Issues for 49ers Go Far Beyond Colin Kaepernick's Regression

A couple of short years ago, the San Francisco 49ers were one of the hottest teams in the NFC, and quarterback Colin Kaepernick looked like a franchise-caliber signal-caller and one of the league's biggest rising stars.

Between 2011 and 2013, the 49ers made an appearance in the NFC title game three consecutive times. In 2014, San Francisco signed Kaepernick to a new six-year, $114 million contract. At the time of his signing, it seemed that the 49ers were set up for a long and bright future. 

Unfortunately, the proverbial wheels fell off shortly thereafter. San Francisco limped to a disappointing 8-8 record in 2014, and the team replaced head coach Jim Harbaugh with defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. Kaepernick? Well, his wheels seem to have fallen off as well.

He's gone from looking like a champion-caliber quarterback to one of the most baffling throwers in the NFL. His mechanics seem to have regressed, along with his awareness, vision and pocket presence. His misfires are so wildly inaccurate that they more closely resemble a bottle rocket than a laser strike.

If the season ended today, Kaepernick's passer rating of 78.8 would be the worst of his pro career. He's currently completing less than 60 percent of his passes, and he has committed six turnovers to go with his six passing touchdowns. 

Pro Football Focus rates Kaepernick 51st among 53 NFL quarterbacks this season. His performance over the past two weeks (33-of-65 for 286 yards with no touchdowns and nine sacks) has been especially difficult to watch. 

Yes, Kaepernick makes for an easy scapegoat, and it's difficult not to give him ample blame. However, his rapid fall from grace is far from the only issue plaguing the 49ers in 2015.

What is even more alarming is the fact that there seems to be some sort of cloud hanging over Santa Clara that continues to suck the life, the heart and the pride out of the franchise.

This cloud first appeared last season, when Harbaugh began to create friction with team management and at least a few of his players. 

"I think he just pushed guys too far," 49ers guard Alex Boone told HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (h/t Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com) "He wanted too much, demanded too much, expected too much. You know, 'We gotta go out and do this. We gotta go out and do this. We gotta go out and do this.' And you'd be like, 'This guy might be clinically insane. He's crazy.'"

After the 2014 season, Harbaugh was let go, which may or may not have been more of an ego-driven power play by 49ers owner Jed York and general manager Trent Baalke. Things haven't gotten better under Tomsula. If anything, they've gotten worse.

While Harbaugh may have been forced out because of player relations, York made a conscious decision to let talented players like wide receiver Michael Crabtree, cornerback Chris Culliver and cornerback Perrish Cox leave when he didn't have to.

The offseason retirement of guys like linebacker Patrick Willis, linebacker Chris Borland, offensive lineman Anthony Davis and defensive end Justin Smith certainly didn't help matters. Though Baalke was reluctant to admit it at the time, the 49ers came into this season in need of a rebuild.

What the 49ers have to determine is if Tomsula is really the right person to lead the rebuild, because right now it doesn't seem like a certainty. 

The 49ers have looked lost in stretches of the season. The past couple of weeks (against the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams), the players didn't even look like they wanted to be on the field after the scoreboard deficit reached a certain point. 

Injuries have added to the problems, sure. The team entered Sunday's game against the Rams without receiver Anquan Boldin and running back Carlos Hyde. Running back Reggie Bush exited the game with a potentially season-ending injury.

A questionable talent pool is also a problem. According to Pro Football Focus, the 49ers are the single worst run-blocking team in the NFL. 

However, a lack of drive is probably an even bigger issue, as is the players' reported distaste for Kaepernick at quarterback. 

Bleacher Report NFL Insider Jason Cole after San Francisco's latest loss:

"

Two 49ers players texted me after that game and said that it is time for Colin Kaepernick to be benched. This game lost to the Rams was the tipping point for them in a series of events that have been building and building and building to this point. ... What these players say is they don't want Kaepernick to be out of the plans for the 49ers. ... But simply put, they think that he needs time on the bench to clear his head, get himself straight so that he understands what the offense is trying to do and what he can do to make it work.

"

To this point, it seems that Tomsula has no intention of benching Kaepernick, even if players are not supporting their quarterback. This could create problems for both team chemistry and Kaepernick himself.

According to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports, Kaepernick has lost his confidence and remains distant from the other guys in his locker room.

Kaepernick's contract is essentially a year-by-year deal now, so the 49ers can part with him after this season with little consequence. What Tomsula has to try to do over the next eight games is find a way to fix Kaepernick or hold the locker room together. Otherwise, he might just be out of the team's plans, along with the quarterback, by 2016.

It doesn't seem that Tomsula has lost the locker room yet, which would be an even worse indictment of him than the stories of players growing tired of his predecessor, Harbaugh. However, the risk of doing so has to be there if players really aren't happy with Kaepernick and Tomsula continues to ignore the situation.

Finding a way to put his players in position to succeed is another issue—one that Tomsula has yet to figure out. Things have been especially bad within the NFC West, where the 49ers have been outscored 94-16 so far this season.

So, yes, Kapernick's on-field regression is an issue. However, problems with confidence, chemistry, motivation and potential discord should be far more concerning for the 49ers organization—at least if it wants this new rebuild to be a successful one.