San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert has failed to impress as the team’s starter so far, but head coach Chip Kelly is still in his corner.
After a 46-27 loss to the Carolina Panthers where Gabbert completed just 17-of-36 passes and threw two late interceptions, Kelly said on Monday that he won’t be making a change at the quarterback position.
“He’s our starter. I’ve got a lot of confidence in Blaine,” Kelly said to reporters, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. “We’re not thinking or talking about not having Blaine in there. It’s about everybody on offense playing better right now.”
The 26-year-old Gabbert wasn’t much better in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams either. Despite the blowout 28-0 victory, he threw for just 170 yards with one touchdown.
Colin Kaepernick, who has made a few headlines recently to say the least, is Gabbert’s backup, while Christian Ponder is the team’s third-string quarterback. Though Kaepernick said recently that he’s anticipating his next opportunity to start, Kelly was adamant that Kaepernick still isn’t in ideal playing shape.
“I think people still forget — he had a thumb, a shoulder and a knee (surgery),” Kelly said of Kaepernick. “Usually if you have a knee (problem), you can lift with your upper body. Or if you have a shoulder, you can lift with your lower body. But he really was out of the weight room for 6 to 8 months.”
The 49ers get the Seattle Seahawks, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Arizona Cardinals next, three teams that were all top-10 pass defenses last season, per ESPN. While Kelly clearly believes in Gabbert, a couple of more poor outings might force the team to at least consider the possibility of a change.
H/T Rotoworld
