Colin Kaepernick talks receivers, familiar offense, competing

How would you characterize your first week of camp so far?

"I think it's been great. A lot of energy on the field, a lot of excitement. It's always good to get that first week under your belt getting back. I think the team is doing a great job of having great focus in meetings and taking that and putting it on the practice field. I think that's shown up quite a bit and being able to make adjustments that we make in meetings and take those to the practice field as well,"

Colin Kaepernick Sees Development in Young WRs 

You're obviously familiar with WR Quinton Patton and WR Torrey Smith and WR Bruce Ellington. How are you developing with some of the more younger receivers, lesser known receivers on the team, how's that coming along?

"I think it's been great. The receivers are doing a good job of being very consistent with their routes, knowing what they're doing and how we're trying to attack defenses with different plays. That's showing up on the field and it's showing up as far as what the quarterbacks are seeing on the field."

At this point in camp, just one week in, in your experience, is the defense usually ahead of the offense? Is it easier to disrupt your rhythm for a defense at this point, because it's just hard to get an offensive rhythm going?

"I would say typically defense has the advantage when you start because you're not game planning for what they are doing. So, they might give you looks that you don't necessarily install for until you get into a game week. So, there's some of those things that we have to be able to adjust to on the fly, but I think our offensive line and our receivers have done a great job with that as well as our running backs, being able to pick up different blitzes."

A couple of days ago during practice, a lot of DBs getting their hands on the balls, knocking balls away. Today, immediately you throw it, Ellington breaks into the clear. There were a lot more completions it looked like today. Can you see that kind of progress coming in the offense?

"Yeah, I think that's the development of this offense and when we're installing, getting plays that complement each other and knowing how we want to attack the defense in different ways and I think that showed up today."

Do you find this all fun and stimulating, all of this, the new kind of outside the box thinking they do now, the offense they are installing here?

"Most definitely. It's, once again, very similar to what I did in college, but a much more developed version. So, for me a lot of the things are familiar, the passing game-wise. A lot of things are different, but are a lot better than what I've experienced in the past. So, it's very exciting in a lot of different ways."

Do you feel like physically you're still playing catchup or are you just more, with your work outs and things like that, just maintaining what you were able to get back during your time off?

"Right now, maintaining. It's hard to really put weight on and develop while you're in training camp."

I had a question about the large nets that kind of simulate defensive linemen with their hands up. Have you, I guess, is that helpful? Obviously, it presents another challenge, but is it helpful for you as a quarterback to have that in practice and have you ever had anything like that before in your college background or your football career?

"I haven't had nets like that. I've had different things to simulate that. I do think it is beneficial in seven-on-seven. It gives the quarterback one more thing to kind of work around instead of dropping back. You know, offense has a little bit more of an advantage seven-on-seven, so it gives us something to work on a little more while we're doing those drills."

Have you had brooms in the past?

"Working on brooms. Working on throwing over goalposts, things like that. Different variations, but nothing that we're able to use during an actual live drill."

Are you competing against QB Blaine Gabbert or are you competing against yourself every day?

"I'm competing against everybody. I go out there, I'm competing against myself. I'm competing against the defense. I'm just out there competing, doing everything I can to make sure every play, I win."

You've been entrenched as the starter the past couple of years out here. Now you're competing for the job. Is it more challenging to not live and die with every big play or every bad play, knowing that it's not necessarily your job?

"No. To me, I go out and compete. That's what you do in the NFL. That's what you do when you want to win. It doesn't matter if they say you're competing or not. It's a competition. So, I'm treating this no different than I have any other year."

Does it put more pressure on the reps that you do get knowing that you're going to be sharing reps with another guy? Does it make each rep you get that much more important?

"Every rep is valuable. This year is no different than any other year. You have to make sure you're taking advantage of those reps, because those reps are going to carry over to the game. So, you want to make sure you're forming good habits, so when you get into the game those carry over."

* Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers