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San Francisco 49ers Coaching Blunders Ruined Kaepernick

By Erik Lambert

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Oct 4, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) reacts after being hit on a 49ers running play against the Green Bay Packers in the third quarter at Levi

Colin Kaepernick has officially hit rock bottom.  The quarterback who at one point led the San Francisco 49ers to within five yards of their sixth Super Bowl and demanded a $114 million contract, has regressed into a mere shadow of his former self.  In just his last two games he has managed to complete half his passes, failed to crack 200 yards in either game and scored a total of 10 points with no TD passes and five interceptions.

Does he deserve blame?  Of course, there is too much talent on that 49ers offense to make excuses for him playing this poorly, but Kaepernick is by no means alone in shouldering blame for this debacle.  The 49ers management must hold responsibility too.  Not for their changes to the roster but their changes to the coaching staff.

Looking back it’s now clear that GM Trent Baalke made not one, but two blunders over this past off-season.  The first was firing Jim Harbaugh.  Personality quirks aside, it was clear he could get Kaepernick to play close to how a starter should at the very least.  Such is what happens when egos get in the way of things.

If that weren’t bad enough, Baalke fumbled again when he completely blew the chance to hire Adam Gase as his replacement.  Considered one of the rising stars in the NFL and a top offensive mind, he might’ve been the ideal solution to keeping the Kaepernick train on the tracks.  Yet their stipulation of having to keep Jim Tomsula and not build his own staff didn’t sit well, so he went to Chicago instead.

Now he’s in the process of getting Jay Cutler to play some of the best football of his career while Kaepernick is saddled with Tomsula, a former defensive line coach who hired Geep Chryst as offensive coordinator, a man who had one highly unsuccessful run at the position 16 years ago.  The results are well-documented.

Smart money says changes are coming at the quarterback position in 2016, but anybody who has watched should know the truth.  The San Francisco 49ers ruined Colin Kaepernick just as much as the man himself did.

Next: Jay Cutler Slowly Altering Chicago Bears Draft Plans

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