Chip Kelly: “There’s never been a conversation about cutting Colin Kaepernick.”

SANTA CLARA — Here’s a transcript of Chip Kelly’s post-game press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

 

What went into the thinking in starting QB Blaine Gabbert and just giving him the two series?

“We were just trying to break it up by snaps, so obviously, I think, trying to figure out how many we were going to have in the game. We just missed in the first drive with him, but then he came back in the second drive and we had a chance to go down the field and score. Green Bay went back out on the field and had a long drive, so we started to move into the second quarter. We wanted to keep our ones in for both of those guys, so we just felt like how many snaps we were going to get in the second quarter. We were trying to balance it out if we could with [QB] Colin [Kaepernick] and him to see that they both had the same guys to play with, so that you can make some evaluations based upon that the only thing that changed was the quarterback.”

 

How did Kaepernick do?

“He was up and down, I think, like all of us offensively. We weren’t very consistent except for that one drive. I think that was kind of the story of the game. We flashed but we didn’t. We weren’t consistent enough in any range, whether it was running the football, converting, protecting, catching it. We had a couple drives there, I think, where some drops contributed to what we did. So, just disappointed in the offense as a whole.”

 

Do you still consider this competition open or is it coming to a–?

“We’ll sit down as a staff, we’ve got to watch the film. You’re never going to make any decisions just walking off the field in terms of where you are. We’ll sit down as a staff and kind of see where we are, the overall state. First and foremost, we have to be better offensively. We played better in the Houston and the Denver game. We didn’t really play very well on offense at all at any position, so we have to clean that up.”

 

I know they both played with the ones, but did you give consideration to starting Colin Kaepernick and would that have mattered at all in your mind?

“We just thought it was snaps, so we didn’t really, it wasn’t a long discussion about who starts. Starting to me, you can start the game and then the guy goes in on the next play. I think it’s just a ceremonious thing.”

 

One of them has to start week one.

“I understand that.”

 

Does this mean that Blaine Gabbert is likely to be the starter?

“No, it means we’re going to evaluate this like we’ve always said that we were going to evaluate it. Our goal today was to see if we could get even amounts of snaps for those guys with the ones and that’s what we were looking for. I’m just talking about today. I’m not talking about the future or moving forward or anything from that stretch.”

 

With Blaine having started the first two games before tonight, why not give Kaepernick a longer run?

“Again, we were just trying to get the snaps. So, what that was, again, Blaine had three-and-out and then scored and then we took him out. It’s also a byproduct of they had a real long drive, our defense trying to get [Green Bay Packers QB] Aaron [Rodgers] off the field. Aaron had that one long drive that they scored on to tie it back up. It may have been a different thought process if after Blaine’s touchdown we forced them to do a three-and-out. Then all of a sudden, there’s time left on the clock in the first quarter. It was just trying to even the snaps out. We knew once that drive started going, we talked on the sideline that, hey, we’re going to get Kap in there and let him go.”

 

Any thought to keeping Colin in for the third quarter just to give him more snaps?

“No, just because of what we were doing up front and not having [T] Joe [Staley] and that group in there protecting him, I thought it would be a little bit different.”

 

Did you have script plays for this game as if it were a regular season game?

“No.”

 

Is there a timeline when you want to make a decision on your starter? How soon?

“No.”

 

Is T Anthony Davis your starting right guard?

“We’ll see how he played in this game, it’s an evaluation. He’s gotten more snaps in practice and we’re working. And a lot of it is feedback from Anthony and how comfortable is he in terms of us being able to run everything. We didn’t run a whole lot schematically today and a lot of that was we had some guys in some new positions and we wanted to give them a chance to at least do some things that they felt comfortable doing. So, we weren’t very expansive with the playbook and some of that is because we were moving some different guys around.”

 

Why did you guys sit out LB NaVorro Bowman, LB Ahmad Brooks and S Antoine Bethea?

“We just wanted to see, number one, wanted to see the safeties play behind Bethea in that situation. Wanted to take a long look at [DT] Tank [Carradine] and the other outside linebackers, because obviously [LB] Aaron [Lynch] is not going to play in the first four games, so really who is going to play opposite of Brooksey and we kind of know what we have in Ahmad. And, the same thing with Bo, where are we if Bo were to go down and how comfortable are those other linebackers playing the MIKE spot. It was just a chance to get more reps for the other linebackers, the other safeties and the other outside linebackers because we know that Bo, Ahmad and Antoine are going to be there for us when we play the Rams.”

