Colin Kaepernick was unable to play in the San Francisco 49ers’ first game of the preseason, leading many to believe Blaine Gabbert is going to run away with the starting quarterback job. If that’s the case, Chip Kelly isn’t going to admit it.
Kelly told reporters on Sunday that Kaepernick sitting out with a tight shoulder won’t necessarily put him at a disadvantage.
“I don’t look at it as a leg up (for Gabbert),” Kelly said, per Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. “We’re just going to judge them on the opportunities to get in there and go. So if Colin gets in there and does a great job when he’s in, I’m not going to say, ‘Well, he didn’t get as many snaps as Blaine.’
“They’re going to be judged on who moves our offensive football team the best, who protects the football the best, gives us an opportunity to win games.”
For what it’s worth, Gabbert didn’t exactly run away with the job with his performance against the Houston Texans. He completed just 4-of-10 passes for 63 yards and got off to a shaky start, though he did connect with tight end Vance McDonald on a 43-yard touchdown pass.
Kelly, who described Gabbert’s performance as “up and down,” had previously said the quarterback competition would be decided by preseason games. Isn’t that bad news for Kaepernick considering he didn’t play?
“Just … Colin isn’t 100 percent,” Kelly told reporters. “It wouldn’t have been fair to put him in and then judge him on that in the competition. We’re just trying to get him healthy and see if we can get him ready for this week against Denver.”
If you believe the most recent report we heard about the QB battle in San Francisco, things don’t look good for Kaepernick.
