Colin Kaepernick says “execution” is the reason the 49ers’ red-zone offense is ranked 31st in football

SANTA  CLARA — This is the transcript of Colin Kaepernick’s Wednesday interview, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

As a leader of the team, how much were you in tune with what was going on with LB Ahmad Brooks on Sunday?

“I was worried about the offense, trying to get us ready.”

 

After the fact, have you talked to Ahmad or anything like that?

“The coaches handle that.”

 

You stay out of it?

“Not my business.”

 

If it was somebody on the offensive side of the ball, though, would you find time to speak to him?

“Yes.”

 

How come you don’t throw the ball to TE Vernon Davis in the red zone anymore?

“Depends what the defense is doing.”

 

This week’s matchup against the Redskins, what are you seeing from them as far as their pass rush. Redskins LB Ryan Kerrigan’s really strong. What are you seeing?

“Very good defense. Multiple looks. Do a lot of things and do them well.”

 

What about Redskins QB Robert Griffin III? Do you feel like he’s lost a step or is he still a threat on his feet?

“I just worry about their defense.”

 

Can you talk to us a little bit about the growth from C Marcus Martin? His first start is his first NFL game coming off injury. How have you seen him grow in the middle of that line just in the two, three games he’s started?

“He’s been great. Really since he stepped in, he’s been doing a very good job. Continues to improve, continues to build confidence. He’s going to be a great player.”

 

Was there something in the New Orleans game when he was in the dome and a lot of times you guys have to go with the silent count just for him to have to take on that responsibility early?

“Yeah, that was his first time doing it and in a very tough place to do it, and was very successful with everything that he did.”

 

Would you rather have a coach that praises you constantly in the media or points out deficiencies that you need to correct?

“I want a coach that tells me what I need to do to win.”

 

What about in front of the media?

“Doesn’t matter.”

 

Doesn’t matter? So the way Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden called out RGIII this week with his footwork and what he says to the team, would that bother you as a player if head coach Jim Harbaugh did that?

“I’m going to do whatever it takes to help this team win.”

 

Earlier in the year, people were saying this team didn’t have an identity. Do you think it has an identity and can you characterize it?

“I think we’re a team that’s going out to win. That’s the only thing that really matters to us. We don’t care how we do it or what it looks like.”

 

With the challenges you’ve had in the second half, particularly the fourth quarter, you haven’t thrown a touchdown pass, you’ve been lighting it up earlier in the game, can you attribute it to anything or point to anything?

“No, we just have to be more successful.”

 

This time last year, you guys were 6-4. You’re 6-4 this year. What’s the big difference between this year and last year?

“It’s a new year. Different schedule, different teams. This team is different. So, we have to take it one game at a time.”

 

The red zone offense is ranked 31st in the league this year. Last year, it was in the top half of the league. What has been the issue in the red zone this season?

“Execution.”

 

So you’ve got to take it one at a time. Do you feel that you guys could be on a hot roll here to finish?

“We have to be.”

 

Do you feel that this team needs to put together, offensively, kind of just a complete win, where it’s a solid game all the way through? Is that a goal of yours in this offense?

“We want to do as much as we can on offense, put up as many points as we can, but ultimately, if we win, that’s all that matters.”

 

How do you think you’ve been playing of late?

“Need to play better.”

 

Can you point to anything?

“Plays here and there we have to be better on.”

 

Why do you think consistency has eluded you at times? You make some brilliant throws and then throws that are not as good as the others.

“It’s part of football. It’s always a work in progress. Trying to do the best I can out there.”

This article has 39 Comments

  1. Kaepernick sounds like a broken record. I am beginning to doubt his intelligence. The guy could at least be cordial.

    1. You doubt his intelligence because he won’t evaluate his team mates or the opponent for the sake of the press? Precious.

    2. Why? These are not his friends. They just want him to trip up so they can excoriate him. Notice the focus on RGIII? What does this have to do with CK? Nothing. It’s all about the sound bite.

    3. let everyone say what they want.. Kaepernick is the equivalent of an elephant dart to the public’s face. no personality.. thats why his sponsorships are….. well. gone!!! and if anyone disagrees with that, then they don’t know media wins superbowls.. without a captivating leader.. who gives a _____…. bottom line.. well said

  2. I’ve been very critical of CK but one thing I truly admire and respect about him is his will to win. That’s all he ever talks about and wants to do. The other things in his game hopefully come, but there is a clear and honest truth in that he is all about winning.