 

You got CB Will Redmond on the field tonight, has he come along as you’ve hoped?

“He’s still a work in progress, but it was good to finally get him back. That was his first game experience. Again, we’ll take a look at the film a little bit more closely to see where he is, but it was just happy. Both him and [S] L.J [McCray], who have not played, and see where they are and also see the effects of where they are, does the game-like situation affect them a little bit from the physical standpoint. We will obviously monitor them as we get ready for this short week against San Diego.”

 

Is Kaepernick comfortable with the entire playbook or do you have to call specific plays?

“No, Kap is comfortable with everything we are doing. So, it wasn’t anything to do with Kap or Blaine in terms of their knowledge. Our quarterbacks are really comfortable. Again, Anthony Davis, it is his first game playing guard. We are moving some different things around there, but it had nothing to do with the quarterbacks comfortability in terms of what we call or what we do.”

 

Do you have any preliminary reports of the severity of WR Bruce Ellington’s and DT Quinton Dial’s injuries?

“No, I don’t. I didn’t get anything. I was told Bruce was a hamstring. I didn’t even get anything on Q. Dial yet, so that’s usually follow-up after this.

 

I ask this because there’s some chatter around the topic, is there any chance Colin would be cut before Week One?

“We’ve never had a conversation about that. That’s never come up. There’s never been a conversation about cutting Colin Kaepernick.”

 

Can you talk a little bit more about Tank Carradine and what you’ve seen from him in his position change?

“Yeah, I think Tank has really taken to it. Playing on his feet, setting edges. He’s a physical force when it comes to rushing the quarterback. I think he had a sack tonight, if I remember. I think he’s an outside linebacker in what we do defensively. He’s not a down guy. He’s not a hand in the ground guy. He is an outside linebacker and we’ve been encouraged with him and that’s why part of our decision with Ahmad was to see if we could get Tank some more snaps, specifically against the ones and we knew with Aaron and that group, that we were going to play against a pretty good offense and let’s see how Tank can do against them. We’ve been really pleased with that transition. He played some defensive end before and was an interior pass rusher, but having him on his feet and playing outside linebacker, I think he’s taken to it.”

 

Why does the offense have so much trouble starting games?

“Well, I think we have a small sample size to say that. I think there’s not one specific thing, if there was you would try to correct that immediately. We had a couple of drops to start a game. We’ve had some missed passes to start a game. There’s a combination of things, but there are signs that they can do the right thing. You look at the second drive that we got out there and did a nice job. Started moving, got into a rhythm. Usually when we get that first first-down things continue to move in a positive direction from then. It’s something, obviously, that we need to clean up because you don’t want to start the game with a three-and-out.”

 

It looked like the turf was coming up. I didn’t see a lot of guys slip. Were you happy with the turf–?

“I saw a couple, but again, I’ll talk to our guys. I don’t think I saw anybody specifically slip because of the turf, but it looked like there were a few divots out there.”

This article has 82 Comments

  1. Grant,

    Can you comment about asking chip vs harbough questions. Is it a relief for the journalists to ask questions to chip who seams pretty eloquent and not antagnostic. Stark contrast to last year for tomsula (eloquent) and to harbough (antagonistic). Or do you miss the banter with harbough?

  2. Grant. Regarding the Packer’s and fourth down? Seems to me McCarthy played the probability game and it worked wonders vs. Kelly’s’ offense – keep the opponents defense on the field, and it’s high paced offense off of it. Not saying this will work every time, but when your on your opponents side of the field it sustains the drive, keeps your defense rested, and tires your opponents defense even more ( compounding when coupled with Kelly style of offense). Is this just situational, or could this be another way to combat the Kelly offense?

    1. The offense was moving just fine while Blaine was playing. The only reason his passer rating wasn’t at 100.0 and his Total QBR wasn’t closer to 75.0 is becasue the swing pass he completed for a TD counts as a run (and lateral). So let’s not pretend the offense sucked with Blaine at the helm. Which brings me to this:

      THE QUARTERBACK COMPETITION THAT NEVER WAS! The fallacy of Grant’s framining of a QB competition.

