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Kaepernick provides a unique challenge
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_b6762350-0628-555d-831b-46ab3332436b.html
Less than three weeks ago, San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick rallied the 49ers in a 31-17 victory over the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.
Overcoming an early 14-0 deficit, Kaepernick completed 22 of 35 passes for a season-best 343 yards while hooking up TDs with ex-Ram Brandon Lloyd (80 yards), Anquan Boldin (11 yards) and Michael Crabtree (32 yards) to become the first 49er quarterback to win his first four Monday Night Football starts.
That night, Kaepernick faced a Rams squad that was relatively healthy. Sunday, when the Rams (2-5) take on the 49ers (4-3) at 3:05 p.m. in their first trip to Levi’s Stadium, St. Louis will be anything but 100 percent physically.
But that won’t change the approach for Kaepernick.
“They have players that still perform well. I don’t think it matters necessarily, that they’re young or haven’t been playing,” the 26-year-old QB told the Post-Dispatch earlier this week. “A lot of people have come in and played well for them. So, we have to be ready.
“It’s always tougher playing division opponents (because) you know each other well. We have to come out and execute, which is the biggest thing.”
49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh agreed: “They’re a salty opponent, they always have been. (We) strive to play good football because that’s what it’s going to take. It’s going to take us being at our best, and that’s really where our expectations are for today: to have a great practice and have great meetings.”
Since facing the Rams, San Francisco was blasted 42-17 by the Broncos in Denver and then had its bye week. Off to its slowest start in Harbaugh’s four seasons, the 49ers are rested, starting to get healthy and looking forward to a strong second half.
“The guys are excited for football,” said Harbaugh, whose schedule after the Rams includes New Orleans (4-4), the New York Giants (3-4), Washington (3-5), Seattle (4-3) and Oakland (0-7).
If the 49ers are going to make a run toward a fourth consecutive playoff appearance, it’ll start with the Rams.
“They have a great front seven,” Kaepernick said. “They do a lot of things well, play hard and play fast.”
It was the Rams who helped created Kaepernick’s first starting opportunity back in 2012 when a couple of big hits knocked then-starter Alex Smith from the game with a concussion. A second-round draft pick in 2011, Kaepernick took over and helped get San Francisco to the Super Bowl, where it fell 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens.
The 49ers shipped Smith to Kansas City that offseason, and Kaepernick has improved steadily since taking over. A year ago, he threw for better than 3,000 yards while accounting for 25 touchdowns as the 49ers lost in the NFC title game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks. Kaepernick is off to the best start in his young career, completing 63.8 percent of his passes for 1,719 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions.
“I love the way he competes,” Harbaugh said. “I love his talent, love the effort he brings every single day. He’s executing at a very high level, at the highest level, from my vantage point.”
With a late first-half touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson against the Broncos, Kaepernick has thrown a scoring pass in 14 consecutive games; only Steve Young (17) and Jeff Garcia (15) have had longer streaks with the 49ers.
Another key to Kaepernick’s game is his running. In his first postseason, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound University of Nevada product ran for 181 yards and set an NFL single-game record (regular season and playoffs) against the Green Bay Packers. In his career, he’s run for nearly 1,200 yards, averaging 5.8 a carry with nine rushing TDs.
“It’s different, for sure, because he’s such a unique player,” Rams safety T.J. McDonald said. “You’re focused on your job at the back end, covering guys, but you also have to be aware because when (Kaepernick) takes off, he’s like another running back.
“Rush and coverage have to work together. We have to give those big boys up front a few seconds to create hesitation for them to get to him and for them to create pressure to maybe hurry a throw to give us a chance to make a play on the ball.”
But, as the Rams’ James Laurinaitis pointed out, Kaepernick’s game continues to evolve.
“I think he’s gotten a lot better at not just looking at one read and going,” the veteran middle linebacker said. “Gosh, last year it seemed like he’d look one way and if it wasn’t there, (he was) running. Can’t really buy on that anymore. He’ll look one way, then look another. I’m not sure he’ll go all five reads on a play, but he’s very good at diagnosing coverage. ... He knows where the weaknesses are now, and that’s just experience.
“We know the rush plan that works _ we’ve seen him plenty of times _ but again, it’s execution. You have to be very disciplined in your rush plan all game. He didn’t really hurt us (as a runner) in that first game this season, but this is definitely a huge challenge.”