    1. Prime – what athlete doesn’t want to win? Everyone, please stop trying to find ways to accept his blatant disrespect for the press and the fans. We/they deserve better.

      1. Prime – what athlete doesn’t want to win?

        How many athletes are just about the money? The guys that go from a contending franchise to a bottom dweller?

        1. KAEPERNICK IS NOT FULLY DEVELOPED AS A Q.V. BUT, HE WILL BE. ALSO THE 49ERS AREN’T BUILT TO BE A PASS FIRST TEAM SO HE’S FINE FOR

          WHAT THEY ASK OF HIM. HE

          DOES NEED MORE ACCURACY

          AND, BETTER FIELD VISION

          BUT, A LOT OF HIS MISTAKES

          (ESPECIALLY IN THE
          REDZONE)ARE ATTRIBUTED TO BAD COACHING AND, CONSERVATIVE COACHING DECISIONS.

          1. Pro football focus metric on QB accuracy this season (which excludes drops and throwaways); over 70%….Top 3 in the NFL.

      2. Kathleen:

        Exactly how has Kaepernick disrespected the fans?

        As for the press, an argument can be made that they are receiving the level of respect they have earned.

      3. Uuummm
        Goldson
        Whitner
        Brooks
        To name a few. Some play for money, some play for themselves, and some play to win. Signing a team friendly contract like he did pretty much shows you he knows he can’t do it on his own and wants to win.

  3. We’re just going to have to accept the good Colin with the bad because there’s no indication that he understands his weaknesses. Maybe he does, and he has improved in some areas, but he’s regressed or lacked improvement in others. Mixed bag with him.

    1. He was very good on Sunday….it was Gore who took 2 pts off the board and ran less per carry than both Christe Michael & M. Lynch against the ACTUAL worst run defense in the NFL. It was a throw from Kaep that scored the only TD. Not one of those turnovers started the drive on the 49ers end of the field….they might as well be punts. So, try watching Kap throwing/executing on 3rd and manageable all game and u will see a solid passer who moved the chains.

  4. All the writers seem to only want to ask soap opera questions. As a fan I would really appreciate football questions.

    CK does the “REDSKINS” defense blitz a lot?
    CK does the redskins defense play a 3-4 or a 4-3.?
    CK do the redskins play zone or man or some combination there of?.
    CK does any one redskin player that stands out more then others?
    CK is there anything different about the redskins that you don’t see elsewhere.?

    Those are football questions, that don’t give out scheme or personnel. It also lets you know how much CK has studied the defense.

      1. Nobody on any team in any sport should never talk about scheme. Yes there well coached and they have to be. The type of questions that are asked are questions that can lead into a huge mess. Football questions will always seem to be answered. There just is not enough of them. Like the question CK 3/4 or 4/3 if he doesn’t know then that says a lot. If he knows that also says a lot. See what I am getting at?

      2. “KAEPERNICK: They play hard. They’re well coached.”

        Don’t think he would say that….because they aren’t well coached….regardless, the Cohns will follow it up with…

        “How dare you not provide a more eloquent and charismatic answer to us credible sports writers. I need more from you or I am gonna rip you on my little blog tomorrow..”

  5. This is why it’s a waste of time to interview these guys every week. They aren’t going to talk about scheme or anything said in the locker room. It’s just silly questions with nothing answers – wash, rinse and repeat.

    And on the rare occasion they do make an interesting comment, it is then dissected and framed to create controversy. Kap answers the way he does for a reason.

    1. I love the way Kap answered these questions. As a fan, we want more information and more news, but giving out information or creating news via an press conference does not benefit Kap or the 49ers in any way. If people don’t understand this, it says a lot more about their intelligence than it does about Kap’s intelligence.

      1. I could care less about the press conferences….The NFL is a media driven league that feeds on drama….Writers need drama…..Therefore, I prefer he handle them exactly the same….

        On a side note, I thought he was great with the press in the playoff run last year.

