For aficionados of the absurd, August arrives like balm. The National Football League gears up for another season and inanities abound.
This year brings the spectacle of Colin Kaepernick and his search for employment as a quarterback. All off-season, he wandered from franchise door to door, rattling his tin cup.
His task did not appear impossible. If he was no longer the star who led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance and a second N.F.C. championship game in consecutive seasons, he remained a capable backup, with a strong arm and the long-legged stride of a wide receiver.