      Colin Kaepernick claims that the shoulder “tightness” had been building. On Friday, 8/12 Chip Kelly said: “His (Colin’s) throwing shoulder’s, just from the accumulation of what we’ve been doing, is a little sore,” Kelly said. “So, we’re going to monitor that. Hopefully we can get him to play againt the Texans on Sunday.” Kaepernick did not throw in practice for the second consecutive day Friday, so Gabbert took all of the repetitions with the first team offense, instead of the customary 50-50 split with Kaepernick. And so you had it. The much anticipated QB competition that so many 49ers fans had been looking forward to as the highlight of training camp, abruptly ended before it even really started.

      And he we are. Despite the narrative that GRANT COHN was desperately trying to make, which was likely driven by his dislike for Blaine Gabbert, the much anticipated 49ers QB competition never materialized! It wasn’t just Blaine’s job to lose, it was more than that. Kaepernick would have had to absolutely throw down with Blaine, run the gauntlet, and outright take the job from Blaine, like an alpha male lion would overthrow the reigning alpha male and claim his pride of lioness’.

      And Blaine proved to be the dominant lion in 2015, and has only gotten stronger while leading Chip’s offense! The fact of the matter is, Grant was either conciously trying to stoke controversy where none truly existed, or Grant has a complete lack of understanding of NFL players psychology, locker room dynamics, and the relationship between coach and player. And I am not talking about tonight’s incredibly uninspiring performance!

      Contrary to the Grant Cohn’s narrative, this competition was never in question once Colin’s shoulder decided to take a vacation midway through camp.

      How did Grant frame it? “ACCURACY ISSUES COULD SLOT BLAINE GABBERT ON THE $(ERS BENCH” As if competition doesn’t matter.

      In reality, the only thing preventing Chip from making it official and naming Blaine the starting QB for week 1 last week, was the determination Chip made that he needed to keep his word. And since Chip made the decleration that Colin would get an opportunity, on the field, to compete with Blaine for a starting role, that it would be premature to name Blaine the starter, before Colin stepped into the filed and took one, season like snap.

      Here is the point, and I cannot make this point strong enough! How incredibly wrong Grant was on this subject! If the players on the 49ers roster, belived that in any way, the Chip was always leaning towards naming Colin the starting QB regardles of how well he performed in this offense. despite Chip’s words and what he was telling his team. That perhaps all Colin needed to do was simply show up for one game, and complete a couple passes, perhaps orchastrate 1 or 2 effective drives, and Chip would essentially hand Colin the job.

      The reality is, that would have been the worst thing Chip could have done in regards to his tenure as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. It would have sent exactly the wrong message to this young roster, and would have undermined Chip Kelly in the worst way possible. In terms of analogies, it would have sent the exact opposite message that the front office sent by extending Navorro Bowman’s contract way before they had to, in order to send the message that if you have a possitive attitude, dedicate yourself to this team, to your teammates, work your fanny off, show integrity and take nothing for granted that you will be rewarded accordingly.

      And when you give your word as a new HC, that every single player starts with a clean slate, a “reset button” so to speak, and that every position on this team, with the exception of those veterans who have clearly earned their stripes, will be earned FAIR & SQUARE, through leadership and hard work, not politics and favoritism!

      BlAINE IS THE STARTING QUARTERBACK FOR THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS IN 2016/17!

      1. I’m not letting you off the hook on this one Grant. The notion that all Colin had to do was show up, in order to win this competition was fantasyland! Disillusioned fantasyland!

    1. BOY ISN’T THAT THE TRUTH. I WISH THE GUY WAS SITTING ON SOME OTHER TEAMS BENCH TO PROTEST. HE LOOKED INEPT WHEN HE PLAYED THE GUY HAS TO GO HE IS A VERY EXPENSIVE BUST!!

  3. For those of us watching the Rams on this years installment of Hard Knocks knows Jeff Fisher has an actual formation of respect for the players and staff to adhere to during the playing of the national anthem. As I understand other blogs, Kaep refused to stand for the anthem last night. If this is true it is unacceptable. While on company time, I see no reason to allow Kaep to speak or be seen by the press. Kaep is a public relations nightmare and an unpatriotic American. Kaep should be regarded as persona nongrata.

