NEW ORLEANS — When Colin Kaepernick roomed with Cam Newton at the NFL combine two years ago in Indianapolis, he says he never imagined he’d be playing in a Super Bowl before the eventual No. 1 pick in the draft.
The pair couldn’t have been in more contrasting circumstances: Newton had led Auburn to a national title and was the assumed top pick of the Carolina Panthers. Kaepernick had just spent four years running something called the “pistol” formation at FBS middleweight Nevada. He was just hoping to make a roster.
“At that point I was trying to do anything I could to have an NFL team look at me,” Kaepernick said. “(Being better than him) wasn’t even on my mind at that point.”
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On the contrary, Kaepernick’s high school coach at Pitman High School in Turlock, Calif., says the quarterback had a more aggressive plan.
“I talked to him after that,” Brandon Harris says. “His mentality was, ‘You know what, I’m going to crush that guy.’ ”
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Newton went on to win the rookie of the year award while Kaepernick rode the bench after San Francisco chose him with the 36th pick in the draft. In 2012, Newton leveled off with a lower completion percentage and fewer yards and touchdowns while the Panthers finished 7-9. Kaepernick supplanted Alex Smith in midseason as San Francisco’s starting quarterback, leading the 49ers to a 7-2-1 finish leading up to Super Bowl XLVII vs. Baltimore.
Kaepernick won’t say it’s gratifying to have bested Newton, but Kaepernick’s mean streak is noted by his brother, Kyle, who remembers Colin exploding as a high school basketball player.
“If someone elbowed him or pushed him; if it became personal and he got angry, he would just totally take over a game and just dominate,” says Kyle, who is 10 years older than Colin. “And we wanted that to happen. I’d be sitting in the stands like, ‘man I wish that kid would just elbow him right now.’ I’ll bet you Colin got technical fouls more than any player on their team, believe it or not. As soon as someone would elbow him he’d turn around and shove them.”
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About the Author
Robert Klemko
Robert Klemko is a reporter covering the Ravens, Redskins and the rest of the NFL who clings desperately to the belief that defense still wins championships.
