Kaepernick Responds to Criticism From Bills' Cornerback

SANTA CLARA – After the Buffalo Bills’ blowout victory over the 49ers on Sunday, cornerback Stephon Gilmore did not hold back in his critique of Colin Kaepernick.

“We wanted to do everything we could to make him throw the ball," Gilmore told Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report. "I mean, he's an athlete. You can't take that from him. But when it comes to passing the ball, he can't really throw.

“We took advantage of that. . . We wanted to make him beat us with his arm, and he couldn't do that."

Kaepernick, making his first start in nearly a year, completed 13 of 29 passes for 187 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. There was a 22-mph wind at kickoff, and the gusts seemed to only increase as the game continued.

On Tuesday, Kaepernick responded to Gilmore’s comments.

“You’re always going to look at the opponent and that’s what you are,” Kaepernick said. “You’re critical of what they do, so you can take that and use it as an advantage. Ultimately, that’s what game-planning is.

“That’s an opinion. Everybody’s entitled to it. We move forward. We focus on what we can do to get this win this week versus the Bucs.”

Kaepernick admitted that his performance – and the performance of the 49ers’ offense -- was a mixed bag on Sunday. The 49ers scored 13 points after their first four offensive series. The 49ers scored three points in eight second-half possessions.

“We had good moments. We had some that we need to correct,” Kaepernick said. “Personally, there were throws that I should’ve made and I want to make. I need to correct those this week. But we have opportunities out there, and we have to take advantage of those when they present themselves to us. That’ll allow us to put a lot more points on the board, keep drives alive, things of that nature, that will help us win football games.”

Kaepernick said he felt sharp mentally after replacing Blaine Gabbert as the 49ers’ starting quarterback. He served as the backup quarterback and received approximately 25 percent of the practice snaps until last week. Kaepernick will continue to take the bulk of the practice snaps this week, as the 49ers prepare to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi's Stadium.

“This offense, the way we scheme, the way we present this to our quarterbacks our players, it gives you a lot of clarity when you step onto the field,” Kaepernick said. “I think that’s something for me, I felt a lot more confident in this scheme and the clarity of where we want to go with the football against certain coverages.”

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