Kaepernick free to run and gun
A month after Jed York dubiously insisted that the 49ers and Jim Harbaugh had a “mutual parting,” most fans weren’t inclined to take his words at face value.
As it turns out, however, the CEO was speaking candidly when he detailed how the new offensive staff planned to use quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2015.
On Jan. 30, York said offensive coordinator Geep Chryst and quarterbacks coach Steve Logan were installing an offense “that’s going to put Kap in the best position to make plays.” York’s message: Wait and watch Colin run.
“How many quarterbacks in this league can run 90 yards for a touchdown? I can’t think of many,” York said. “But you’ve got to put Kap in a position where he can make those plays. And put Kap in a position where we can run the ball.”
Eight months later, on the heels of endless offseason chatter about Kaepernick becoming more comfortable in the pocket, the 49ers are leaning a bit more on Kaepernick’s legs.
In the season’s first two games, the 49ers have used far more of the pistol formation Kaepernick ran at Nevada and have frequently rolled him out of the pocket. The 49ers have run 45 percent of their plays (73 of 163) from the pistol — a shortened version of the shotgun in which the quarterback lines up only 3 or 4 yards behind center — this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Last year, they used the pistol only 6 percent of the time (65 of 1,088 plays). They have also used either a shotgun or pistol formation on 88 percent of their snaps this season (53 percent in 2014).
Kaepernick, the only quarterback in NCAA history with three straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, is on pace for more than 700 rushing yards (he has 92 in the first two weeks and is averaging 8 yards per carry). He collected a career-best 639 last season.
On Wednesday, his words had the faint echo of what York said in January.
“I would say the biggest thing is I’m being asked to be myself this year,” Kaepernick said. “And I don’t think anyone knows how to be myself better than me. It’s a comfort zone for me. It’s a situation where I’m not being asked to do things out of my capabilities.”
Kaepernick, who is often less than expansive with reporters, then turned cryptic, refusing to delve into specifics. Did he mean he was getting more chances to roll out of the pocket? Is that what he was getting at?
“No,” he said. What “I’m getting at, I was asked to do things outside of my character.”
Chryst, the quarterbacks coach the previous four seasons, was forthcoming Thursday when discussing the offseason alterations to the offense. New head coach Jim Tomsula approached him and suggested the 49ers pare a voluminous playbook and retain what played to Kaepernick’s strengths.
“Jimmy T came to me with an opportunity to say, let’s maybe strip back and come back to some of the things that he’s most comfortable with,” Chryst said. “… And we’ve just gone down with a reset-button hit here to play back to Kap’s strengths, of which there are many. We are willing to have him run the ball. And I think that’s a compliment to his unique skill set. We’re not trying to make him anything other than Kap.”
The 49ers must be careful to avoid putting Kaepernick at risk, but the shift makes sense. Do defensive coordinators want to account for an on-the-loose Kaepernick, whose six career playoff starts have produced three of the top five rushing performances by a quarterback in postseason history?
Still, Kaepernick’s primary job is to pass. He has completed 50 of 72 passes for 500 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 98.1 passer rating this season, although much of his production came after the 49ers trailed by 26 points at halftime of a 43-18 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday. In the season’s first six quarters, he threw for 226 yards and had an 82.0 rating.
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, whose team hosts the 49ers on Sunday, said Kaepernick has improved in the pocket.
“It’s obvious when he’s in the pocket — going across his progressions, his footwork — that he’s put a lot of work into it,” Arians said. “That’s obvious to me as quarterback coach. They’re doing what he likes to do.”
Kaepernick’s legs might scare the Cardinals, but left guard Alex Boone hopes the 49ers will also instill fear with the deep pass. Only three of Kaepernick’s 50 completions have gained more than 20 yards. In addition, just 6 percent of his attempts have traveled at least 20 yards, which is tied for the lowest figure in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
“At the end of the day, we've got to make big plays,” Boone said. “We’ve got to make teams fear us down field. If you're just a team that throws the hit-yas, and throws the out routes, and run inside zone every now and then, nobody's really going to be afraid of that.”