San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers: Handing Colin Kaepernick the Starting Quarterback Job Isn't the Answer

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The San Francisco 49ers are still in a quarterback predicament, and Blaine Gabbert’s recent struggles have prompted questions whether or not Colin Kaepernick should get the starting nod. But this won’t help the Niners offensive woes.

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick isn’t going to revive the Niners offense.

Say what you will about Kaepernick’s past accolades and what he did in 2012 and 2013. But the NFL is still a what-have-you-done-for-me-recently league. In that context, Kap hasn’t done much of anything outside of his on-field protests and raising some important questions.

For now, Blaine Gabbert is starting under center for San Francisco. And his stat lines through two games is anything but impressive. He is 39-of-71 for 413 yards and three passing touchdowns against two interceptions. And his net passer rating on the years is a pedestrian 74.4.

Gabbert isn’t going to win the 49ers too many games. He is who he is at this point, and it’s hardly reasonable to assume he’s a long-term answer.

The Call for Kaepernick?

After the Niners dropped their Week 2 matchup 46-27 to the Carolina Panthers, and Gabbert’s costly two interceptions sealed the deal, one might have wondered whether or not Kap was the answer.

Just look at what Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports wrote:

There are a few problems with this.

Not long ago, Niner Noise broke down why Kaepernick isn’t on the level of a starting-caliber NFL quarterback. We don’t need to rehash the details behind why Kap hasn’t adjusted to how the rest of the league adjusted to him.

But there are other factors here at work too.

Consider this — Gabbert’s Week 1 release time was 2.03 second, per Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus.

Kaepernick’s releases are much longer.

The other issue is Kaepernick isn’t exactly known for his accuracy either. And this is one of the primary focal points for any Chip Kelly-led offense.

One more problem. The Niners lack established receivers. Kaepernick has a history of needing chemistry with his wideout/tight end targets. And he won’t throw to them unless they’re already open.

So far, it’s hard to envision Kap being able to establish this rapport with a wide receiver-needy 49ers offense.

The Only Solution

Kaepernick isn’t suddenly going to come into the 49ers offense and resurrect everything the Niners will try to do.

But KNBR’s Kevin Jones brings up a valid point:

This scenario basically has the 49ers out of contention next month. In all likelihood, they are already.

But maybe the 49ers want to see what they have. At least one final audition for a roster spot in 2017 and beyond.

That’s the only way starting Kaepernick makes sense. Even then, the thoughts of a major reversal in Kap’s trajectory seems unlikely.

More from Niner Noise

For now, the job is Gabbert’s to lose. And it’s going to be much harder for him to lose it than many people thing.

In all reality, the 49ers quarterback question is probably going to be one answered this upcoming offeseason. The long-term solution is what San Francisco needs, and it doesn’t look as if Gabbert or Kaepernick is the answer.

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of ESPN.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.

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