49ers’ Kaepernick talks preseason debut, relationship with Baalke
Colin Kaepernick missed the majority of the offseason practices and the first two preseason games but doesn’t feel he’s missed out on his chance to be the 49ers’ starting quarterback in Week 1.
On Wednesday, Kaepernick — two days removed from returning to practice after dealing with a shoulder injury — said he believes he still has a chance to beat out Blaine Gabbert.
During training camp, his shoulder injury forced him into a spectator role during his competition with Gabbert, who has completed 10 of 19 passes for 132 yards with a touchdown in the preseason.
On Saturday, Gabbert recovered from an uneven preseason debut, and head coach Chip Kelly noted his commend of the offense after he completed 6 of 9 passes for 69 yards.
On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins was asked why Gabbert hadn’t been declared the starter.
In 2012, in his first 10 career starts, he outdueled New England’s Tom Brady on the road, had the most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history in his playoff debut, directed the biggest comeback in NFC Championship Game history and became the only quarterback to pass for 300 yards and rush for 60 in a Super Bowl.
In 2013, his first full season as a starter, Kaepernick became the fifth quarterback to have 3,000 passing yards, 20 TDs and 500 rushing yards while throwing fewer than 10 interceptions in a season.
Last year, he was benched after eight starts and he requested a trade in the offseason, partly because of his distrust of the 49ers’ front office.
In early June, Kaepernick said he hadn’t spoken to general manager Trent Baalke since he reported for the offseason program two months earlier, a clear sign acrimony still existed between the parties.