San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula has insisted that he has full confidence in quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

The 27-year-old struggled for consistency with the NFC West side last season as the club posted an 8-8 record and missed out on the playoffs.

However, Tomsula feels that the criticism of Kaepernick was over the top and is upbeat that he can return to form in the 2015 season.

Tomsula told NFL Network: "When we go back to the criticisms on Colin - look we were 8-8 last year. Everyone takes a big bite out of that sandwich. Colin touches the ball every play.

"He's the guy when we win, he gets a little bit more than he probably should, and when we don't win, he gets more than he should. Statistically and all that kind of stuff, people throw those out there - Colin had his best year, OK.

"Colin is working down in Arizona. He's a great dude. He's a real good dude. He's a good teammate. He's a neat cat. Colin's going to do real well. Colin's a great football player and even better person. We're really excited about Colin."

Kaepernick threw for 3,369 yards along with 19 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in the 2014 campaign.