Amid Voices of Protest, Colin Kaepernick Shows He's Still a Unique NFL Talent

The return of Colin Kaepernick didn't actually begin on the field. It started off of it. It started with social media. It started with threatening T-shirts and hateful acts. It started with peaceful protest.

It started with all of that. Much of what has happened to Kaepernick had nothing to do with actual football. His protest movement evolved into a national discussion—at times, a national brawl—and that continued in his first start of the season on Sunday in Buffalo.

Outside of the stadium, various journalists documented some of what was an intense scene. Sports Illustrated's Robert Klemko reported that T-shirts showing a rifle scope over Kaepernick were being sold. Klemko also documented, via a video he posted on Twitter, Bills fans playing "Tackle the Muslim." The video showed a woman tackling a plastic dummy sporting a Kaepernick jersey. These weren't exactly bright points in the history of humanity.

None of this is to say this speaks for all Bills fans. Far from it. But it was nonetheless a stark reminder of how much Kaepernick's protests have disrupted the sports world. They've simultaneously caused sympathy for Kaepernick and hatred of him. Even violent hatred.

It wasn't all ugly Sunday in Buffalo, as ESPN's Josina Anderson showed pictures of peaceful protesters backing Kaepernick.

All of these scenes have gained greater significance because the Kaepernick story has become far more than football. It's a tale that has merged sports with the presidential election. It has touched on the vastly different opinions many have of what a protest is supposed to look like. It has given rise to a debate over whether football players even should protest.

And all of that came before today, when he actually played a football game, a contest won by the Bills, 45-16.

This is where the football part of the discussion begins.

Kaepernick actually looked good. There were moments of rust, but overall, there were more glimpses of the Kaepernick of old. He threw for 187 yards and a score and ran eight times for 66 yards. He didn't commit a single turnover.

When he connected on a touchdown pass to Torrey Smith off a Buffalo busted coverage, it was Kaepernick's first touchdown throw since Oct. 18, 2015, per ESPN Stats & Info, which was Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens.

What made Kaepernick one of the league's most formidable weapons was his ability to be both a running and a passing threat. He was mostly that again.

Take the third-quarter play that saw Bills linebacker Jerry Hughes grab ahold of Kaepernick in the end zone. Somehow, Kaepernick wiggled free and ran for a first down.

Or a little later in the same quarter, when he scrambled for 29 yards to keep the Niners, down 17-13 at that juncture, within striking distance.

Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Kaepernick wasn't perfect. He wasn't completely the Kaepernick of old, but he was good.

Eventually, though, the fact the 49ers have one of the least-talented rosters in the NFC caught up to Kaepernick and the 49ers. San Francisco has allowed at least 30 points in four of its past five games. The Bills' 312 rushing yards are the team's most since posting 341 in the 1995 Wild Card game. 

Kaepernick also missed several deep throws. So while he's back, he's not totally back. Not by a long shot.

There was a time when many in football believed Kaepernick would never play in the NFL again. Not because of the three surgeries, but because of his protests.

Well, here he is. A man who is the subject of both adoration and scorn. Those feelings, and others, will continue because of the polarization of our country. We know football isn't immune from that. We've always known that.

"At the end of the day," Kaepernick said at his postgame press conference, "I'm going to continue to fight."

So, yes, he's back, and he's something he hasn't been in some time.

A football player.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter:@mikefreemanNFL.