  4. Unfortunately all of this just makes the Niner fans and coaches suffer. Baalke and the ownership should’ve figured out how to cut ties and take this albatross off with her neck and move forward. Now we are a year behind in the process of getting & evaluating the next quarterback. I know we drafted someone in the sixth round. But in our position we should’ve been looking at a QB earlier and maybe 2 in the last draft or a capable free agent for a true competition. Also we are making our new coach deal with something that he should not be dealing with while trying to rebuild this team.

  5. Kap always finds a way to make things about him. Cut the dude tired of his agenda. Not the right forum.
    Hopefully GB cuts Callahan, dude looked like joe Montana compared to the qbs on this roster.

    1. Andrew

      You are correct….it’s too bad he couldn’t find a way to be good enough at football to keep the focus on himself….I think that a few dotted ‘i’s and crossed ‘t’s, and it’s finally over…7torm leaving town….

  6. Not the smartest of PR moves by CK and followed by a bad night, not sure if he will recover. Hope he gets a chance to redeem himself football wise next week.

  7. Everyone wants to be Ali, but Ali was genuine, smart and consistent. Kaep changes with the wind to deflect the real problem that he can’t focus & play quarterback. He needs to get off social media and focus or his career will be gone along with his platform. As for his stance, He obviously doesn’t understand the flag nor those that defend it. And those that say they are standing for respect while stealing a teammates girl-a black teammate none the less–come on dude. Respect starts at home in your actions.

  8. Best for everyone to cut Kaepernick… The guy is losing it as a player and an individual. I’ll take Driskel as a backup for now over that idiot. Someone should also tell Kaepernick there’s no reason to play fake a hand-off when there’s no running back within 10 yards of him :/

    1. Look Kaepernick wants to be traded . He is a third rate QB anyway . He can run , cannot pass on the run and just pass the time of day .If Niners trade him –trade him to say Minnesota –where he can freeze his ass off or Chicag –those fans won’t take any of his crap he likes to throw out. Plus Chicago stinks anyway and he will get his head beat in —probably by his own team mates. Niners– get rid of the ownership -they know nothing about Professional football. Eddie DeBartolo was great –the rest of his family suck. Hell if the threaten to move let um—plenty of other franchises want to come to the bay area. Finally let that 2nd rate stadium go under. You see the turf —they have put in three different turfs since it opened—Candlestick was much better.

  9. You know, usually I tend to be downcast after a loss. Doesn’t matter if its pre season or not, I like to win. This game last night stole that feeling from me, it was stolen from a so called man who sports rust for brains, kraep . kraep you should be a politician as you sure as hell are not a QB. I wish you gone, you are nothing to me. You stupid idiot, the flag is what gives you that right to purge your nonsense. Find another way to spew your nonsensical wisdom. Go riot on the streets or whatever, just keep your political nonsense off the football field.

  10. Wow, my team sucks. I’m not sad or whiney or feeling sorry for myself, just getting used to the idea of another head shaking season. I wish it weren’t so, but if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and none of the QBs could hit an elephant in the ass with a tennis racquet, then it’s a sucky duck!
    I expected the QB rotation to be about what it was, but maybe with CK going into the 3rd a bit. I hoped BG would be better. I hoped CK would be better. After the last couple of years I don’t know who CK is any more. Last night he was that guy I haven’t been enjoying the last 2 years again. It was an important test for him that could have gone a lot of different ways and perhaps given him something to build on. He flopped. Sad for him, for Coach Kelly and for us.
    Now (deep breath)……..Colin knew it was a big test for him that would effect the trajectory of the remainder of his career, not just this season. There was big pressure and he was trying to get his head right before the game (apparently without success), but it’s not a distraction to get off one’s patoot to stand quietly for the anthem. It costs nothing. To opt out seems so……self-centered; egotistical. The opposite of humble.
    The media has been focusing on the QB comp and his finally getting his opportunity. He knew there was much attention on him, but still chose to kind of sulk, or whatever.
    Please do not equate this with Ali resisting the Draft and the War; that was a matter of principle for which he took responsibility (prison time). This wasn’t John Carlos with the Black Power salute at the Olympics either; that was a socio-political statement too. Both those ‘statements’ were about ideas bigger than self.
    For me patriotism is more about paying your taxes, voting and answering the call to jury duty and helping your neighbors at the right times, not flag waving. I’d even support doing away with the anthem at sporting events as its a bit superficial, but if they play the national anthem, then I can stand for it and the person next to me in a wheelchair who can’t stand will put their hat over their heart.
    C’mon man!

