“Obviously, you’d want to get it done sooner rather than later”, he said. “That’s really up to the coaches, when they get reps, how they share reps”.
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“He knows that going in”, Kelly said.
There is no time frame for naming a starting quarterback as the 49ers build for the first regular-season game on September 12 against Los Angeles Rams. “We’ll see where he is from that standpoint, but mentally, he was really sharp in the spring and really impressed with him from that standpoint”. Those ailments cost him the final seven games of last season and rendered him a spectator for the bulk of the 49ers offseason program. But Gabbert isn’t taking anything for granted, either. “That’s just the way this business works and that’s what makes it so fun because it always kind of pushes you to be the best”. You prepare like you’re the starter.
“As you saw today, he s ready to go”.
Along with holding side sessions with his teammates, Gabbert prepared to run Kelly’s offense by adding rigor to his offseason training program in St. Louis, such as running in between throws to condition his body to the fast-paced offense. But with the injuries that have slowed down Kaepernick, Kelly is leaning towards having Gabbert take over the quarterback chores at the start of the season.
Kaepernick, who has been medically cleared to participate, will have to prove to Kelly that he can move the ball without turning it over.
While much has been made of Kaepernick’s speed and athleticism and what those attributes could yield in Kelly’s offense, it’s important to note that Nick Foles was his most successful National Football League quarterback and he’s not exactly a great athlete. “Which quarterback can handle what they’re doing and get the team in the end zone”.
“A lot of the stuff we do is similar to what I did in college, so I have a little bit of that to fall back on, as well as the reps I did take in the spring helped”, Kaepernick said. “He wasn’t going to be able to play this season”.
For now, the 49ers are wise to take a patient approach, let things play out and make an educated decision later rather than a hurried one sooner.
Gabbert played his first three years in Jacksonville before jumping to the 49ers in 2014.
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He said that he loved Nick Foles, but, “right now our eggs are in Kap and Blaine’s basket, and we’re gonna see what those guys can do, and very confident in what they can do”. “So, it’s a good situation to be in”.
