Colin Kaepernick to start for San Francisco 49ers against Buffalo Bills
Wednesday 12 October 2016 09:07, UK
Colin Kaepernick will start at quarterback for San Francisco 49ers against Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
On Tuesday, 49ers coach Chip Kelly announced the decision to bench Blaine Gabbert and restore Kaepernick in the quarterback role he lost midway through last season.
Kaepernick played briefly in the 2016 season opener, but has generated worldwide attention with his refusal to stand for the national anthem as a protest against social injustice.
"We're going to make a move at quarterback, and we're going to start Colin this week," Kelly said.
"(We're) going to give him an opportunity to run with the ones. I believe you've got to do it at the beginning of the week just because of how reps are distributed."
Gabbert has struggled this season for San Francisco (1-4) and is currently last in the NFL in yards per attempt (5.9) and has the second-worst passer rating (69.6) in the league.
"We've had a couple of days to digest everything from where we are, and I think offensively we need to be better and just make a move," Kelly said.
"It's not Blaine's fault. I think as a group, offensively, we need to be better in a lot of ways."
Kaepernick lost his place in the team to Gabbert midway through last season and then had three operations that limited his work in the offseason.