  11. I would have to agree with those who posted that Krap needs to focus on football but I also think people are missing what he really just did.

    He stood up for the press: they cover the atrocities of what seems to be racial shootings but the press fails to report the thousands of shootings taking place in our inner cities, that are drug and gang related, across america. (I lived in Bushwick Brooklyn for years where shootings were a regular occurrence)

    He also makes it hard for the ownership to really do anything about it… A white owner reprimanding a black player for taking a stand against black shootings.

    He also made this about him instead of the team for which all the players should be angry.

    Am I against righting some of the wrongful shootings taking place? NO
    Am I against all of the shootings that take place in America on a larger scale each and every day? YES

    Krap needs to keep his political agenda away from the game… tweet or write a blog but stand unified as a teammate and as an American!!

  12. Kaep needs to choose his battles wisely. Sitting while the national anthem is playing, is a sign of protest, but he is a football player, not a social activist. Maybe he should drop all social media and concentrate on football. If he wants people to hate him even more, he is doing a good job. He might even drive his team mates to dislike him so much, they will refuse to catch his passes, which will drive him to the bench, and eventually out of the league.Then he can be socially active as much as he wants.

    Kaep did not steal a GF, but he was socially inept. Even if she said it was over, Kaep should have done the right thing and talked with Aldon, and asked if he still had feelings for her. Then when Aldon confirmed his interest, Kaep should have left her alone. In fact, I hope Kaep drops that woman who I think was partly responsible for the horrid season last year, because his actions caused the team to lose their best pass rusher.

    I hope Kaep drops his twitter and social media accounts, and concentrates on football. He should use every second of spare time to listen to Bill Walsh talk football. They have all his chalk talks on tape, and Kaep would learn a lot more if he could listen to Bill, and not be distracted with extraneous matters.

    I hope he lets his GF gently down and removes that distraction who is acting like Delilah, and weakening him.She seems to have too much control over him, and if she told him to sit while the national anthem played, she is part of the problem. I hope he realizes that his window to play is small, and if he wants to achieve greatness, he should choose his battles wisely, or the outcome will be predetermined before he steps on the field.

  13. Unfortunately, if Kaepernick gets cut the ‘extreme thinkers’ will cry it’s because of his “rightful anti-American protest” when really he just sucks as a QB right now… Therefore I can see Kid York running in circles right now wishing he had the balls to let Kelly do the right thing. These next few days/weeks should be interesting…

    1. Kaepernick is an idiot who has no understanding of the facts. The fact is blacks are shot almost exactly proportional to black-crime rate.

      Crime-rate is the causal driver of being shot by the police, not skin color.

      1. Uh, Tinkerbell (perfect screen name), let’s not pretend this country doesn’t have a problem with police brutality and let’s not pretend blacks aren’t profiled and targeted at a disproportionate rate.

        As a matter of fact, as we saw in Ferguson, there are entire police forces who are disproportionately targeting and discriminating against African Americans. So let’s not be naive a enough to stick are heads in the sand and pretend racism isn’t a problem and doesn’t exist.

        Kap’s mistake, IMO, is using the wrong forum to make his protest. There are a lot of young players trying to make this team, and Colin is taking all of the attention away from them, and the game, when it should be all about football IMO.

        Colin has a valid argument and protest to make, he’s just using the wrong forum, IMO!

  14. The first team offense ran a total of 8 plays last night and scored a touchdown. Would have been nice to see that group get more work together to make any evaluation of their play.

    Prior to the game I said I wanted Kaepernick to be fantastic one way or another, and that’s what happened. He was fantastically bad. Once Kaepernick went in everything fell apart. He was almost completely non-functional. Of his 6 passes only 1 was a clean completion and that was for 2 yards, the other was a terrific play by the receiver to get it and save an interception.

    When Driskel came in for the 3rd quarter you could see the pace of the offense pick up immediately. It’s really too bad that his first few passes were dropped because he was doing his job and putting the ball on people.

