
Colin Kaepernick, not unlike many NFL quarterbacks, has a fluctuating level of popularity based almost entirely on his last performance.
After his worst back-to-back showings of his career against Arizona and Green Bay in Weeks 3 and 4, Kaepernick’s approval rating reached a low point. When he bounced back with strong games against the New York Giants and Baltimore, everything seemed fine.
But the Seattle Seahawks soundly beat the 49ers on Thursday night, 20-3, and Kaepernick and his offensive supporting cast were overwhelmed.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
[REWIND: Top 5 takeaways from 49ers' Week 7 loss to Seahawks]
Kaepernick completed just 13 of 24 pass attempts for 124 yards. His pass protection did not hold up. Kaepernick was sacked six times. And for the first time in his NFL career, Kaepernick did not have a rushing attempt.
There has been discontent with the performance of the offense in the team’s locker room after four of the team’s five losses. And, of course, Kaepernick is the central figure despite the many issues elsewhere on the 49ers' 32nd-ranked offense.
During the rough stretch about four weeks ago, there was a tense players-only meeting in which one teammate called out Kaepernick, sources told CSNBayArea.com. Another player quickly stepped up in a show of support for Kaepernick and the exchange became heated. In the days that followed, the individuals involved got together and cleared up their differences, according to a source.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
While there is a level of divide in the locker room, as Jay Glazer of Fox Sports stated on Sunday, Kaepernick has received clear support from some of the team’s most-respected players.
Veteran receiver Anquan Boldin was among the teammates to pick up Kaepernick when the 49ers entered the game against the Giants on Oct. 11. Boldin provided Kaepernick with encouraging words several times throughout that week.
“I didn’t want him to put pressure on himself,” Boldin said following the 49ers’ 30-27 loss to the Giants, in which the offense scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:45 remaining.
“I told him just put it on us. Let us make plays for you. Just take the pressure off yourself. Go out and have fun and let it rip.”
Kaepernick has seemed to have more fun in recent weeks. TV cameras have caught him interacting and laughing with teammates on the sideline between offensive possessions. All indications are that he has been that way among his teammates in the building during the week, too.
Those who know Kaepernick well do not view him as standoffish, as much as just being a quiet person. A year ago, teammates had to prod him into speaking to the team on the field when the player who typically delivered the messages, Patrick Willis, was sidelined with an injury.
When things are not going well, Kaepernick appears to withdraw even further – as he did publicly last season after the Thanksgiving loss to Seattle and going into the week in which he played poorly in a 24-13 loss to the Raiders.
What’s truly important is how Kaepernick performs on the field. Coach Jim Tomsula, when asked Friday about Kaepernick’s status heading into the 49ers’ next game at St. Louis, said there are “no controversies.”
He said, “Colin’s our quarterback today.”
That certainly does not mean Kaepernick is entitled to be the quarterback for the remainder of the season. And there is no reason for Tomsula to create the unnecessary drama by acknowledging the mere possibility of a quarterback change.
[RATTO: Kaepernick drama aside, 49ers were destined to be 2-5]
There are so many elements at play right now. With a 2-5 record and all alone at the bottom of the NFC West, the 49ers face almost impossible odds to climb into playoff contention.
Kaepernick’s future with the organization is in serious question. At some point when the 49ers reach a decision on Kaepernick’s future with the team, they might also need to see backup Blaine Gabbert, who has attempted seven regular-season passes in his 23 games with the organization.
Kaepernick is the 49ers’ quarterback today.
But, like his standing among the fan base, that status might very well be on a week-to-week basis.