Almost immediately after the 2014 season, Colin Kaepernick set to work on becoming a better pocket passer. Nine months later, he has almost nothing to show for it.
The 49ers quarterback threw four interceptions in San Francisco's 47-7 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday. Two of his errant throws were first-half pick-sixes that put the Niners in an early, 14-0 hole that set the tone for the game.
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His best performance was his first as a starter in 2012, Bleacher Report wrote.
It's been downhill for him since.
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"After the 47-7 blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, it's clear Colin Kaepernick is not the franchise guy," Bleacher Report indicated. "But before we dismiss him, let's give him credit for trying. The guy tried really hard.
"He was always the first to arrive at the practice facility and the last to leave, and he studied under countless quarterback gurus, such as Jim Harbaugh, George Whitfield Jr. and Kurt Warner.
"It's just that Kaepernick never improved. At times it seemed he had improved, but he couldn't sustain that growth. After three years as the Niners' starting quarterback, his best performance is still his first start -- a 32-7 annihilation of the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football."
Kaepernick took the loss hard and accepted blame, in a sign of leadership that was once a question mark of his status as starting quarterback. He finished Sunday 9-of-19 passing for 67 yards and the four interceptions.
"It's very hard for me to deal with, very hard to see myself go out and play like that and hurt this team the way I did," Kaepernick said, according to the San Jose Mercury News. "I nullified all the efforts of every other player on that field today, and that's something I have to fix for this team moving forward."
Except that he's tried, Bleacher Report said.
One sticking point is his inability to throw from the pocket to outside the numbers, Bleacher Report added, noting that three of his interceptions Sunday came on such passes, based on a scouting reported Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson gave to Pro Football Talk.
"Guess what? Jefferson is right," Bleacher Report wrote. "Force Kaepernick to make long throws toward the sidelines and he melts down. He doesn't throw with anticipation, and he doesn't see underneath coverage -- never has, never will. He is an interception waiting to happen when he throws across the field.
"If Kaepernick could improve this part of his game, he probably would have by now. He turns 28 in November. This may be who he is -- a running quarterback who's a perpetual work-in-progress as a passer."
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