  6. He’s not lying. The offenses execution and simple tasks have been blown at times all year.
    In simpletons terms. If you’ve never played a team sport. You may not know that every player on every play has a task to do. If this task is not fulfilled it can and usually disrupts the play. These guys have to perform these tasks on every play. Now we know that never happens, but the winning teams that perform them on a high level and average, make up an excellent team. I pointed this out earlier in the week. I’ve seen missed blocks, penalties, wrong angles, wrong assignments. This has been a trend for this offense all season. And the worst part of it is.. It’s been in the redzone and short downs. With a mix of head scratching calls from Roman and throws from the qb. It’s no wonder they’re struggling.

  7. “Execution”
    ——
    Pffft, total garbage. It’s bad play calling pure and simple. The coaches not calling a different play in specific situations is why we give up leads or can’t score TD’s in the red zone.

    1. Disagree.
      Here’s some examples as to why.
      The bears game. Run run run. Nothing. Another fg.
      The qb option last week vs the giants. Great call that should have went for a TD or big yards down there. Johnson misses his black ck is hit for a loss.
      Qb sneak… Horrible handoff and ck loses the ball in the pile. Should have been a TD.
      The play before to MC. Ball was caught over the line. No TD.

      These are just some. I haven’t really looked at all redzone plays but these are the ones that I can remember. It’s not all on play calling or qb.

    2. I don’t expect or advise anyone to follow what I post regularly but if you had caught some of my recent discussions you would realize my comment above was 100% satirical

    3. AES said it well yesterday that all this will be interesting to see how things shake down after the season with JH’s future. Then next season if we have a new coach and the trend continues we know where the issues lie.

      What ever the problems are both in execution and play calling man don’t we all want to see a different result. Most of this offense is very veteran and shouldn’t be executing poorly.

  8. I don’t know who ask that question about if Kaep would be upset if Harbaugh “called him out” and criticized him in front of the press. He seemed to be implying that this was a motivational thing to do. Don’t know who that was but it was idiotic. Gruden realized that after the fact and said in his next presser that he shouldn’t have done that rather it should have been done in house. Kaep never makes statements about his team like RG3 did and Harbaugh will not make a mistake like Gruden did. Yet this is what some of the media and posters would have them do.

    Hoosegow— Studying them, I see Kaeps short responses as a sign of intelligence. It takes brains to condense the answers to those questions into such short and un-spin-able responses. It gives the media little to create controversial stories out of. Much like a witness on the stand during a trial needs to say as little as possible. The idea to not report news rather to create issues and controversy seems to be the order of the day for the modern press.

    1. And with folks like Grant and Tim K basically calling McDonald guilty before even being charged, why would they want to answer any questions with depth. I wouldn’t trust any of them either. Except maybe the two Matts.

    2. I still remember one of my favorite 49ers John Taylor who also began to refuse to talk to the press because of the way they treated him. These people are not the friends of the team but rather a bunch of vultures who feed on the dead carcasses they find. I’ve had to deal with the press before and the best advise I hot is that the press already have they’re story and interview you just to get their headline so be careful what you say because it will be spun into their story.

    3. Man now I know what Kaep seems one step slower because you are so far up Kaep’s jock. I hope Bay Area Stupid Nuts scooted over to make room for you.

      Short responses are a sign of intelligence? Really? It’s a sign of a defensive person! At trial, say nothing to incriminate yourself. If he was playing at the level we expect, maybe he can answer questions on how he’s improving. But nope, we will have to wait til next year for that.

      Onto to the next issue with this team: It needs a big return guy. That’s the other piece that’s missing. Is Ellington out for the year?

  9. “Why do you think consistency has eluded you at times? You make some brilliant throws and then throws that are not as good as the others.”

    Seriously? Someone asked him that question?

  10. This time last year, you guys were 6-4. You’re 6-4 this year. What’s the big difference between this year and last year?

    A: The idiot questions and poor team coverage from the media.

  11. “Do you feel that this team needs to put together, offensively, kind of just a complete win, where it’s a solid game all the way through? Is that a goal of yours in this offense?”

    Being a credible sports writer….Is that a goal of yours?

  12. “Can you point to anything?”

    Cause we can come up with a few things…even if they aren’t true….but you’ll read em’ later..

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