. As far as I’m concerned I think all the media has an agenda and there all weasels.always trying to spin something to fit there m.o. or get someone to say something they don’t necessarily mean.

  12. If Kaepernick can’t answer a softball question like that and stomps off camera awakardly, no wonder he can’t make great on field decisions.

    1. Again, Lynch and Sherman, how’s their pressers correlate to their on field performance? You’re just trolling now.

      1. Wilson: You don’t understand why the QB of your team should be viewed in a poitive light and respected. I think Kaep is temperary until they find someone else down the road.

        1. Gosh shut up and if you seen JPN’s post below 2-3 times already in the video someone announced this would be the last question. Grant’s just being controversial. Why don’t you understand the faces of your franchise aside of Wilson are total jack wagons and are embarrassing.

    1. That is the face of your team!!! And that behavior you’re proud of? Was I happy about the Kam holdout? No way. But he comes back & gives an adult presser. Kaep acts like a child. You’ve got problems.

      1. Again with the throwing of stones. Find something else to be irate about. I don’t really care if talks to the press.

        1. It’s better than the throwing of feces. Which she also does sometimes if people get to close to her cage.

      2. A man signed a deal and then backs out of it. Throws a fit and quits. Take your meds. You’re in space again!

      3. Mary

        Are you happy with your Uncle Tom, white-marrying, fraud do-gooder, hallucinating, bible-thumping, gee-golly, jerkoff of a QB’s performances in front of a microphone? If so, you are a truly pathetic soul.

        PompRuss Wilson is a phony even Holden Caulfield couldn’t describe with sufficient acridity.

    1. were you trying to post 2 links? the site automatically puts posts with more than one link for moderation.

  13. The video is up at csnbayarea.com/49ers. It cuts off before the last question transcribed above (the one which Grant indicates was unanswered). I will leave it up to individual viewers to assess Kaepernick’s demeanor in his last answer before that missing question.

    It is also worth noting that the question Grant transcribed as the last question (again, the one which was unanswered) was the third question after an off-camera voice notified the press that there would only be a “couple more.”

    1. JPN,

      I was just about to say the same thing. He left the stage because he had already answered the two remaining questions. Just Grant trying to stir things up again.

      1. I see it as Grant doing his job, but then again, I think I have a different view of what his job entails than some other here.

        Personally, I think Grant’s presentation was relatively neutral – he just gave folks enough information for their own confirmation biases to kick in.

          1. Nope.

            Relatively neutral to relatively pregnant = false analogy

            ‘Pregnancy’ is functionally an absolute state. ‘Neutrality’ is a state subject to gradiation.

            1. OK.

              On the other hand if neutrality is a state subject to gradiation what the hell is relative gradiation or more correctly relative gradation. ;-}

        1. JPN,

          There aren’t any on here who’s opinion I respect more than yours, but I strongly disagree with you here. If Grant was doing his job to point out that CK left the stage without answering the last question, isn’t it also his job to point out that the unanswered question was after the last question?

          The way Grant transcribed the last question and then editorially added that CK walked off the stage without answering, wasn’t neutral. By leaving out that CK not answering the last question and leaving the podium it was the unanswered question that prompted CK to leave the podium

          1. premature post.

            By leaving out that the unanswered question was asked after the last question of the session, it would definitely lead readers to wonder, if not assume, if it was the unanswered question prompted CK to leave the podium.

            This is either a case of Grant encouraging a certain impression by omission (again) or sloppy reporting.

          2. Just to clarify my position, I see Grant’s job as to give an opinion and generate hits. Further, I think he used relatively neutral language here as he could have framed it in a much more negative manner (i.e. ‘Walks off the stage without answering’ has a slightly pejorative connotation whereas something like, ‘Flees the stage’ or ‘dodges the question’ would have a more negative connotation, hence Grant wording was neutral relative to what could have been chosen). And it was fascinating to watch how people responded and witness the details that they filled in in their own minds.

            1. This is why I pointed out his tendency to stir things up. Whether it’s intentional or not, Grant tends to take negative positions on stories at times, or create the impression of something being wrong, and that generates blog hits because nothing sells like controversy.

