San Francisco 49ers To Take A Look At Culpepper
Added on Aug 15, 2011 by Jack Thurman in
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The San Francisco 49ers have struggled to find a consistent starting quarterback in recent years, and new coach Jim Harbaugh is considering every option available to him. The most recent addition to the team’s training camp stable is veteran Daunte Culpepper. The 34 year old Culpepper will be brought in for a tryout on Monday.
The move isn’t exactly a resounding vote of confidence for either veteran Alex Smith or rookie Colin Kaepernick. Smith has been a disappointment ever since coming to the NFL from Utah. Nevada-Reno product Kaepernick has tons of potential but faces the brutal learning curve of playing quarterback in the National Football League. Kaepernick definitely didn’t look ready to be the Niners’ top signal caller based on his preseason debut where he completed nine of 19 attempts for 117 yards and threw two interceptions.
Culpepper is an 11 year veteran of the NFL though he hasn’t played in the league since 2009. He played with the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the UFL last season. Harbaugh didn’t give much of an indication what Culpepper’s role with the team would be:
“We’re going to have Daunte in for a workout and kick the tires. I’m looking forward to that.”
According to Harbaugh, Smith is still #1 on the depth chart though he’s yet to commit to him as the starter:
“Alex is No. 1 on the depth chart right now, and Colin is No. 2. They’re still competing. We’ll determine it on who’s practicing better and who’s playing better.”
Kaepernick remains upbeat about his status as potential starter:
“From the start, (Harbaugh) said the best player is going to play. We’re both out there working hard and competing for that starting spot. Ultimately, it’s going to be up to Coach where the chips fall.”
Smith took a more Zen inspired approach to his comments:
“It was a great day to come up here before we play. The sun’s out and it’s nice and windy. That’s really familiar.”
The Niners will continue their preseason schedule next Saturday night against their ‘regional rivals’ the Oakland Raiders. San Francisco lost to New Orleans in their preseason opener while the Raiders lost to the Arizona Cardinals.
