Colin Kaepernick at His Best When Finding Middle Ground Between Calm and Chaos

In many ways we saw a familiar Colin Kaepernick Monday night. But there was also a San Francisco 49ers quarterback who wasn’t quite so familiar, at least early this season.

During a win over the St. Louis Rams that required a 14-point comeback and had a stench to the first half for the visiting 49ers, Kaepernick showed the sort of pocket comfort and ease which had made only sporadic appearances so far this season.

Kaepernick hasn’t able to stand and fire as often as he’d like to, partly due to an offensive line that's both injured and struggling in pass protection.

He was forced to do that Monday night when the Rams stacked the box and keyed on the run, stripping the San Francisco offense of its core identity while holding running back Frank Gore to only 38 rushing yards on 16 carries (2.4 yards per carry).

The game and the comeback was on Kaepernick’s arm then and his ability to move the offense while making smart decisions. What followed was 343 passing yards at a pace of 9.5 per attempt with three touchdowns during a 31-17 win.

But more importantly, what followed was a fine balance between the two Kaepernicks: the quarterback who manipulates madness and the quarterback who fires laser beams.

The latter Kaepernick is the one to note. That guy was present even during a sputtering first half for the 49ers when they held possession for only 9:11.

There he was on his second throw of the game, taking two steps back from a shotgun set and releasing quickly to Stevie Johnson for a 13-yard gain as pressure closed in.

There he was again in the closing minutes of the first half, bouncing in his own end zone and hitting wide receiver Anquan Boldin for a 12-yard chunk. The intermediate gains piled up as Kaepernick stayed in a comfortable pocket while developing a rhythm on quick-hitting routes.

He played the part of a conventional passer. It’s a role we’ve seen from Kaepernick previously during his four career 300-plus-yard passing games (including playoffs), and Monday marked his second-highest single-game output.

When he’s given time his comfort grows, which makes him just like every quarterback ever. But the separation lies in what he does with that comfort, using his immense arm strength to complete both timing-based intermediate throws and the deep bombs.

The five men in front of him deserve some knuckle tap for providing that time. Look at the space he was given on the 80-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Lloyd that swung the game in a completely different direction.

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Yes, the Rams pass rush is struggling with only a single sack this season, the lowest total over five games since sacks became an official statistic. And an injury to defensive end Chris Long isn’t helping matters there.

But the 49ers’ O-line is dealing with its own adversity and bruising. Regular starting right tackle Anthony Davis has played only 24 snaps, and guard Mike Iupati went down midway through the third quarter Monday with a concussion.

So a significant portion of a close game was played without two of the five regular starters. Yet Kaepernick still had enough time to sail a ball 35 yards through the air to Lloyd.

Kaepernick finished with five completions that resulted in gains of at least 20 yards, including two of his three touchdown passes. All five came from the pocket.

When the 49ers lined up in a spread formation Kaepernick’s comfort increased further. Often after he received a shotgun snap the ball was out of his hands in just over two seconds. He stepped, looked and fired, hitting receivers in stride and giving them an opportunity for more yardage after the catch.

Kaepernick is criticized for that approach and inability to go through his progressions when needed. But at some point comfort and natural tendencies take priority for an offensive coordinator. At some point, a quarterback assumes his identity. That’s just fine as long as quality decisions are made.

The pocket Kaepernick made the correct choices. The other Kaepernick—the scrambling, creative one—doesn’t make choices. He reacts, and Monday night was an example of the two existing in beautiful bliss.

Kaepernick has a keen sense for both pressure and where the open space is that he can use to escape it. He seems to be at ease when the situation calls for anything but calm, leisurely floating away from oncoming pass-rushers while finding that space and a safe set of hands where a football can land.

That’s not a new development, but it’s remarkable how consistently Kaepernick can flee the pocket once it becomes hostile territory and turn what looks to be a lost play into a positive gain.

We saw an example on one of his seven completions to habitually open wide receiver Anquan Boldin. It was 17-14 at the time late in the third quarter, with San Francisco needing six yards on third down just past midfield.

So this third-down conversion attempt was rather important, with the Rams looking for an opportunity to regain some life and tie the game heading into the final quarter. St. Louis sent pressure that was disguised before the snap.

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Two of the seven potential pass-rushers peeled off, and safety Lamarcus Joyner came firing off the edge. Running back Carlos Hyde dove and did just enough to divert Joyner’s path to Kaepernick for a split second, but he still had a relatively clean shot at the quarterback while sprinting from the blind side.

There was no panic in the movements that came next for Kaepernick. He simply found the open space available to him and then located Boldin for a first down.

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That was one of the three drive-extending third-down completions to Boldin. He ended the game with 37 of his 94 receiving yards on third down, including an 11-yard touchdown reception which again showcased Kaepernick at his best when he turns pressure into his happy place.

It was a play that wasn’t at all intended to look in Boldin’s direction. No, this play was a little unorthodox and was designed to finish with Kaepernick throwing to an unfamiliar receiver.

The chaos began when Robert Quinn decided it was legal to disrupt a play by tackling the receiver (it’s not, for the record).

Kaepernick then pulled the ball down and drifted to his left where he found a pleasant pasture of green space. Then he used his arm strength to lob an off-balance throw over leaping cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

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Note the extremely thin margin for error there on a throw that was heaved from his back foot. Forget about the result for a second, and focus only on the decision. Here’s the conclusion we reach after that mental exercise: Kaepernick shouldn’t have thrown this ball.

He threw it because with a penalty coming to Quinn for his, um, unique defense on an eligible receiver, Kaepernick knew he had a free play. The worst possible outcome of his praying rainbow lob was an interception, and it would have been reversed.

But a constant flirtation with danger will always be part of the Kaepernick package. We saw it last February when his javelin torpedo barely cleared the fingertips of Earl Thomas and again two weeks ago when he forced a ball to tight end Vernon Davis that probably should have been an interception.

Often those throws end successfully, and he’s a magician. But the same risks are present when tight windows slam shut quickly and a drive ends. The Kaepernick experience can make even his head coach wonder “what is he doing with the ball?," which were indeed Jim Harbaugh’s words during his postgame press conference, via Marcus Thompson II of Bay Area News Group.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s simply reality for Kaepernick with his tightrope-walking style of play. Confidence in his legs and arm while on the run is the reason why six of his 10 touchdown passes have come from outside the pocket, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Balancing on that rope is the challenge for both Kaepernick and the offensive line in front of him. Being a creative, improvising passer who manages pressure to manufacture positive plays is embedded in Kaepernick’s quarterback DNA. He needs to keep bringing plenty of that, even if it means inviting some dances with danger.

But in a win over the Rams we were also reminded of what he can do with some patience when given the time to stand and deliver from the pocket.

Finding a balance between those two Kaepernicks leads to the real Kaepernick: the quarterback who showed up Monday when he wasn’t leaning too heavily in either direction.