At a time when 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick hopes to improve his game by changing it dramatically, a teammate has offered some clear advice for Kaepernick: Don’t.
“To be honest with you, I just think he has to just block out everything else around him,” receiver Anquan Boldin told SiriusXM NFL radio on Wednesday, via ESPN.com. “Stop listening to what people have to say about you. Stop listening to what people want to see you do. And just be yourself.
“I think sometimes when you try to go off suggestions of other people and try to please other people, you forget who you are and what got you there.”
That’s great advice, but Kaepernick already has embraced advice to change his game, trying to become more of a pocket passer, staying patient and looking for open receivers in lieu of tucking the ball and running away with it.
“Trust your skills,” Boldin said. “Trust the athletic ability you have and just go for it.”
Again, it’s great advice. But it conflicts with the path Kaepernick already has selected. Which sends the kind of mixed messages that ultimately could create a dilemma for Kaepernick, who’ll be facing questions from teammates about abandoning his physical skills at a time when a conscious effort is unfolding to do exactly that.