49ers-Packers recap: Offensive player transcripts

QB Colin Kaepernick
Press Conference - October 4, 2015
San Francisco 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers

On some of your throws today, it just looked like the ball was coming out of your hand differently. Is there anything you can put your finger on why some of your targets were off target?

"Well, some of them were protecting throws. I'm not just going to throw a ball into coverage. I'm going to protect the throws myself so we can protect the ball as an offense."

Those were throwaways?

"Some, yes."

What's your week like after a performance like that? Do you study more or do anything different?

"Study as much as I can. Work as much as I can. That's the only way I know how to fix things, is go back to work. Talking about things, analyzing things, all that is good and has its place, but at the end of the day you have to work to get better."

Has this offense ever felt so out of sync to you?

"It's something that, we have to find our rhythm. We have to get back on track and string plays together. When we do that, we have produced successful drives. It's getting those plays to string together where we've struggled thus far."

RB Carlos Hyde had eight rushes today. Do you think that's a good recipe or would you like him to get more touches?

"We execute the plays that are called. Every time he touches the ball, he's going to run as hard as he can. Other than that, we're going out, we're trying to make plays with what's called."

On the Packers defensive scheme?

"I would say similar to Arizona. They had some cover zero in there, single-high blitzes, just straight man. That was their game plan today. Try and bring pressure on us."

There were several times in this game, early on and all the way through, that WR Torrey Smith and WR Anquan Boldin both looked visibly frustrated. Is that something, were you able to talk to them during the game? Did they express frustration and do you know what their frustrations were concerning?

"They're playmakers for this team. They want to contribute. They want to have an impact and we weren't able to get the ball to them and allow them to have that impact until later in the game. So, I understand the frustration, yes, but it's a team game. They want to win. I understand that."

Are enough good plays being called?

"I think all of our plays are good plays. Part of it's situationally, depending on what the defense is going to show us on that play."

On that third-and-11, first series of the third quarter, the read option, you hand off to RB Reggie Bush. What was there that could of made that a good play call?

"Well, they've given us some soft coverage on third-and-long. So, we want to advantage of that and it's also a way for us to protect the football. We had third-and-longs last week where we tried to force the ball in to get a first down and it put us even further behind the eight ball."

You used your legs a good amount today and had some success. Was that part of the game or was that something that developed? And do you enjoy that?

"Yeah, it was part of the game plan, depending on what the Packers were going to do to us as far as their scheme. Early in the game, they gave us those opportunities. We were able to take advantage. Later in the game, they started to take those things away. As far as enjoying it, I enjoy anything that's going to try to help this team win."

What can you do as a quarterback to try and alleviate some of the pressure you have been dealing with in the pocket?

"To me, we have to be able to get the ball out quick. We have to be able to get the ball into our playmakers hands as soon as we can. And ultimately, this offense is a team. We're working as hard as we can to try to make sure we're doing things right and on the right track."

There was a play on a read-option where you handed the ball off and Green Bay Packers LB Clay Matthews hit you pretty hard, high. You obviously looked at referee Terry McAulay for the penalty. Did he say anything about why it wasn't?

"No, I didn't get a reason why it wasn't. To me, not only did I not have the ball but it was also targeting the head. But, to me, we're onto the next play. I can't sit there and complain about it."

Matthews also did a "Kaepernicking" thing after one of those sacks. Did you know that or what's your reaction to it?

"No, I didn't know that."

What's your reaction to it?

"I'm onto the next play."

At this point of the season, four games in, Torrey had said early you want to know the identity of your offense. Do you feel you know what this offense does well yet? Do you have any idea yet?

"We've done things well in different places in games. I think it's something where we have to be comfortable in doing everything that this offense has to offer well."

You had some throws today that just looked odd. You skipped some balls at guy's feet. You threw some wildly out of bounds. It just looked strange. I'm sure you would agree some of those, you'd like to have back. Is it a mechanics things or what do you think the issue was on some of those throws?

"I would say the one throw I want to have back is the one to Reggie in the red zone. He made a great move, I didn't make the throw. But the other ones, once again, I'm not going to throw a ball into traffic and risk this offense and this team and putting them in a bad situation."