    1. Although Gabbert hasn’t been pretty, I like the way Barrows put it:

      Gabbert was 2 for 3 for 14 yards and ran twice for 15 yards. Through three games, he is 12 for 22 for 146 yards, a touchdown and a 90.3 passer rating. He hasn’t been sacked and hasn’t thrown an interception and seems like Chip Kelly’s likely choice to start the Sept. 12 opener against the Rams.

      Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article98285452.html#storylink=cpy

      Is it my imagination or does Gabbert seem more inaccurate so far than last year? I know last year Logan had Gabbert reduce the velocity on his passes. I wonder if he’s stopped doing this.

      1. Cubus,

        I don’t think he’s more inaccurate, he’s about the same from what I remember.

        Completion rate isn’t a complete measure of accuracy, because a poorly thrown ball can still be caught and we’ve seen plenty of that from him. However, I will say his completion rate is driven down by the poor first outing. Over the last 2 games he’s at 75%.

        The sample size is small, but Gabbert’s skill set is a good fit for this offense. I cannot wait for the season to get started.

        1. I don’t think Gabbert has a long future in the NFL but the positive is he is a good bridge QB during this rebuild.
          Let’s move on from CK and take our medicine over the next 2 years while this roster retools. Hoping that Kaepernick was going to be different was wishful thinking. Not even an offense supposedly tailored to his skills set was going to mask his lack of accuracy, precision, leadership and decision making.
          The best thing now is to cut him and or make a trade for some other teams prospect at QB like a Joe Callahan.

          1. Agree with the bridge thing Prime. Some of us said the same thing about Alex Smith back in the day.

            One other thing, this offense is not tailor made for Kaepernick. Never was, and anyone who really paid attention to Kelly or watched his offense knew that.

            Kaepernick can’t get the ball out quick, never has, and he lacks short area burst which is why teams have shut him down on the zone read for the most part since the start of 2013.

            1. I’ll be honest in saying I didn’t watch a lot of Eagles or Oregon games so unfamiliar with Kelly and his offense.
              I believe they have not shown much this preseason. One thing was clear last night is that CK didn’t look comfortable leading that offense.
              As for Gabbert, all he has to do is dink and dunk his way to a top 5 pick and complete year one of the rebuild. Expecting more than 5 wins is crazy unless this defense and run game gets hot and nasty!

              1. They’ll win 8-10. Have said that all along and have seen nothing so far to make me think otherwise.

      2. IMO we all need to settle down a bit on a few shaky throws/decisions from Gabbert, and that’s NOT to excuse him this preseason. Let’s remember he’s learning a new offense, and he’s perhaps doing a little too much thinking, perhaps second guessing a little more than he would otherwise once he becomes more comfortable with all of his reads. Also, he Niners have either been tied, or leading on the scoreboard when Blaine has called it a night, giving way to Thad Lewis, Jeff Driskel, and Kap, despite a few close misses, imagine when he settles down and makes most of those.

        I am cautiously optimistic about Blaine at this point, which is far better in terms of comfort, than what I have seen from Kap, who is (in admittedly a small sample size) scuffling, I mean herky jerky, out of sinc scuffling, and doesn’t feel like he’s anywhere near up to speed with Chip’s system:

        http://www.ninersnation.com/2016/2/20/10878930/chip-kelly-offense-resource-page,

    2. Jack, I agree regarding the QBs. Gabbert isn’t the most accurate QB, but he is a pretty good fit for Kelly’s offense none the less and can get the ball moving.

      Kaep was awful. Yes, first game back and all, but he was incredibly skittish and indecisive which you simply can’t have at the QB position.

      At this point I would have considerably more confidence putting Driskel in than Kaep.

      1. What did you expect Kaepernick to look like in his first game since last November? Thursday’s performance will be a better indication of where he’s at.

        1. How about somewhat functional? He looked exactly like the guy we saw almost all of the first half last season.

          1. I think it was predictable he’d look uncomfortable during his first live action in 10 months.

            1. If we hadn’t seen the same act from him 10+ months ago I’d agree with you.

              Come one Grant, even you’ve written repeatedly that he holds the ball too long and locks in on 1 guy during practices this training camp. That’s exactly what we saw last night.

