That was the first time Colin Kaepernick ever ran wild on us like that. Watching tape of him, we'd always see these explosive plays that he was getting against other teams.
It never really happened to us until last week.
He's a fast guy as it is, but he seemed even faster when you take into account the game plan they ran against us. It was unusual. They really seemed to want to keep the ball in his hands.
They were running phantom routes like they were trying to get open, but they were just decoys so Kaepernick could run, almost like it was a draw. It makes it tougher to get to him because you have to deal with blockers already down the field. It's always going to be a mismatch. When he gets into that second level with the linebackers, he's going to out run them nine times out of 10.
Sometimes, he can even separate from players in the secondary.
One of his strengths as a runner is his height. He has such long strides, it causes you to misjudge his speed. It doesn't look like he's running that fast. But once you get close to him, his stride is so long, he's just running away from you.
To watch that guy take over the game — he did a hell of a job of making play after play. That's a special player right there. He plays for the 49ers, one of our biggest rivals, but I have to take my hat off to him. He played a hell of a game.
He also throws one of the hardest balls in the league, almost like a baseball player, and it comes out like a fastball. Hot. The play I had against Boldin in the end zone, Kaepernick was jumping up in mid-air as he threw. That was a dime. I was kind of surprised he even threw it. They usually don't when I'm that close in the area.
Boldin kind of gave me the look of a crease route, like a post, so I tried to keep my eyes glued on him. In those situations when a quarterback scrambles, it becomes a little chaotic and you just want to try to stay with your man. Those are tough situations when you have to run in circles with your receiver. He'll kind of push off as you try to find the quarterback, and now you're trailing him as the quarterback makes a hell of a throw.
It was good offense vs. good defense and as a defender, I just think it was better offense. I should've made that play, but there's nothing I can do to change it. You just have to stay positive. The only thing I'd correct: I'd probably keep my eyes on Boldin a little bit longer so that I was in better proximity with the quarterback throwing the ball. I still thought I had a chance at the interception — that's why I cut him off — but I have to at least get my whole hand on that ball and tip it incomplete.
It's a learning experience.
