Lowell Cohn: What 49ers have to pick from in quarterback competition

SAN FRANCISCO

If Blaine Gabbert were a better quarterback, he’d have sewn up the 49ers’ quarterback competition by now.

Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick had their chances running the offense at 49ers practice on Wednesday at Kezar Stadium - a nice touch for old times’ sake. Both quarterbacks did well enough. Neither was great.

Before I give you a look at practice, here’s the background. People assume Chip Kelly’s offense is better for Kaepernick than for Gabbert. That Kaepernick will adapt more quickly, that the offense will emphasize Kaepernick’s skills better than Gabbert’s.

In a limited sense, that’s true. Kelly uses a read-option scheme, kind of a college thing. The quarterback surveys the defense and hands off to the running back. Or fakes handing off to the running back and runs with the ball himself. Kaepernick is a very good running quarterback. Better than Gabbert, although Gabbert is pretty good himself.

If the read-option were the sum total of Kelly’s offense, Kaepernick would be in like Flynn - whoever Flynn is. But the read-option is not the sum total of Kelly’s offense. Kelly uses the West Coast passing offense. Has said so.

You and I know the West Coast Offense. Every 49ers observer knows the West Coast Offense. It is a timing offense. The quarterback throws the ball before the receiver even looks for it. The receiver and the ball meet at the appointed place. And - important point here - the quarterback gets rid of the ball fast.

You with me?

One more thing. The West Coast Offense is a multiple-read offense - quick multiple reads. Basic to the idea of the West Coast Offense. When you see a quarterback move his head left to right - or right to left - you know he’s reading the field, going through his options, one-two-three.

A quarterback can’t do this, he can’t run Kelly’s passing game.

Gabbert is expert at going through his progressions. His head moves like he’s reading. Because he is reading. Reading in rhythm with his receivers. The fans at practice saw that if they looked for it. Kelly sure saw it.

Kaepernick? Not an advanced reader. Consistently - painfully - locks onto his first option and gives him the death stare. Everyone in Kaepernick’s vicinity sees the death stare. In the Wednesday practice, Kaepernick generally threw to his No. 1 receiver. Occasionally, to the No. 2. Never to No. 3. Gabbert was able to find his third option when required.

Which means Gabbert - not Kaepernick - is a natural for Kelly’s passing game. With Gabbert there probably is a higher ceiling for what Kelly wants to do. And Kelly wants to do a lot. Kelly thinks so much of himself. He is not a grind-and-grunt coach. He is an artist. With his West Coast Offense, he is an heir of Bill Walsh.

It is hard to imagine Kelly settling for Kaepernick, for the quarterback who stands there and looks - even with no pass rush. Who takes too long trying to see what he already should have seen.

In the season, that tardiness translates into sacks. Kaepernick never will achieve the timing of Kelly’s passing game.

When Kaepernick can’t find a receiver, he runs. Flees is more like it. He’s a throwback to the 1960s. Look at your receiver the whole way, just him, and heave the ball long. Kaepernick constantly gets stuck on one read - did it Wednesday. He reads and hopes. Hopes his guy gets open. He becomes a cheerleader rooting for his one and only read. And his passes don’t meet the receiver at the appointed place. Kaepernick throws only when he has confirmation his guy is open. Call that a lack of faith. Or a lack of ability.

Walsh never would have tolerated him. Maybe Kelly won’t, either.

Except for one thing. Although Gabbert is ahead of Kaepernick in every mental aspect of the passing game, he is not a better passer. Both are so-so in that department. Gabbert should be cleaning Kaepernick’s clock. But he isn’t. Neither quarterback is good enough to grab the job outright. To take hold of it.

Here are my scratchy, abbreviated notes on passes from one 7-on-7 drill. CK means Kaepernick. BG means Gabbert.

CK: Looks at one guy.

CK: Looks at one guy.

CK: Looks at one guy. Picked. No, throw was outta bounds. Lucky Kap.

CK: Throws it away. Painful to watch this.

CK, third-and-10: Outta bounds. Threw late to 2nd read.

BG: To first read. Deep. Nice. Dropped.

BG: Second read. Dropped.

BG: First read. Complete. Gets ball out fast before receiver made break.

BG: Scramble.

BG: 2nd and 4. Looked right. Came back left. TD! Kap never does this in his life.

CK: First read.

CK: Throws late.

CK: First look, overthrow.

CK: One read.

CK: One read. Bad pass. Incomplete.

In a later 11-on-11 drill, Kaepernick always went to this first read. One throw he telegraphed - his specialty - and almost got picked. Next throw was behind a receiver.

Gabbert wasn’t much better when he took over. In one series, he made two bad throws and ran twice. On the next series, he threw three incompletions - one behind a receiver. Then he threw a nice completion downfield.

Which means the starting job is up for grabs between these two, for better or for worse. No Joe Montana out there.

For more on the world of sports in general and the Bay Area in particular, go to the Cohn Zohn at cohn.blogs.pressdemocrat.com. You can reach Staff Columnist Lowell Cohn at lowell.cohn@pressdemocrat.com.