Daniel Kilgore has become a veteran locker room leader for the 49ers. The center was one of the first teammates to respectfully disagree with Kaepernick’s kneeling protest. He’s not afraid to speak his mind.
In an interview with Tolbert and Lund on KNBR 680, Kilgore said he feels sorry for one of his favorite teammates, Blaine Gabbert, who was recently sent to the bench on Tuesday by coach Chip Kelly.
“Yeah, it sucks,” Kilgore said. “Blaine’s my best friend on the team. I wanted to see him do well. But at the same time, we all have a job to do. He wasn’t playing up to his full capabilities. He knows that. The coaches decided to go with a change.”
Kilgore confirmed the 49ers will be using a silent count this week on their road trip against the Buffalo Bills. Other than that, the switch to Kaepernick won’t require anything drastically different from the offensive line.
“Luckily, it’s not anything new for Kap and I to work together,” Kilgore said. “We’ve been on this team the same amount of years. Came in together and worked with each other ever since 2011. It’s no different for me.”
Kilgore joked the biggest difference Kaepernick brings to the huddle is his new, massive afro. Kilgore, like many others, truly believes Gabbert and Kaepernick are very similar quarterbacks.
“Kap’s got the arm strength and the speed. Blaine’s got the speed and the arm strength. It’s nothing different, really, as far as one being able to do better than the other. They are both pretty similar style of play.”