Archives for October 2016

'Inside the stadium, Kaepernick took the field to plenty of fanfare. The 49ers fans in attendance got inside the stadium early and took pictures with the quarterback. He got the usual boos with the rest of his teammates when the 49ers were introduced closer to kickoff. As the teams got ready for the national anthem, Bills fans booed the quarterback one more time and started a "U-S-A" chant. Some in the stands attempted to sing along with the anthem, but the scene was tame otherwise. Just another game day.'

'Kaepernick's shirt on Sunday featured the late Muhammad Ali, a man known for standing up for what he believed was right. Although beloved later in life, there was a time where Ali also faced criticism for fighting for civil rights and refusing to serve in the army during Vietnam.'

'“We lined up to play this week. We put absolutely everything into winning this one, not thinking about anything else on the horizon,” Ryan said.'

'“We haven’t played a perfect game yet by any means, but guys have gone out there and made plays,” Taylor said.'

'"And another thing, it's the guys up front," McCoy added of his offensive line. "I mean, they're really getting their blocks. They're hitting every time. There's not a favorite left or right, they're all blocking together. That's a lot of credit to the guys up front and they're making my job easy just to go one-on-one with defenders. That's not that hard, so that's the reason I think I'm playing like this. And also, I've been working hard and as a player you read things sometimes. You see things and you know, it drives you. I think that, the hard work and the guys up front, that's it, simply."'

'Lorenzo Alexander registered his league-leading eighth sack of the season. He forced a fumble on the play and the Bills nearly recovered the ball. Alexander has recorded a sack in each of the Bills' six games this season.'

'"That’s huge. I think it’s something that, once again, people are realizing this is a real issue that affects many people," said Kaepernick of the support. "It is something that has to be addressed. Until us as people recognize and address that some of us have privilege, some of us don’t. Some of us are able to do certain things without consequences and others of us can’t.'

'“I don’t understand what’s un-American about fighting for liberty and justice for everybody, for the equality that this country says it stands for. To me, I see it as very patriotic and American to uphold the United States to the standards that it says it lives by. That’s something that needs to be addressed.”'

'When Kaepernick lined up for the 49ers first series, Buffalo fans showered him with jeers, but in subsequent possessions the booing subsided. And despite the politically fraught backdrop, the game settled into familiar rhythms.'

'“When he gets the ball, he knows what to do with it,” quarterback Tyrod Taylor said. “There’s only one or two guys — maybe just him — that could do that in the NFL.”'

'It looks very much as though this 49ers season will be remembered primarily for Kaepernick’s protests. The team is now 1-5.'

'A group of Bills fans walking through the lot chanted calls for justice and held up Black Lives Matter signs. A plane also reportedly flew a sign over the stadium that called the QB “courageous."'

'One fan screamed, “Your parents don’t even like you” — a possible reference to his birth mother disagreeing with his stance.'

'“I don’t understand what’s un-American about fighting for liberty and justice for everybody, for the equality this country says it stands for,” Kaepernick told reporters. “To me, I see it as very patriotic and American to uphold the United States to the standards that it says it lives by.”'

'And it ended just the way Bills’ fans hoped — with an EJ Manuel kneel-down as time expired.'