Kaepernick: “My gift is my curse.”

SANTA CLARA – This is the transcript of Colin Kaepernick’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.   Hey Colin, what is it like to wake up as Colin Kaepernick these days, pinched yourself yet? “It’s the same as it was six months ago.”   Did you expect when you took over the starting job that you’d be standing here, still playing in February? “I was hoping so.”   How…

January 24, 2013
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Dilfer: “What do you load up to stop when you’re playing the 49ers right now with Colin?”

Trent Dilfer spoke on KNBR Tuesday morning. Here’s what he said. Q: What did you think of the 49ers victory over the Packers? DILFER: I’ve never been happier to be wrong than I was this weekend. Man, I was really scared for the Niners. I just didn’t know if they had an answer for Aaron Rodgers, I didn’t know how Kap would respond. I’m not one of these guys that…

January 15, 2013
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Steve Young on Kaepernick: “They cannot put him in a situation where he’s deep in a hole.”

Steve Young held a teleconference Wednesday and spoke about the NFL playoffs. Here’s what he said, courtesy of ESPN.   Q.  I wanted to ask you about Atlanta and how this team seemed pretty easy to dismiss or forget about, the Falcons and obviously they have not won a playoff game with Matt Ryan and they almost lost some of the easier games at home this year.  How do you…

January 10, 2013
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Aaron Rodgers is the new Keyser Soze

This is the opening for my Thursday article on what makes Aaron Rodgers special. SANTA CLARA — The 49ers face Keyser Soze this Saturday night. I’m not talking about the mythical villain from the 1995 movie The Usual Suspects. I’m talking about Aaron Rodgers, the Packers’ quarterback, the best quarterback in the NFL. When he played at Cal, NFL scouts mistook him for Verbal Kint, Soze’s diminutive, handicapped alter ego….

January 9, 2013
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Harbaugh on Justin Smith: “God willing and the creek don’t rise, he’s going to play.”

SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here’s a transcript of his press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.   Have you made a decision on your kicker yet? “No. Not one that we’ll have made or announce yet.”   Will you not announce it until an hour and a half before the game? “That’s possible.”   I was on a conference call with former 49ers…

January 9, 2013
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Fangio on Aaron Rodgers: “He reminds me of Dan Marino in the pocket and Steve Young out of the pocket.”

SANTA CLARA – Vic Fangio spoke in the media tent Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the Packers offense, courtesy of the 49ers.   You were in dime for so much of that Week 1 game. Have they been doing less with four wide receivers and just running in recent weeks? “Them?”   Yeah, them. “They’ve mixed it in there. They probably played…

January 8, 2013
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Young: “I’ve got to believe that for Colin Kaepernick, it’s time off. And I don’t know that time off helps young players who need to stay in the groove.”

Steve Young talked about the 49ers’ bye week and their chances to win the NFC Wednesday on KNBR. Here’s what he said. Q: Are the 49ers still the favorites to win the NFC, or are they just a part of the six-team pack? YOUNG: It’s amazing what Justin Smith has done. I had no idea. He’s a dual threat. He not only grabs three guys and holds them off so…

January 3, 2013
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Steve Young on the 49ers’ kicker competition: “To me, it’s the last thing you want to do.”

Steve Young spoke on KNBR Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the 49ers kicker competition. Q: How does a slumping kicker like David Akers affect the quarterback’s mindset during a game? YOUNG: When a kicker’s in a funk, it’s a problem. I’ve got to wonder why they brought in another guy to compete with him. David’s been around a long time. He’s a veteran guy. If he’s hurt he’s…

January 3, 2013
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Steve Young: “If I was the coach, I would immediately go to the game plan from Chicago.”

Steve Young spoke on KNBR Wednesday afternoon. This is his take on the 49ers’ blowout loss to the Seahawks and what the Niners should be doing on offense. STEVE YOUNG: They got beat up. They got pounded. I was disappointed. Late in the year, great teams don’t allow that. Earlier in the year, I can see championship teams having struggles in September and early Octorber – just get obliterated in…

December 26, 2012
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Steve Young on Kaepernick: “He’s played five games. How much do you trust him? I kind of trust him!”

