Tomsula Doesn't Believe Kaepernick Is Alone During Struggles
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - When it comes to any outside chatter questioning Colin Kaepernick's support system in his own locker room, coach Jim Tomsula hardly expects that would have been generated within team headquarters from management or players.
"That would be an absolute concern but I don't address those things," Tomsula said Wednesday. "I don't know where they come from. I don't believe it's coming from here."
The coach figures part of the criticism just comes with the territory for a team that is 2-5 with a struggling offense, but "any of that stuff's counterproductive."
FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer reported Sunday that Kaepernick is "just alone, on an island in that locker room. There's not a lot of people he connects with. Confidence-wise he's just buried right now."
Tomsula has stressed better communication from everybody, including his quarterback.
"That was one of the things we talked about as a team, communicating, everybody, not just him, all of us in the communication side of things," Tomsula said of a team meeting earlier this month. "If something's on your mind there's a way to talk about things and go. That was close to a month ago. I don't see an island at all. I see a lot of interaction. I see the guys interacting."
Kaepernick's latest forgettable performance came in a 20-3 loss to the rival Seahawks last Thursday night at Levi's Stadium, and San Francisco now heads to St. Louis this weekend. Kaepernick went 13 of 24 for 124 yards with a 68.8 passer rating against Seattle while taking six more sacks.
"No, I don't see him on an island," Tomsula said, noting, "I think I'm a guy that's in the locker room more than most coaches. ... We're 2-5, here it comes, here comes all the stuff. That's the business, that's where we're at. But I don't see it."
San Francisco managed just 55 yards in the first half and finished with 142, fewer than the 164 the Niners managed in last year's Thanksgiving night loss to Seattle and their worst total since 133 yards against the Vikings on Nov. 5, 2006.
Tomsula spent time during the extended weekend break evaluating his roster.
One strategy Tomsula has gone to in order to improve communication is to turn off the music during some team periods of practice to force players and coaches to speak to one another rather than rely on hand signals.
"What happens, the frustration thing. I felt a frustration there. We all do, I'm not going to lie about it," Tomsula said. "We had a tough stretch there and you get frustrated. What I don't want is all that pent up then we start having boom, boom, boom. So I want to be in front of that before anything comes up in that way. Communication is going to help us get better."
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