SANTA CLARA – The 49ers made changes last week off the field that had apparently had a carryover effect into Sunday night’s game, quarterback Colin Kaepernick said on Wednesday.
The chemistry between Kaepernick and the 49ers’ receivers was clearly lacking in losses to Arizona and Green Bay the previous two weeks. So offensive coordinator Geep Chryst’s solution was to get Kaepernick together more often with receivers Anquan Boldin, Torrey Smith and others as part of the preparation to face the New York Giants.
“We had more meeting time together,” Kaepernick said. “We went in detail over things to make sure everybody was on the same page for what we were looking to get out of each play and what we were trying to take advantage of.”
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Kaepernick had a bounce-back outing in a 30-27 loss to the New York Giants. He completed 23 of 35 pass attempts for 262 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
“The biggest improvement was just chemistry, being able to let balls go and trust our receivers, and our receivers made big plays,” Kaepernick said. “And it was a confidence-building thing for both sides – for the receivers, for us, for the offensive line. It was something we can build on moving forward and improve on.”
Boldin had eight receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. Smith had two catches that totaled 42 yards. Smith said the enhanced communication played a significant role in the improved performance from the 49ers' passing game.
“I think it was a lot better, and I think it showed, too,” Smith said of the lines of communication between Kaepernick and the receivers. “I think Kap put us in some very good situations with checks, and even throughout the week there was probably more dialogue than usual. I think it worked.”
San Francisco 49ers
The chemistry was something that Kaepernick referenced repeatedly on Wednesday. Kaepernick said he continues to build on-field rapport with Boldin, even though they have worked together now for more than two seasons. After all, it's a new offensive scheme. Meanwhile, Smith is in his first season with the 49ers after spending the past four years with the Baltimore Ravens. Kaepernick said he and Smith feel varying degrees of comfort levels on different plays.
“It depends on the route,” Kaepernick said. “There are some routes that are natural for him to run and they naturally fit my eye. There are other routes that we have to work a little harder on.“
After the two worst back-to-back games of his career, Kaepernick appeared close to the point in which coaching staff would have to seriously consider a move to backup Blaine Gabbert.
Even Chryst said last week the pressure was on Kaepernick to perform against the Giants.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say it was a gut check, but I think he responded very well to it,” Smith said. “I mean, he plays quarterback in the NFL, and a big market like this. You know, like vultures out here coming for him. It’s tough. I can only imagine he probably had to shut his phone off to keep from seeing and hearing stuff.”
The 49ers’ offense drove 80 yards for the go-ahead points with 1:45 remaining on Carlos Hyde’s 2-yard touchdown run. But the way the game ended – with Eli Manning’s winning scoring pass to tight end Larry Donnell – prevents the offense from feeling altogether satisfied with its performance.
“It ended in a loss for us. That’s the bottom line,” Kaepernick said. “We play to win, so moving forward we have to do more on offense to score more points to make sure we finish those games with wins.”