              In this case I actually think he did hit on something with Kap’s change of heart on answering a question he normally wouldn’t have, so it’s not necessarily negative, but definitely an attempt to create a little drama.

              1. The interesting thing is that he did not answer a question he normally would not have answered – his answer went in a different direction than the questions, then he reinforced (by the tone and content of his last remark) that he was not answering the on the field play question but rather reiterating the thing he himself had raised – the issue of not being asked to do things that were not consistent with his character (thereby implying he had been asked at some prior time to do things that were not in keeping with his character). That is quite a bombshell to drop at the end of an interview.

                Also, I am not so sure he had a change of heart as much as he reached his “that’s all I’m gonna say about that,” point, as if he wanted to get it out there but not talk about it any more.

            2. Generating hits seems to be a new responsibility for all aspects of news reporting. It’s a great new world. Click, click, and click.

              1. It always has been – it was just called viewership or circulation, and was related to selling advertising. Also, it was not as apparent to the outside world even when it existed.

      2. Interviews routinely go on after the P.R. guy says “a couple more.” I’ve never been in an interview where a player, coach or front office person walked away from a question. No one in the 49ers’ organization would do or has done what Kaepernick did today.

        1. Has Kap been consistent this year at ending his comments when the media relations folks say something akin to “no more questions”? That is what it looks like from the videos. I even seem to remember one where he was told to leave while a question was being posed.

          1. I’ve never seen Kaepernick do what he did today. He introduced a subject, then ducked a follow-up question and left after just five minutes.

              1. The 49ers’ P.R. people do that during every interview. It’s a suggestion, not a rule. No one ever ducks a question. Doing so is a bad look.

              2. Yes, I know they do it every interview – I have done it myself in a slightly different context. But you commented that it ended “after just five minutes,” which seems to indicate that you were not expecting the brevity of the session.

                What I am asking is whether you think the purpose in announcing “a couple more” in a time frame which you seem to indicate was shorter than expected might have been an attempt to forestall the line of questioning.

              3. My issue wasn’t with the P.R. person, and I don’t know what his motivation was. I was surprised Kaepernick hurried off the stage after five minutes after bringing up a subject that demanded follow-up questions. The way he walked out, you would have thought he had been explaining himself for 20 minutes.

              4. Thanks, Grant. I always appreciate your willingness to give us more insight into what you see and think.

            1. Grant,

              The question was in regards to what Tomsula had said previously about not asking him to do what he had done last year, so he wasn’t the one who brought it up. I think he was honest and then decided he had gone far enough and didn’t want to make a bigger story out of it. The character reference could have been attributed to many things from how he led in the locker room, to how he conducted himself in a PC. The final question about if he was feeling more comfortable in the pocket was pretty tame so I doubt that is what led him to leave.

              1. Kaepernick brought up the subject of his “character,” which was vague. We had to follow up.

                He was leaving before the final question was asked. He heard it and decided not to come back to the podium. I’ve never seen anyone in the 49ers’ organization do that. Once, Baalke was out the door and walked all the way back to the podium to answer a question of mine. He didn’t want to be perceived as ducking anything or anyone. This was after the 2013 NFL draft.

                It seemed Kaepernick instantly regretted the comment he made about his character.

              2. It seemed Kaepernick instantly regretted the comment he made about his character.

                That’s what I was getting at Grant. I don’t think he wanted to expound on that statement any further and have it become a topic for the rest of the week. As I said it could have meant many things, but he obviously didn’t want to stir up a hornets nest.

            2. You are absolving the press for asking such a snarky question. Kaep was obviously not comfortable after 5 sacks, so it was an attack that drew a non answer.

              1. The snarkiness of a question is a subjective measure, not an objective measure. And even if the question is ‘snarky’, it is not the presses responsibility to assure an interviewee’s comfort. Further, I agree with Grant when he points out that Kap raised the broader question by switching from field play to character. That kind of statement does beg follow up.

              2. I think the term character is not the word he wanted to use, because to some, character means forthrightness and moral integrity, when i think Kaep was talking about the definition of his QB style. He was forced to be a pocket passer when his intrinsic qualities define him as a dual threat mobile QB.
                I also think the press will evoke more insightful comments if they do not consider him a hostile witness.

