#49ers coach Chip Kelly announces that they are making a QB change: Colin Kaepernick is now the starter.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 11, 2016
Chip Kelly and the San Francisco 49ers have made a change at quarterback. For the first time this season, Colin Kaepernick will start over Blaine Gabbert for the 1-4 Niners.
Kaepernick has had one of the hottest and coldest careers from a quarterback in recent memory. He was drafted by the Niners out of Nevada in the 2011 draft and spent his rookie season on the bench. When Alex Smith suffered a concussion in Week 10 of the 2012 season, Kaepernick seized the opportunity and remained the 49ers’ starter throughout their run to Super Bowl XLVII. After that season Kaepernick led the 49ers back to the NFC Championship, only to fall to the future Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. That would be end of the Kaepernick’s success as a starting quarterback.
In 2014, under Kaepernick the Niners finished 8-8. Kap had his worst season to date, throwing 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for a QB rating of 86.4. The worst was yet to come for Kaepernick though. He returned as starter for the Jim Tomsula led 49ers. After a 2-6 start with only 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions, Kaepernick was benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert.
Kaepernick is 27-20 as a starter with 10,030 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 26 interceptions. On the ground he has 1,832 yards and 11 touchdowns. The majority of those largely positive numbers came in 2012 and 2013. The Bills should hope that he cannot regain that success in his first start in over 11 months.