2012-GameRelease-Divisional

Player Feature Story
Tattoos but a fraction of Colin Kaepernick's story
By Robert Klemko, USA Today
Colin Kaepernick's 100-pound pet tortoise is in the news. So is the tattoo ink covering his back and arms.
His birth mother wants to meet him for the first time.
But all the San Francisco 49ers quarterback wants to do is keep his starting job.
"I'm here to play football," says the 25-year-old, bothered by his newfound celebrity. "I don't pay attention
to what the media's writing or what people are saying. I'm here to play and go out and perform."
Last week was a rough one for Kaepernick: A columnist ranted about his tattoos and compared him to an
inmate, igniting a social media firestorm. His insulted parents defended him in USA TODAY Sports,
sparking more passionate reaction. The guy Kaepernick replaced as San Francisco's No. 1 signal caller,
veteran Alex Smith, complained about losing his job because of a concussion and stirred up coast-tocoast
sympathy.
And then came Sunday: Kaepernick committed crucial gaffes in a 16-13 in overtime loss to the St. Louis
Rams, sparking calls for Smith's return to the starting lineup.
ROUGH START
The first time Kaepernick put on a 49ers uniform was a disaster.
Chosen 36th in the 2011 draft, he was the sixth QB off the board. Despite being the only Football Bowl
Subdivision quarterback to pass for more than 10,000 yards and rush for more than 4,000 in a career, a
steep learning curve awaited. The 2011 lockout cut short the offseason activities crucial to rookie
development.
So Kaepernick took the Superdome floor vs. the New Orleans Saints with 14 minutes left in the second
quarter of the 49ers 2011 preseason opener. During his first drive, he was sacked on three consecutive
plays. More than a year later on Nov. 25, Kaepernick returned to the Superdome, this time as a starter
after a scintillating performance on Monday Night Football in a 32-7 blowout of the Chicago Bears.
He rushed for a score and passed for one in a 31-21 win vs. the Saints. Afterward, he gave short and
courteous answers to the news media.
But those who know Kaepernick best, who called him "Bo" when he was a three-sport high school athlete
in Northern California, knew he was pleased with his performance.
"There was a part of him that went into the Saints game thinking, 'My first ever action ever was against
you guys in that preseason game, with no (organized team activities), and you blitzed the hell out of me,'"
says his older brother, Kyle Kaepernick, "'and I'm going to freaking pay you back, right now.'"
Kyle, 10 years Colin's senior, works along with their father at Hilmar Cheese Company, the dairy plant
based a few minutes from where Colin grew up in Turlock, Calif., a two-hour drive east of San Francisco.
Kyle can remember when Colin struggled to find his place on the football field. He remembers when Colin
wasn't so cool.
"His high school team didn't lose much, but when they lost , I'd barely see him the whole weekend," Kyle
says. "It was straight home, up in the room, door closed. I don't want to say it was pouting, but it was
pouting. He's always taken losses really hard."