        2. You might not have been in one but there are plenty of televised events where players and coaches leave without answering questions. In fact it almost always seems that people are shouting questions while the players walk off stage.

          Even watching Kap’s demeanor in the video compared to how you wrote it gives a very different take on things. CSNBC didn’t even feel the need to keep the last question in their edit. Maybe they understood it differently?

          1. It’s the same in Pressers with politicians and government departmental and corporate reps. “One ( or 2) more”, and someone strides away from the podium with further questions ringing out. Please, who hasn’t witnessed that?
            Rude? Isn’t it rude to keep firing questions after the allotted time?
            Whether it’s VW addressing charges or questions for the State Department spokesman or Sherman’s vitriolic diatribes or the Gotchya silliness of Q&A with political candidates; Yes, like a late hit out of bounds.

        3. Then he calls someone as idiot for stupid questions and he’s the jerk that can’t keep his cool.
          Lose lose for him. Pretty sure he did the right thing.

        4. Grant

          You could have SO easily made this an entirely positive review of Kaep’s awesome performance on stage by simply translating this:

          “KAEPERNICK: (Walks off stage without answering)”

          to this:

          “KAEPERNICK: (Drops mic).”

        5. This is just untrue. I have seen interviews this season where Kap leaves the podium in the middle of a question being asked because the session was over and the PR person had said a couple more, 2 questions previously. I would posit the difference is that in this case you all had follow-up questions instead of it just being a regular interview so you felt the departure more than you normally would.

          He did the same thing he normally does at the end of a session, he said thank you and walked off the stage.

      3. The last question wasn’t antagonistic so I’m guessing he just wanted to leave or was told to leave after the final two questions.

        I also didn’t see him getting agitated either, so I’m thinking there isn’t much here.

      1. Sierra Madre my friend, Sierra Madre! A national treasure.

        Gold Hat (Alfonso Bedoya): “We are Federales… you know, the mounted police.”
        Dobbs (Bogart): “If you’re the police, where are your badges?”
        Gold Hat (Bedoya): “Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges! I don’t have to show you any stinkin’ badges!”

  14. Personally Mary I could care less.I also think they shouldn’t even have to do the dam press thing it’s bogus propaganda for the NFL and last I checked we are on a 9ers blog.who cares what that blow hard Kam has to say. last I checked the games started 2 weeks ago if he really cared about his team he would have been there from the start

  15. This was one small part of the conference and he was quite open before this exchange. I think this comment is what made him uncomfortable:

    Meaning, to be more specific, being in the pocket more? Not getting outside? Is that what you’re getting at?

    That was a complete spin on what he was saying, which had nothing to do with how they were using him in the offense. It was obviously an attempt to try to get him to say something negative about how Harbaugh used him and he wasn’t going to go there.

    1. And he was still smiling when he answered that question. I was disappointed. I was hoping for “Surly Kap”.

  16. Man, I leave you guys alone for a couple of days and you let the weasels and the roaches in.
    Sunday night a relative put up a statement on fb saying after Game#1 he was going to order SB tickets (wtf?!?), but after Game#2 he won’t watch any more this year. (Deep sigh). Wishy-washy flippetedly flip flop fair weather poser. It will be a roller coaster year no doubt, but I know who I ride with.
    The media questions are bidnez as usual but don’t even get my goat any more. Media loves a controversary, they’d love for anyone to roll on Harbaugh or Roman, so they’ll keep picking at that sore. In the absence of a controversial answer, they’ll focus on a controversial non-answer; any port in a storm. It is what they do.
    ~Aloha~

        1. Well, if taking the conversation off topic is a criterion for trollhood, I may be one of the worse offenders here, so I will join you in your trolldom.

    1. BT,

      Yep and PFT already picked up on this entry from Grant and is now making it bigger than it really is.

      Aloha? Have you joined Robert in Hawaii?

        1. Nice. It is strange being there during Football season. I had to get up at 6am to catch a pregame show and then games underway at 7. It’s hard enough to be ready to watch at 10.

          1. Yeah, early bird special. You know Maui is full of Niners, RayDuhs, and Seasquwak fans, and we all get along just fine over here. Gentle friendly rivalries, thoughtful exchanges offered respectfully. So there is ample evidence of courteous, dignified, knowledgeable fans with refined sense of humor in the Pacific Northwest. Ahem.