              1. There’s no certainties in life Grant. He might look ok against the Chargers backups and soon to be FA’s.

                I’ll say the same thing I said before this week, just be fantastically good or fantastically bad. Nothing in between.

            2. You don’t think he looked like the guy who was benched last season Grant? I agree that some rust was to be expected, but the look of uncertainty and inability to get rid of the ball was exactly what we saw last season.

              1. He just missed two weeks of practice and he’s not that good to begin with. I think last night’s performance was predictable and not necessarily predictive of what he’ll do against San Diego. I’m not writing him off just yet. If he stinks Thursday I’ll write him off.

              2. Yeah I understand your point. I don’t want to write him off completely either, but the fat lady is warming up. It was just painful to watch the same issues manifest themselves even in a completely different offense with better play up front.

              3. Oh yeah, she’s doing her scales. He has one more chance. He needs to play well against the Chargers or else the team probably will cut him.

              4. He threw into triple coverage twice. One he threaded the needle, the other should have been picked off.
                Then he collapsed his own pocket and looked to run then decided to throw it away. He’s not understanding to take what the defense gives him. Less is more but add the fact he looks unsettling, it makes others around him uncertain as well and as we know, when the driver is frantic, nothing works!

          1. It was predictable he’d be overwhelmed by the speed of his first game back. Driskel was overwhelmed too, then he relaxed in game 2 against the Broncos. Let’s see what Kaepernick does in San Diego. I’m making no predictions but I’m open minded.

            1. Driskel is a rookie. You expect a rookie to be surprised by the speed of the game. Kaep is a veteran with plenty of starts under his belt. You expect he would be a bit rusty, but not as skittish as he was. Certainly should not have been overwhelmed.

              1. It’s natural to be overwhelmed after such a long layoff. Doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll look the same way next week. You don’t know.

              2. Tony Romo didn’t look overwhelmed in his 1st preseason game this year, despite not playing since November due to injury.

                Plenty of veteran QBs come back after lengthy layoffs due to injury. They may be a little off on their timing, but I can’t recall seeing any look so confused and overwhelmed. It was honestly rookie-like stuff.

              3. That doesn’t mean Kaepernick won’t play well against the Chargers. We don’t know.

              4. Where did I say or even suggest he would stink against the Chargers? All I’m saying is he was terrible against the Packers, and looked completely overwhelmed, which in my opinion he shouldn’t have been.

                If he plays well against the Chargers it will make for some interesting headlines, but ultimately won’t change which QB starts week 1. It is Gabbert’s job barring injury.

              5. Kaepernick missed a lot of time this offseason. Didn’t even get much time in 11 on 11s. Of course he’d be overwhelmed by the speed of the game. Expecting him to play like he did in 2013 was unrealistic.

                Kelly just said the QB competition is ongoing.

              6. Do you really believe that though?

                As coach has said before, there is little value in naming a starter because you never know who will be available.

                I would be very surprised if Gabbert plays more than a couple of series against the Chargers. And given the Chargers will lime,y be playing 2nd and 3rd stringers most ofmthe game, no meaningful information can be gleaned even if Kaep performs well. The competition was played out yesterday. Kaep lost.

              7. The competition is ongoing. Gabbert can’t put it away. Kelly knows he can go back to Gabbert if he names Kaepernick the starter Week 1, but can’t go back to Kaepernick if he names Gabbert the starter Week 1 because in that case York and Baalke probably will cut Kaepernick. Kaepernick just needs to give Kelly a reason to start him, and he can do that Thursday.

              8. Gabbert has looked functional in all of his appearances. Not great, not special just good enough to run the offense at a basic level.

                Kaepernick looked bad. He didn’t look functional. He looked like a rookie playing in his first game.

                You’re suggesting that Kaepernick can go out in the 4th preseason game and earn the starting job by beating guys the Chargers will cut 48 hours after the game is over. Forget that Kaepernick asked to be traded and that the team somewhat tried to oblige him. Forget that he looked lost in his one chance so far to prove that he should be the starter and forget that he’s missed time and reps in practice because of some mystery shoulder ailment. None of that matters because he looked good against the Chargers practice squad players.

                Seems legit.

