Harbaugh says he hasn’t gotten out-schemed the past two games and Kaepernick is doing “a heck of a job.”

SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Thursday afternoon. Here is a transcript.

Q: How is Tarell Brown doing?

HARBAUGH: Good. Walking around and getting better every day.

Q: Did he have cracked ribs?

HARBAUGH: He’s working through something. I wouldn’t call them cracked ribs. I’m not going to define it. He’s got an issue he’s working through. It’s going to take him a little bit of time.

Q: It’s not an IR-caliber issue?

HARBAUGH: Doesn’t look like it, no.

Q: Same with Mike Iupati?

HARBAUGH: Yes.

Q: Do you expect Iupati to miss Monday night?

HARBAUGH: We’ll see.

Q: Colin Kaepernick said there is a lot on his plate. Have you given any thought process to streamlining that process and simplifying it?

HARBAUGH: Yeah, given though to it every week, every game. I give great amount of thought to the game plan.

Q: Have you tweaked it this season?

HARBAUGH: Yeah, there are different game plans for different games. There hasn’t been the same game plan each week.

Q: As the guy relaying the calls in, do you notice the calls getting in a little later recently?

HARBAUGH: Not to have a stopwatch on it, we’ve given a lot of thought to it and we’ll do a real good job, do a better job.

Q: Does he have any say in it? After the game he said that is up to the coaches.

HARBAUGH: He probably doesn’t really want to talk about scheme and the layers to it and what goes into it from a coaching and players standpoint, and I don’t have a great desire to talk about it outside of our meeting rooms, either.

Q: In the Carolina game, your longest pass play was 14 yards. In the Saints game, it was 17 yards – not big plays. Do you see that as a problem this year?

HARBAUGH: I wouldn’t call it a season-long issue. We didn’t have any big-hitters in the last game. Our longest play was 24 yards. You’re always striving for big chunks when you can get them.

Q: Frank Gore mentioned the past two opponents have had good defensive schemes. Have you guys been out-schemed?

HARBAUGH: No, I wouldn’t say that.

Q: Do you expect Michael Crabtree to be on the practice field participating in team drills this week?

HARBAUGH: Yes.

Q: What determines what you decide to do from there?

HARBAUGH: Practice.

Q: He goes up to the 53-man roster next Tuesday?

HARBAUGH: We’ll make that decision based on how he looks in practice.

Q: He could come back sooner than next Tuesday, right?

HARBAUGH: Sooner could be possible, yes.

Q: Last year before the playoff game against Green Bay, you mentioned Kaepernick had a laser focus and he was really on the game plan. Have you noticed that with him recently?

HARBAUGH: Yes, it’s been consistently good. He’s been like that every week he’s been backup or starter.

Q: How has his demeanor been?

HARBAUGH: Colin’s always been A+ in that way.

Q: I know you’re not going to criticize one of your players, but fans look at Colin’s performance the last two weeks and they look at the stats and a lot of people are puzzled considering the year he had last year. He has struggled and the offense has struggled. What is your response to people saying, “What’s wrong with Colin?”

HARBAUGH: I think he’s doing a heck of a job. I’d be puzzled why people would think that. What’s most important is what we see. I’d be puzzled why you or anyone else would think that.

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