Putting Kaepernick on ice temporarily, and giving Gabbert the job for Week 1 with some equivocation down the road… is the way Kelly-Baalke-York can get through this… for now.
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Kelly said he has not yet talked to general manager Trent Baalke about what quarterback they might sign to replace Lewis.
OK, it’s not like Kelly is choosing between Steve Young and Joe Montana in their primes. or even between a young, unburdened Kaepernick and a playoff-proven Alex Smith.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) is photographed during warmups before the Houston Texans NFL preseason game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, August 14, 2016.
But Kelly has to pick somebody to play QB for the 49ers on September 12 against the Rams, and every available sign points to Gabbert.
Colin Kaepernick, five months after exploring a trade to the Denver Broncos, found himself on their field Wednesday in a joint session with him still in a 49ers uniform.
“I’ve been out a while because of my (foot) injury, so I’m just trying to get back in the groove of things and get that game-feel back”, Hyde said.
If he is fully healthy, and if this is truly an open competition, Kaepernick should get the start, but it also means he is likely to face Denver’s vaunted first-team defense. With 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick nursing a tired right arm; Lewis was the first off the bench behind starter Blaine Gabbert against Houston. On the plus side, there was the dominant running game that surely brought a smile to Kelly’s face and a 43-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Blaine Gabbert to tight end Vance McDonald.
Coach Chip Kelly said Monday that Lewis tore his ACL on a scramble Sunday against Houston and will need season-ending surgery.
“To put on the Texan uniform, and run out of the tunnel as a team for the first time, it was certainly special”, Osweiler said. Back to Prescott – the knocks on him coming out of Mississippi State were the offense that he ran (Tim Tebow-ish spread) and accuracy issues (which he actually seemed to clear up his senior year, but whatever).
So sore arm or not, game action or not, Kaepernick is still in the mix. Ponder filled the opening left by Thad Lewis, who went on injured reserve after tearing a knee ligament Sunday in the exhibition opener against Houston.
So does Gabbert have a leg up in this competition due to Kaepernick’s shoulder soreness? “Things like that, but we got another day to get better and we play them on Sunday”. Gabbert has been given most of the snaps during training camp. They could only win two games, but by the same end, we have seen a highly successful Kaepernick lead a team to the Super Bowl.
He has started nine games the following year and just one game in 2014. Kelly has declared no one the victor or necessarily the victor, even.
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But, as Cam Inman reports from on site, Kaepernick isn’t throwing.
