San Francisco 49ers to Start Colin Kaepernick vs. Buffalo Bills
By Ryan Brennan
San Francisco 49ers’ head coach Chip Kelly recently announced that they will be starting Colin Kaepernick on Sunday vs. the Buffalo Bills.
You heard it correctly, the Buffalo Bills will be facing Colin Kaepernick on Sunday when the 49ers travel to New Era Field.
The announcement was made on Tuesday, giving the Bills plenty of time to prepare a reliable gameplan.
Here’s how Chip Kelly made the announcement:
"“Just to announce, we’re going to make a move at quarterback and we’re going to start Colin this week and give him an opportunity to run with the ones,” Kelly said. “I believe you’ve got to do it at the beginning of the week just because of how reps are distributed.”"
Kaepernick will be taking the starting position from Blaine Gabbert, who has been struggling all year. After a 28-0 shutout on the Los Angeles Rams to start the year, the 49ers have lost 4 straight and will enter hostile territory in Buffalo — who have won three straight.
In that season opener shutout, Gabbert had an okay performance with 170 yards, one touchdown and 43 rushing yards. However, he has posted just 720 yards, 4 TD and 6 INT over their 4-game losing streak and has only had one game with 200+ yards this season.
Kaepernick will bring a different gameplan for the 49ers, who will most likely utilize his scrambling and running ability. The Buffalo Bills have shown what they can do against quarterbacks that aren’t too mobile, but they haven’t really faced a capable dual threat quarterback yet this year.
Colin Kaepernick hasn’t started an NFL game since November 1st last year, when he endured a 27-6 loss vs. the Rams. He would play again the week following, but not for long before ending his season with a shoulder injury. He would later need a handful of surgeries done on his shoulder, knee and thumb, even losing weight in the process.
Kelly stated that when he notified the two quarterbacks of the change, they both remained professional knowing that he was only doing what was best for the franchise. Here’s what Kaepernick had to say about it:
"“I think I’ve always been confident,” Kaepernick said. “It’s something that I’m ready to step on that field, I’m ready to play. It’s been about a year since live game action. So, I’m itching to get out there.”"
Here’s what Gabbert had to say about it:
"“It’s a tough deal, but a change is made like that, it’s what the coaches felt best for this team,” Gabbert said. “It sucks. I don’t like it. I don’t like not playing. I’ll be very forward about that. But, at the same time I’m still going to come in to work the same way I’ve always come in to work the three years that I’ve been here.”"
Sure, the 49ers are changing quarterbacks and that might make some of you mad that it’s Kaepernick we’ll be playing against on Sunday. Then again, some of you might be happy.
In my opinion, we shouldn’t be happy or mad. Instead, we shouldn’t care. We’re Buffalo Bills’ fans and we root for the Buffalo Bills. The point I’m trying to make is, whether it’s Kaepernick or Gabbert, we are going to go out there and do what the Bills do best.
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Riding a three-game winning streak, let’s go make it four and play the Star Spangled Banner the entire game.
Go Bills!
What are your thoughts on Kaepernick being named the starter? Leave your comments below!