San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh missed the chance once to call his quarterback "elite." Since then, he's been sure to call Colin Kaepernick "great."
Kaepernick led the 49ers on a 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by Carlos Hyde's 4-yard run Sunday that lifted San Francisco to a 17-13 win over the Washington Redskins to keep them alive in the playoff chase in the NFC.
Colin Kaepernick Says It "Doesn't Matter" What Coach Jim Harbaugh Says
According to postgame video on 49ers.com, Kaepernick "is a great player, Harbaugh said. "I don't know how everybody else doesn't see it that way."
Earlier in the week, Harbaugh was asked what he felt Kaepernick needed to do to reach elite status.
Jim Harbaugh refuses to say quarterback Colin Kaepernick is an elite player.
"A lot of people inquire about that," Harbaugh said. "Some pontificate on the subject. For us, we're living in the moment. That's the great thing about being human beings. You're always in the moment and, for us, that's preparing to play the Washington Redskins. That's trying to improve, build, build, build our football team and get stronger in all areas. That's what we concern ourselves with."
The next day, Kaepernick said it doesn't matter to him what the head coach says to the media about him as long as he helps the quarterback win.
But Harbaugh made sure to give Kaepernick a "great" rating during the weekend.
A reporter asked Harbaugh before the game whether a quarterback's mobility has potential to stunt his growth - referring to both Kaepernick and Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III.
"He's growing and growing and growing as a pocket passer," Harbaugh said of Kaepernick. "I think he's one of the most dynamic pocket passers in the game of football today. And he's one of the most dynamic runners."
Harbaugh, whom the reporter said was ninth among quarterbacks all-time in rushing in the NFL, was asked to compare himself to Kaepernick.
"Yeah, I was mediocre. I was a mediocre player. Kap's a great player. That's a big difference."
And Harbaugh stayed consistent with that sentiment on Sunday.
"I love to see the quarterback play the way he plays, the way he competes," Harbaugh said of Kaepernick. That speaks volumes to me, that he's a competitor at the highest level. He played a great game."
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