  17. My criticism is right on and anyone with a brain in their head would know it. You want your team to present it’s best foot forward to the NFL world. Remember how York threw Tomsula to the wolves when he was appointed head coach? Strictly amature hour and made everyone question his ability. And now it’s happening again with your QB.

    This is not brain surgery. For guys that have discomfort in front of the camera and quick questions from the press, practice sessions would do a world of good. Quit being so defensive and see that what I am suggesting is positive. Is this whole blog on their period!

    1. Mary

      Resist the temptation to show us the garbage that fills that void between your ears.

      Joe Montana was as big a jerk as ever there was in the NFL when it came to the media, as much as Skittles even, but who cares?

      Drew Brees is polite, but he’s a scumbag for advocating for his defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in 2012. Peyton Manning is a fake nice guy who owns the most post-season losses in history. Tom Brady is the face of the NFL, partially for his good-natured interviews, but he is now a fairly proven cheater and a guy who just endorsed a racist, bigoted narcissist for President.

    1. Still proves your in love with Alex smith!
      Here’s your two cents back. They would buy a penny! Keep hatin onelame. He’s at the same place your boy is at in KC except his ceiling is higher and he can throw 40 yards downfield. Tee hee.

  18. I don’t think it proves anything. media just trying to make something of nothing(oh wait that never happens).

  19. It’s about maturity. He knows he doesn’t compose his thoughts well when speaking or being asked questions that he has to come up with spontaneous answers to so he uses his Joe Cool routine to act like he’s above the reporters questions. I bet Kaepernick is funny and charming as hell if he’d relax and stop worrying about putting his foot into his mouth when at the podium. He clearly found the Harbaugh/Belichick method of answering questions to work for him but he’d be better suited with the Tomsula approach at this point. Know that you’re terrible at interviews and own it.

  20. Ok, that’s a little unsettling for me. I understand Kaep likes to be in a comfort zone, but in order to grow you have to get your butt out of the comfort zone and overcome the challenge beyond it.

  21. In case you all have forgotten, the Niners are playing the Cardinals this coming Sunday. This game should really challenge the offense. After last game the defense needs further looking at. Expecting Bush back and hopefully he can provide a spark to the team.

    1. This game should really challenge the offense.

      The Cardinals actually have one of the more suspect secondaries in the league right now, so it might be better said that this is an opportunity to show what the offense can do.

  22. There’s a new offense, almost the same results. Last year, Niners were 1-1 with a win over the Cowboys and a loss against the Bears.
    They should have been 2-0 but that’s the way it goes.
    Vikings might be a good team and the Steelers look like a really good team.

  23. Really! What I heard from his presser and from Jimmy T. is Kaep. is set free to play his game…
    The comments about Kaep. being uncomfrortable in the pocket,( last years offense) are now a thing of the past. Kaep. can be Kaep. Lets see where that takes the team.

    Really one word!!!!!

  24. Generally, I want Kaep to answer all the questions patiently and politely, but it is also a 2 way street. The reporters should be polite and respectful in their questioning too. Sounds like Kaep did not respond well the grilling, and it was rude to pose that loaded question at him, and expect an answer because he was done answering questions and walked away.
    Asking him about his comfort in the pocket is needling him because he was not comfortable in the pocket last game. Kaep did not want to lie, so he did not answer a throwaway question at a pc that was supposed to stop after the last 2 questions.
    Kaep was referring to being forced to be only a pocket passer, but did not want to go there because it would end up throwing shade on JH, and Kaep obviously still feels loyalty to the coach who wanted him and played him.
    Kaep should have just said that he is done with the past, and is looking to the future.
    Grant, in making a mountain out of a molehill, would want everyone to believe that Kaep stormed off the podium, when in reality and on tape, Kaep seemed pretty level headed and tried to answer the questions. Not answering a throwaway provocative jibe is not a character flaw, except to the one asking the question. Grant may be formulaic in his writing, but I see disturbing similarities between himself and his father.

  25. In all fairness, the issue of whether or not Kaep feels “comfortable in the pocket” assumes that there is a pocket to begin with. At this point, I’m still not prepared to accept that assumption.

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