This is what Steve Young said about Colin Kaepernick Wednesday afternoon on KNBR. Q: What did like about Colin Kaepernick’s performance against the Patriots? YOUNG: I think more than anything, handling it. Everyone has a sense of how hard it is to play NFL quarterback and play really good NFL quarterback. It takes all of you, and you get challenged week-to-week in ways you never thought possible. We put another…

December 20, 2012
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Steve Young says the 49ers must score 30 points to beat the Patriots

Steve Young spoke on KNBR Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said the 49ers have to do to beat the Patriots on Sunday. The Patriots are currently favored to win by five-and-a-half points. Q: How many points do the 49ers have to score Sunday to beat the Patriots? YOUNG: The Patriots look hot to me. They look energized. Defensively, they’re all over the quarterback. Vince Wilfork is killing it. They’ve got…

December 13, 2012
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Steve Young explains how to get Vernon Davis involved in the 49ers passing attack

Steve Young spoke on KNBR Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the 49ers’ use of Vernon Davis. Q: Should the 49ers do a better job getting Vernon Davis open and part of the game plan? YOUNG: I haven’t seen the explosiveness, and he’s an explosive player, so if part of this switch to Colin is to be more explosive then let’s get [Davis] out on the short motion. If…

December 13, 2012
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Young, Dilfer and Jaworski debate the 49ers QB change

Former quarterbacks Steve Young, Ron Jaworski and Trent Dilfer just spoke on ESPN about the 49ers recent quarterback change. Here’s what they said. DILFER: “I’m really wrestling with this decision to go with Colin Kaepernick. I see the splash. I see the athleticism, stature, big arm – adds an element to their team. “At the same time, I see three decisions he made yesterday against the St. Louis Rams that…

December 3, 2012
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Steve Young on the aftermath of the 49ers QB change: “Is Jim up to this?”

Steve Young just spoke on KNBR. Here’s what he said about Colin Kaepernick, Alex Smith and Jim Harbaugh. YOUNG: I played a long time, and this is a big boy league, and it’s a tough league, and you get paid a lot of money, and there are huge expectations, and nothing is easy and nothing is guaranteed. So, in those terms, the basic fundamentals here are: “We’ve got this young…

November 29, 2012
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Young sizes up Kaepernick, compares him to Favre

Steve Young spoke on KNBR Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said Colin Kaepernick. Q: Does Kaepernick’s game remind you of you? Was there anything he did against the Bears that you didn’t know he could do? YOUNG: “There were some throws. He’s got a little interesting throwing motion. A little Phillip Rivers-y. Just a little different. But, I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me. As long as you deliver it….

November 23, 2012
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Young on Smith v. Kaepernick: “They’re not going to get in a fist fight in the locker room.”

Steve Young spoke on KNBR Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the 49ers quarterback controversy. Q: What do you think’s going on with this quarterback controversy? YOUNG: “It’s pretty easy for me based on what Jim said. There are three types of controversies – the one in the streets, the one in the locker room and the one with the coach. The one that truly matters is the one…

November 23, 2012
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Young wants Harbaugh to end the QB controversy and name Alex Smith the starter immediately

Steve Young spoke on ESPN this afternoon. Here’s what he said about the 49ers quarterback controversy. Q: Jim Harbaugh says he has two quarterbacks with a hot hand. What’s your reaction? YOUNG: “My reaction is I want to know his true intent, because his words tell me that I’m in trouble if I’m Alex Smith. I know Jim is heavily invested in Colin and his future, but there’s nothing happening…

November 20, 2012
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49ers Week 11 grades: Colin Kaepernick

SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers destroyed the Chicago Bears 32-7 Monday night. Here are the grades for Colin Kaepernick. Colin Kaepernick: A+. Jeff Garcia said Kaepernick should check it down all game. Steve Young said Kaepernick should use his legs. Kaepernick said to heck with that. He came out winging it. He saw that the Bears were loading the box and daring him to pass, and he accepted the challenge,…

November 19, 2012
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Steve Young on Kaepernick’s development: “He’s on 1-80 in Davis and he needs to get to Reno, but at least he’s on the road.”

Steve Young spoke on KNBR Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Colin Kaepernick. Q: How do you think Kaepernick did against the Rams? YOUNG: I thought he was thumbs-up. A young player in a tight spot. Had to go down and kick a field goal – did it. Had to bring the team back – did it. For young players, those are big deals. Now, was it pretty? No….

November 15, 2012
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Alex Smith on the Lions: “The D line is definitely a strength of theirs. I mean, just look at them.”

SANTA CLARA – Alex Smith spoke in front of his locker Wednesday afternoon. He talked about turnovers, Randy Moss and the upcoming opponent – the Detroit. Lions. Here’s a transcript. Q: You’ve gone 185 pass attempts without an interception? Who do you give the most credit to that? ALEX SMITH: Throwing the football – the quarterback gets the attention, but it’s very much a team thing. A lot to do…

September 12, 2012
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