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NFL, Player News / Analysis, San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick Profile: Super Bowl XLVII

1/30/13 in NFL   |   AJ_88   |   147 respect

Colin Kaepernick was a relatively unknown player in the league to begin the 2012 - '13 season and for good reason; he was a backup quarterback on a team that was just minutes away from the Super Bowl in 2012 while Alex Smith was enjoying one of his most prolific seasons of his career after the Niners took him first overall in a draft that featured Aaron Rodgers.

Nov 19, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) throws a pass against the Chicago Bears at Candlestick Park. The 49ers defeated the Bears 32-7. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY SportsHowever, Kaepernick got his opportunity this season when Smith was held out of a game mid-season due to a concussion and he made the absolute most of his unique skill set. But it wasn't a lock for him to remain the starter because Smith was playing very well and there was no reason to shake things up. Just ask Greg Roman, the 49ers offensive coordinator:

"You didn't know how he was gonna handle all the different situational stuff, you didn't know how he was gonna handle constant pressure, crowd noise, man coverage, zone coverage, this, that, the other. I mean, you just didn't know. It's something you work through. You coach through it."

Not one person within the Niners organization believed Colin, at the time, was the answer for the future, but his continued success and ability to adapt to game-situations very well and thrive to a point where they had no choice but to keep a productive Alex Smith on the bench. It became a question of who to play because both were very good options. 

You don't often see a team make a change at quarterback mid-season and not miss a beat, let alone make a run at the Super Bowl. Kaepernick is a special talent and his abilities inside and outside the pocket mesh very well and it has shown each week since Veteran's Day that Jim Harbaugh made the correct decision - a very tough one at that. 
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1/31/13   |   bsamps07   |   1 respect

I agree that Kaepernick has done an outstanding job at a quarterback and it was a gutsy move by Harbaugh to make in the middle of the year.  I however have an issue with his "Kaepernicking"  check out why at http://thebrian.sportsblog.com/post/1/kaepernicking.html  good take though!