• By Joe Lyons
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_b6762350-0628-555d-831b-46ab3332436b.html
Less than three weeks ago, San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick rallied the 49ers in a 31-17 victory over the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.
Overcoming an early 14-0 deficit, Kaepernick completed 22 of 35 passes for a season-best 343 yards while hooking up TDs with ex-Ram Brandon Lloyd (80 yards), Anquan Boldin (11 yards) and Michael Crabtree (32 yards) to become the first 49er quarterback to win his first four Monday Night Football starts.
That night, Kaepernick faced a Rams squad that was relatively healthy. Sunday, when the Rams (2-5) take on the 49ers (4-3) at 3:05 p.m. in their first trip to Levi’s Stadium, St. Louis will be anything but 100 percent physically.
But that won’t change the approach for Kaepernick.
“They have players that still perform well. I don’t think it matters necessarily, that they’re young or haven’t been playing,” the 26-year-old QB told the Post-Dispatch earlier this week. “A lot of people have come in and played well for them. So, we have to be ready.
“It’s always tougher playing division opponents (because) you know each other well. We have to come out and execute, which is the biggest thing.”
49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh agreed: “They’re a salty opponent, they always have been. (We) strive to play good football because that’s what it’s going to take. It’s going to take us being at our best, and that’s really where our expectations are for today: to have a great practice and have great meetings.”
Since facing the Rams, San Francisco was blasted 42-17 by the Broncos in Denver and then had its bye week. Off to its slowest start in Harbaugh’s four seasons, the 49ers are rested, starting to get healthy and looking forward to a strong second half.
“The guys are excited for football,” said Harbaugh, whose schedule after the Rams includes New Orleans (4-4), the New York Giants (3-4), Washington (3-5), Seattle (4-3) and Oakland (0-7).
If the 49ers are going to make a run toward a fourth consecutive playoff appearance, it’ll start with the Rams.
“They have a great front seven,” Kaepernick said. “They do a lot of things well, play hard and play fast.”
It was the Rams who helped created Kaepernick’s first starting opportunity back in 2012 when a couple of big hits knocked then-starter Alex Smith from the game with a concussion. A second-round draft pick in 2011, Kaepernick took over and helped get San Francisco to the Super Bowl, where it fell 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens.
The 49ers shipped Smith to Kansas City that offseason, and Kaepernick has improved steadily since taking over. A year ago, he threw for better than 3,000 yards while accounting for 25 touchdowns as the 49ers lost in the NFC title game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seahawks. Kaepernick is off to the best start in his young career, completing 63.8 percent of his passes for 1,719 yards with 14 touchdowns and five interceptions.
“I love the way he competes,” Harbaugh said. “I love his talent, love the effort he brings every single day. He’s executing at a very high level, at the highest level, from my vantage point.”
With a late first-half touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson against the Broncos, Kaepernick has thrown a scoring pass in 14 consecutive games; only Steve Young (17) and Jeff Garcia (15) have had longer streaks with the 49ers.
Another key to Kaepernick’s game is his running. In his first postseason, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound University of Nevada product ran for 181 yards and set an NFL single-game record (regular season and playoffs) against the Green Bay Packers. In his career, he’s run for nearly 1,200 yards, averaging 5.8 a carry with nine rushing TDs.
“It’s different, for sure, because he’s such a unique player,” Rams safety T.J. McDonald said. “You’re focused on your job at the back end, covering guys, but you also have to be aware because when (Kaepernick) takes off, he’s like another running back.
“Rush and coverage have to work together. We have to give those big boys up front a few seconds to create hesitation for them to get to him and for them to create pressure to maybe hurry a throw to give us a chance to make a play on the ball.”
But, as the Rams’ James Laurinaitis pointed out, Kaepernick’s game continues to evolve.
“I think he’s gotten a lot better at not just looking at one read and going,” the veteran middle linebacker said. “Gosh, last year it seemed like he’d look one way and if it wasn’t there, (he was) running. Can’t really buy on that anymore. He’ll look one way, then look another. I’m not sure he’ll go all five reads on a play, but he’s very good at diagnosing coverage. ... He knows where the weaknesses are now, and that’s just experience.
“We know the rush plan that works _ we’ve seen him plenty of times _ but again, it’s execution. You have to be very disciplined in your rush plan all game. He didn’t really hurt us (as a runner) in that first game this season, but this is definitely a huge challenge.”
