SANTA CLARA – Colin Kaepernick spoke to Bay Area reporters Thursday afternoon. Here’s what he said.
Q: How has your life changed the past few months?
KAEPERNICK: I’ve had more opportunities to do things. For the most part for me, I’m worried about playing football.
Q: Was it awkward for you last season going from a backup to the focus of everybody?
KAEPERNICK: No, it wasn’t awkward. For the most part, I was worried about playing football. That was my main concern. Everything else was just extra.
Q: How much have you thought about the end of the Super Bowl and how much has that motivated you this offseason?
KAEPERNICK: I think about it a lot. I think about it to make sure that doesn’t happen again. I’ll put our team in a better situation next time we’re in a situation like that.
Q: How different does it feel knowing you’re the No.1 guy at this point in training camp?
KAEPERNICK: To me, it’s football. Football is football regardless. I’m here to work. I’m here to make sure I get better and make sure I get myself ready.
Q: How important is it for a starting quarterback to be a leader?
KAEPERNICK: I think it’s very important. If your teammates don’t respect you, if they don’t feel like you’re someone they can come to and talk to and associate with, they’re not going to play as well for you on the field. They’re not going to perform for you. To me, if I can build that relationship and make sure my teammates are comfortable, I think they’ll perform better.
Q: How do you build that relationship?
KAEPERNICK: There’s a lot of different ways to do it, from talking to them and going out and working hard in practice, showing them you’re here to work.
Q: Have you noticed a change in your teammates as far as seeking more leadership from you?
KAEPERNICK: Off the field, we’re just having a good time. When it comes to football, I think they’re more comfortable in me and I think they have more confidence in me.
Q: You couldn’t get one of the plays called in time at the end of the Super Bowl. Is that one of the areas you’re trying to improve?
KAEPERNICK: That was just one situation. To be real honest, the problem came in the first half. It didn’t come down to those last four plays. It came down to the first half and we didn’t put points on the board.
Q: Now that time has passed, how do you feel about Crabtree’s situation and your current wide receiving corps?
KAEPERNICK: It’s a tragic situation that happened to a great player like Crab. People are going to have to step up. Who that is will really depend on how this camp goes.
Q: One of the offseason themes is the read option offense cannot sustain, defenses will figure out a way to stop it. What are your thoughts about that?
KAEPERNICK: The same way defenses adjust, offenses do, too. It’s a chess match.
Q: What’s the biggest hit you ever took?
KAEPERNICK: Sean Witherspoon my sophomore year of college. I was on the run. He got a good shot on my shoulders and head. Best lick I’ve taken.
Q: Was that a read option play?
KAEPERNICK: Scramble.
Q: Did you come right back?
KAEPERNICK: Knock on wood, I haven’t been knocked out yet.
Q: The Ravens hit you every time you handed off the ball on the read option. Did that affect you?
KAEPERNICK: I’ve seen that before.
Q: You leaned on Crabtree last year on a large percentage of your passes? Are you going to do the same thing this season with Boldin or do you hope to spread the ball around a bit more?
KAEPERNICK: It depends on the play call. Crab was a hot receiver for a while so we went to him and he kept making plays so we kept throwing. This year, it really depends on what the offense is doing.
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