HE’S SMILING THROUGH IT ALL
Kaepernick upbeat about 49ers despite offseason turmoil
SANTA CLARA — Colin Kaepernick is still smiling, still working feverishly to live up to the 49ers’ formidable legacy of quarterbacks, and still unfazed by this year’s relentless roster hits.
Coach Jim Tomsula appreciates that approach.
“I’m real happy seeing Colin enjoy football, seeing a smile on his face at practice,” Tomsula said Wednesday.
Kaepernick’s optimism has remarkably remained intact amid the 49ers’ steady stream of bad news and player departures, all of which has dropped their stock as a potential Super Bowl contender.
Wide receiver Jerome Simpson’s six-game suspension Tuesday didn’t thwart Kaepernick’s outlook, as the quarterback cited how other players have “proven to us they can go out and be good football players.”
Heck, not even Levi’s Stadium’s sod, the
“You see a really good smile. (Kaepernick) loves what he’s doing, loves the game, loves the team thing.” — Jim Tomsula, 49ers coach
49ers’ rebuilt offensive line, and a continued inability to connect with Torrey Smith on deep passes could rattle Kaepernick at his weekly media session.
“I’m excited where this team is headed, and I’m excited about what we’re going to be able to do,” Kaepernick said.
Tomsula said Kaepernick’s upbeat attitude isn’t new, even though so much else is new around him.
“The four years he’s been here, he’s working, and there’s a true happiness when he’s in the weight room and when he’s on the field throwing balls,” Tomsula said. “You see a really good smile. He loves what he’s doing, loves the game, loves the team thing.”
That team must make do without Simpson, a possible No. 3 wide receiver, for the first six games because of a violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. Kaepernick is encouraged by other candidates: Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington and DeAndrew White.
“We’ve had a lot of reps with guys other than Torrey (Smith), Jerome and Anquan (Boldin),” Kaepernick said. “Moving forward, it’s not something we’re shying away from or uncomfortable with.”
Patton is most familiar to Kaepernick, on and off the field. They’ve shared a close bond since Patton was drafted in 2013, but the wide receiver has totaled only three catches each season since then. Kaepernick said he has “great trust” in Patton and that constant communication has enhanced their chemistry and development.
As for Kaepernick and Smith, they’re still working on a deep-threat combination, and although they failed to hook up on a deep pass in Saturday’s exhibition opener at Houston, it “gave us a good foundation to start,” Kaepernick said.
The next building block comes Sunday when the 49ers host the Dallas Cowboys at Levi’s Stadium. New sod is being installed this week — as planned, despite earlier issues that forced training-camp practices to be moved next door to team headquarters.
“I don’t worry about it,” Kaepernick said about the sod. “To me, I’m out there playing football, regardless of the surface. I’ve played on worse stuff than that growing up.”
A retooled offensive line will have to keep Kaepernick’s back off that grass, and he gave a vote of confidence to that unit, noting he had “very clean pockets” and “great pass protection” in his cameo in Saturday’s exhibition opener at Houston.
Kaepernick’s mood was never better than after Tuesday’s practice, when he met with some 30 kids visiting from Camp Taylor, a Central Valley-based organization for children with heart disease and an outfit Kaepernick has supported since 2011.
“It’s always amazing to be around, uh, my kids,” Kaepernick said. “It was great to see them and great to have them out. Made my day. Great to have them in the middle of camp to get a refresher and a back-to-reality situation.
“(It is) energizing. It brings great joy, great excitement to me. It really does make my day when I’m around those kids. They give more to me than I could ever give to them.”
Defensive back Jimmie n Ward, last year’s top draft pick, started practicing this week with his twicebroken right foot protected by a plastic clamp inside his cleat. “It’s pretty neat. It keeps my foot safe,” Ward said. “That’s probably what took me so long (to practice), why I’m taking it so slow.”
Ward is working primarily at safety. He played eight games last season as the nickel back, a role that starting cornerback Tramaine Brock has said he wants to fulfill. Ward’s response to that: “It’s competition. It’s football. If he can take the spot, he can have it. I’m trying to fit my way in somewhere to help the defense.”
Aaron Lynch says he’s no longer hindered by a back injury that kept him off the field and caused him to gain weight. “I’ve shed few pounds, and I’m on a strict diet. I’ve lost some good fat,” said Lynch, saying he’s gone from 280 pounds to 270, close to last year’s weight as a six-sack rookie.
Lynch is a strong candidate to start at left outside linebacker while Ahmad Brooks replaces Aldon Smith on the right side. Lynch said he’s most comfortable on the left side, where he’s mostly played since high school.
Nick Bellore (illness) n was activated off the nonfootball-injury list, and fellow linebacker Michael Wilhoite (leg) might soon be as well after an encouraging MRI exam, Tomsula said.
Linebacker NaVorro n Bowman practiced without a brace on his reconstructed left knee and made several stellar plays.
Defensive end Tank n Carradine got into a fight for a second straight day, and this time he was retaliating after Patton threw a punch toward Carradine’s helmet after a Carlos Hyde run. Carradine then charged toward a backpedaling Patton into the offensive sideline, and although the incident was quickly quelled, Tomsula halted practice and berated his team.