              9. Of course Gabbert looked functional. He practiced all offseason. Didn’t miss a day.

              10. Yet you somehow forget that fact when considering who the team might want as their starting QB.

              11. Of course I didn’t expect to see him dominate. But I did expect to see a guy that had some composure and was decisive with the ball. Not a guy that panicked if his first read was covered, and didn’t know where to go with the football. He’s not a rookie anymore.

        2. I expected more than what we saw. ‘Rust’ usually means timing and fine tuned accuracy are off. I wasn’t a guy who thought he’d wow and win the job in one outing last night, but he didn’t seem competitive except with his feet.

          1. Blaine likely sits out the entire finally! He’s locked up the job. It’s in the bank Grant!

            Signed, sealed & delivered!

            1. There would be MUTINY if Chip named Colin the starting QB job at this point. And I’m pretty sure Chip doesn’t want a mutiny on his hands to start his new era?

              1. If Kaepernick plays well Thursday and Gabbert continues his mediocre level of play, Kaepernick will win the job.

              2. He won’t but he should. I understand you want to avoid injury, but he needs a lot of work.

              3. And I have to tell you. I went back and compared Blaine’s mechanics during this preseason, and his mechanics while he was starting during the 2nd half of last season. I’ve seen very little difference in terms of Blaine’s delivery. I agree, there is some footwork that can be cleaned up. Always has been, and he could stand to get the ball UP a bit, but he’s always been a guy who prefers to miss low, and not miss high, which I happen to like, and I consider it a underestimated quality.

                I have no idea about this inconsistency in Blaine’s arm slot, motion/delivery, that you have been advertising.

            1. If you had to estimate Kap’s chances of being named starter in terms of percentage (%), what would be Kap’s chances in terms of %?

              I say 5%, what say you?

              1. I have no idea how he’ll play on Thursday. But if he performs at a ‘B’ level, he’ll probably start Week 1.

            2. Wait a second. Are you telling me that Colin still has a chance? ?????

              Blaine may not take another snap Grant. And you are telling me he could still lose this job?

              Wow!

  15. And I have no idea why everyone on this blog arren’t calling out Grant for the straw man of an argument he’s been making the last couple of weeks.

    Grant’s general misunderstanding of locker room dynamics, and the relationship between head coach and team, was incredibly misleading!

    Colin was never really in this competition once his shoulder went out, and at best, he was barely holding on in this “QB Competition” by the skin of his teeth. Yet Grant presenting things in an entirely different light!

  16. Romo has a broken bone in his back. Unclear how long he will be out. Luckily they have Dak Prescott.

  17. Not a great game but I liked what I saw from the pass-pro and the defense, considering a lot of our 1’s sat out. So glad to see Tank come on as an edge rusher, still has to clean up setting the edge.

    I know it was necessary to have Kap compete and of course I was all for it, but BG is obviously the starter and he needs more PT to get a rhythm with the 1’s.

    Any news on the injuries? It seems like every time we have a lot of “depth” in one position, that’s the position that gets tested the most early on. Dial would be a huge loss. We need Dorsey back already.

  18. “never been a conversation about cutting………”

    Well, that’s disappointing.

  19. Kap does make a point with the recent happening involving the black sector and the police community. That wasn’t the time and place to express his views. BUT this also shows he has no idea what the anthem stands for. Maybe someone should explain the stars and strips, the men and women who lost their lives, became disabled or served in the Army, Navey, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. The Korean, WW1, WW2, Vietnam, Middle East Wars. Don’t confuse the National Anthem with a social issue. We as a nation have lost white, black, indian, hispanic in all of these wars just so he can has the FREEDOM to say something STUPID like that. The opressed are not only black but of all nationalities in America. If he is so upset about the killing of blacks. What’s his protest and what’s he doing about all of the black on black murders in Chicago and Baltimore? I don’t like any of this senseless killing at all that America is experiencing now.

  20. How many starting QB’s have led at least 1 TD drive in all 3 preseason games so far?

      1. I’d seriously like to know.

        I watch some of these other games and see guys going 3 & out, throwing short of the sticks on 3rd down, or just not moving the team much.

        The Gabbert stuff I see around here is very much the same as the stuff I saw with Smith even when the team was two muffed punts away from a Super Bowl trip.

        And it’s not just about Gabbert, it’s about the play of the first team offense as well and the complaints there.

    1. Yeah he is. He reminds me of Wilhoite in that he avoids contact. He does not want to get dirty!

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