What did the Green Bay Packers do so well defensively today that didn't allow you room to run or QB Colin Kaepernick time to throw?

"They brought the safeties down, played a zero look a lot. They brought extra defenders in the box. It's hard to run against eight or nine guys in the box."

Was it frustrating at all to see your defense come out with a pretty good game against Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers and you guys couldn't really generate the points to back that up?

"The defense played great, hats off to those guys. Offensively, we were able to move the ball to the red zone. We've just got to capitalize, that's all.

Do you feel like this is the type of coaching staff where you individually and the offense as a whole can speak what's on your mind and say what you do and don't like from what you've seen for four games?

"Yeah, we can go talk to the coaches any time we want. But the coaches just make the calls, the players have to execute. It's on us as the players to go execute their call, not us going to the coaches and telling them it's not working."

Last week you said you were willing to carry this team, you were ready to do that. Is this a situation where you lobby for more carries?

"No, I'll do whatever it is to help this team win. This week in practice I'll practice hard like I always do and just do my job, that's all I can control, my job."

When you look at film, when you feel it out there, what are you sensing about what's not happening?

"It is frustrating, because you look at the personnel, the plan that we have in place, and all of the pieces are there to be successful. It gets really cliché, but it's execution. When the plays are there to be made, we have to make the plays. No matter what the play is, or what the position, or the person in that play that has the tough down, we have to make the play, at all positions."

RB Carlos Hyde, today, had 3 carries in the second half, 0 yards, 8 (carries) for 20 (yards) on the day. Here's a big horse, slashing runner, there's just no spaces for him to go.

"The running lanes were pretty tight and they played a heavy box. And sometimes it's like that, it's tough to run the football. They played well today on defense. We just have to play better. We have to block better, block longer, run harder. All areas of our offense I think we can improve, and we have to come together as a group and fix it."

QB Colin Kaepernick has been under siege. He was sacked at least four times today. Every time he's dropping back he has people in his face. He hasn't seemed to have found the rhythm or the confidence, and seems like everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.

"We've had some tough breaks. But kind of the same thing, when guys are open, the protection might not be there and then when the protection is there, the guys might not be open. So, we just have to find a way to put it all together, give him some open looks and keep him off the ground, and we'll just continue to get better."

Where do you think his confidence level is at, and what's your sense about how he's taking all of this?

"He'll be fine. He's the leader of this football team. He's the leader of our offense. He'll be fine. We had a rough day today as a group and we'll fix it and get better."

With three rough games in a row offensively, the pressure mounts. It's uncharted territory for a lot of you guys in that sense. What do you make of it?

"I think we just have to keep growing as a group. We have a lot of new faces. And you want to say every year's a new year, but we just have to keep climbing. We've got new guys in there, and we're trying to build chemistry. We're still learning. And like I said, we'll improve."

Do you have more questions than answers after a game like this?

"We know what it is, but we aren't executing. We just have to get it right."

Do you have the relationship with 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst and 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula that you can have closed door meetings and speak honestly about the frustrations you have, either personally or what you see in this offense?

"We don't have to have a closed door conversation. I can pick up the phone on Gameday and talk to Geep or talk to Tomsula. We're able to be honest with them, that's the good thing about it. They respect our opinions."

Is this team struggling for an offensive identity right now? It's hard to tell if this is a read-option team or a run team. Are you struggling to find consistency?

"We're an offense that can run the ball and throw the ball and we're not doing either well right now."

You had the one 37 yard reception, it seemed like this is what this offense has been lacking other than the Pittsburgh game. Is there anything there that can carry over?

"They played man-to-man and blitzed zero the whole game and we couldn't take advantage of it so it is what it is. That's what we can do."

How frustrating is it to get into the red zone and not be able to put up a lot of points?

"That's been our problem the past few weeks. We need to finish down there. There's no point of getting down there if you can't get touchdowns. We have to get better at that and execute."

Were there times where you felt you had the potential to get open but there was no time to get the ball to you?

"I feel like that every play. We have to get it together as a unit. When we have one-on-one matchups we have to be able to take advantage of it and protect up front. It's not always the offensive line's fault. It's not always Kap [QB Colin Kaepernick's] fault. We have our own problems outside so we have to all be in sync on those plays to make it happen."