SANTA CLARA – Quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw four interceptions against the Arizona Cardinals and was determined to not let that happen again when the faced the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, he said on Wednesday.
Kaepernick threw two interceptions within the first six minutes against the Cardinals that wound up being returned for touchdowns.
“Yeah, it’s something where you’re going to have that in the back of your mind,” Kaepernick said. “You’re going to make sure that you protect the football. I put our team in a bad situation in the Arizona game. I wasn’t going to allow that to happen again. It did cost us, yes. But that’s something I’ll correct moving forward.”
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[MAIOCCO: Tomsula: 49ers sticking with Kap '100 percent' my decision]
Kaepernick followed up his poor showing against the Cardinals with another lackluster outing in a 17-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Kaepernick completed just 13 of 25 attempts for 160 yards and an interception.
Afterward, Kaepernick said he made “protected” throws for some of his incomplete passes. He said he wanted to avoid game-changing turnovers. But after watching the film, Kaepernick said he might have erred on the side of caution too often.
“I think there were throws I could’ve made to help us make plays,” Kaepernick said. “In the heat of the battle, it’s always different than when you go back and look at it on film. It’s easier. There’s no pass rush. You have full-field view when you’re watching the film, eye in the sky. It’s a lot easier to look at it that way than behind center.”
San Francisco 49ers
Coach Jim Tomsula had a talk with Kaepernick during the week and advised him to “just play to win.”
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Kaepernick’s struggles have prompted the speculation on his long-term status with the 49ers. Kaepernick is scheduled to make $14.3 million in salary and bonuses next season. The team could release him before April 1 with a salary-cap savings of more than $9 million for 2016.
His future with the team is not something Kaepernick said he is thinking about.
“I don’t play for job security, “ Kaepernick said. “Whether football’s here or not, I’ll be fine. I go out, I play to win. I’m not worried about job security when I step into this building.”