San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has struggled mightily, but head coach Jim Tomsula isn’t about to insert backup gunslinger Blaine Gabbert.
According to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, Tomsula rebuffed the idea of a quarterback competition and said he still believes in the beleaguered quarterback.
“I want a confident man, knowing just full-bore ahead at that position. I believe it’s critical. And I believe in the quarterback. I believe in Colin Kaepernick.”
Through four games, Kaepernick has averaged 181.8 passing yards and 48.8 rushing yards per outing. However, he’s thrown just two touchdowns compared to five interceptions as well as rifling more than a handful of passes into the dirt in front of his intended target.
And, to make matters worse, the Nevada product’s best performance didn’t even matter. Kaepernick racked up 386 total yards and two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the 49ers lost 43-18.
“He’s pressing,” NFL Media’s Eric Davis said of Kaepernick during an appearance Wednesday on The Rich Eisen Show. “His mechanics aren’t there. They’re trying to build things around him, but at this point, they’re not ready to run the offense through him.”
Tomsula wants Kaepernick to play confidently, but he’ll need to display poise—which he hasn’t done all year—on Sunday Night Football when San Francisco battles the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.