49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick never has been loquacious in his dealings with the media. He was more truncated than ever during Wednesday’s session with the press covering the team, prompting many to notice -- and some to even count the total number of words Kaepernick uttered while responding to the various questions.
On Friday, coach Jim Harbaugh defended Kaepernick against criticism arising from his habit of saying as little as possible. It required Harbaugh, who often has the same inclination to saying not very much, to talk more than he’d likely prefer.
“I saw that there was quite a bit of sport made of Colin Kaepernick,” Harbaugh said. “People were even tallying his responses. It’s sad really because you don’t know him. And he’s a determined person. He’s a spiritual person. He’s a very hard worker and he wants to do well and works extremely hard at it. And you get the honest person when you deal with him. If he’s not chatty, he’s not going to be chatty. He’s single minded when he’s playing the game of football and preparing for the game and I appreciate that. I appreciate that he is who he is. I’m around him every day. He is his own person too.”
So what was Kaepernick trying to convey with a more-standoffish-than-usual media session?
“He’s very professional,” Harbaugh said. “He always stands up. He never dodges or deflects criticism. He takes accountability. He’s honest. He tells the truth. The questions you were asking, he was telling the truth. You’re not going to just be at somebody’s beck and call or bidding. He’s going to act the way he acts. He’s his own person. I appreciate the honesty. That’s who he is. His jaw is set. He’s a team player all the way. That’s what he’s doing. He’s working. He is working. He loves this time of year, loves this kind of football, these big games. And I appreciate that. It’s all a person can do. They do their best. If that’s not appreciated then you do your best anyway. That’s who he is. That’s what he does.”
He needs to do better this Sunday -- and, more importantly, next Sunday at Seattle -- in light of how he performed eight days ago at home against the Seahawks. At a time when some have questioned whether Kaepernick’s handling of the media qualifies him for true franchise quarterback status, the absence of consistently strong in-game performances poses a much greater threat to that label.
