After a 1-4 start with quarterback Blaine Gabbert, San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly felt it was time for a change. Colin Kaepernick will start at quarterback for the first time since Nov. 1 of last year. A shoulder injury reportedly kept him benched, according to Kelly, but the coach now feels Kaepernick is ready to go.
via ESPN:
“Just to announce, we’re going to make a move at quarterback and we’re going to start Colin this week and give him an opportunity to run with the ones,” Kelly said. “I believe you’ve got to do it at the beginning of the week just because of how reps are distributed.”
“I think I’ve always been confident,” Kaepernick said. “It’s something that I’m ready to step on that field, I’m ready to play. It’s been about a year since live game action. So, I’m itching to get out there.”
“We were very analytical and sat down as a staff and watched the tape, went over everything,” Kelly said. “We had a couple days to kind of digest where we are and I think offensively we need to be better and we just need to make a move. And it’s really not, it’s not Blaine’s fault. I think it’s just as a group offensively we need to be better in a lot of ways so we’re going to see what we can do and make a move here. It’s really one of the only maneuvers we can make based on our depth.”
“When I made the decision on our starting quarterback it was over five weeks ago, we’re talking six weeks of rehab,” Kelly said. “He also missed two weeks of preseason camp, so based upon the time that we had him in preseason camp, he wasn’t ready from a physical or mental standpoint in terms of where we were to start the season and that’s when we made the decision. We’re in Week 6 now of the National Football League. We were talking about that decision after the San Diego Charger game so that was over six weeks ago.”
“It’s a tough deal, but a change is made like that, it’s what the coaches felt best for this team,” Gabbert said. “It sucks. I don’t like it. I don’t like not playing. I’ll be very forward about that. But, at the same time I’m still going to come in to work the same way I’ve always come in to work the three years that I’ve been here.”
