Hall of Fame DB Ronnie Lott expects the Bills to try and take Colin Kaepernick’s head off this Sunday in Buffalo. They are going to barrel down on the quarterback, in and out of the pocket. He’s not the same strapping specimen he was in 2013.
Most 49ers analysts, bloggers and fans aren’t expecting Kaepernick to suddenly blossom back into a top quarterback. But Lott foresees a scenario where Kaepernick still flourishes his old skill set that set the NFL on fire a few seasons back.
“Again, this guy’s an athlete. This guy’s not only a great athlete, but he’s had moments like Tom Brady,” Lott said. “Did he have the consistency of Tom Brady? No. But I will say this: his athletic ability and all those things that he has that are natural to him, he’ll be able to use those. And the question is, will he be able to use those with this type of offense? I think he’ll be able to use those type of skills with this offense. And is should bode well for him.”
It’s clear within the last four weeks that the 49ers defense has struggled — mightily. They’ve given up touchdowns and big plays, especially in the run game. So how does the Hall of Fame Defensive Back think the 49ers stop will stop LeSean McCoy and the Buffalo offense? His hopes aren’t as high for defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s unit.
“It’s going to be hard to maintain the integrity of the defense,” Lott said. “People get out of position. They are not really maintaining their lanes. Their not maintaining their areas. That’s what we saw early on in the first couple games. When you start to see that, you start to realize teams are going to take advantage of things they don’t do well.”