Written by Pablo Figueroa at Sporting Charts
When the 2015 season began, it was clear from preseason projections that the San Francisco 49ers were probably the weakest team in the NFC West. The departure of famed Coach Jim Harbaugh, as well as the talent exile the franchise had seen in recent seasons were enough to think of the Niners as a team in rebuilding mode, now under a new coach in Jim Tomsula, and with a new stadium that was still building a new identity for the franchise. Despite the relative turmoil state in San Francisco, it was at least assumed that the quarterback position was capably filled, and that Colin Kaepernick could use this tough season as a building block towards the next contending 49ers team. However, things haven’t gone according to plan.
Through 10 games, San Francisco stands at 3-8, tied for the worst mark in the NFC. That was certainly a reasonable scenario, but what came as a surprise was that Kapernick only started 8 of those games before being demoted in favor of Blaine Gabbert. The Niners went only 2-6 in Kaepernick’s starts, with the Nevada alum playing the worst football of his career, and regressing to a point that suddenly made Gabbert (with a career 6-24 record as a starter) a more attractive option.
Since becoming a full-time starter in 2012, Kaepernick had always been somewhat erratic but with an upside that few quarterbacks have in the NFL. He took the 49ers to the NFC Championship in his first season, and then came within a completion of winning the Super Bowl in his second year. At that point, it seemed as if the Niners had found a worthy successor in their QB lineage, as Kaep had the unique skillset of a solid passer with the athleticism to produce yards with his legs, who was already a Super Bowl QB at age 26.
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