Lowell Cohn: 49ers QB competition a one-man show so far

SANTA CLARA - At first, it looked like the best game Colin Kaepernick never played.

Kaepernick, as you know, has tightness in his throwing shoulder and 49ers head coach Chip Kelly held him out of the 49ers first exhibition game against the Houston Texans. Houston won 24-13, if you're into the totally meaningless.

Which meant quarterback Blaine Gabbert was competing against himself - competing to make an impression on Kelly so Kelly will name him the starting quarterback once games actually matter. But Gabbert was losing the competition - with himself - or with Kaepernick, you make the call. Kaepernick rarely has looked so good in the recent past, and it came so effortlessly to him.

Gabbert, perhaps jittery in his first start of the preseason - understandable - completed only one of his first six passes. Somewhat short of amazing.

Here's a sample of my notes pertaining to Gabbert:

First-and-10: Throws behind (Carlos) Hyde short right.

Third-and-9: Overthrows Hyde short right. Hyde wide open. Too high.

That action, if you can call it action, was from the 49ers' first offensive series which lasted 41 seconds. Forty-one seconds isn't even a minute. You hardly can down a hotdog in 41 seconds or guzzle a beer or think a thought.

Then came the second series. Remember, we're talking only Gabbert throws and his runs in this summary:

First-and-10: Complete short middle to (Vance) McDonald. Plus 11. Nice.

First-and-10: Incomplete to (Quinton) Patton short left. Thrown behind Patton.

Let's give Gabbert a so-so on that second series, an improvement from the first series which graded out at awful. The pass to McDonald really was nice.

Third series:

First-and-10: Pass batted away short right to (Torrey) Smith.

Second-and-1: Gabbert runs for 2. Fans boo.

Third-and-8: Gabbert scramble up middle for 3.

Second-and-7: Slant to Patton, thrown behind him.

Note: This is the point where Gabbert was one for six. Things were looking pretty good for Kaepernick who was excelling in comparison to Gabbert merely by existing.

Gabbert looked so shaky it seemed a stroke of genius for Kaepernick not to play. He was winning the quarterback completion by not competing. And you got the idea he could win the starting job by sitting out the entire preseason with a tight shoulder and, after that, a hangnail or a headache, if necessary.

In other words, Gabbert was losing the competition merely by being himself.

And then Gabbert's world changed.

He hit Bruce Ellington for a gain of six. A few plays later, he hit Shaun Draughn on a nifty screen pass for three.

Then came a beauty. In Kelly's zone-read run offense, Gabbert read the defensive end and kept the ball and ran to the right for 13. It was third-and-10 and he got the first down.

Kaepernick's heart must have sunk at that moment. Running is Kaepernick's deal and there was Gabbert running with passion and there was Kaepernick not running with or without passion. Not doing much of anything. Losing a competition he had been winning by not playing.

Oh dear.

Back to the play-by-play:

First-and-10 at Houston 43: Short left incomplete to (DeAndrew) White.

And then the very next play, and cue the trumpets please:

Second-and-10 from Houston 43: No huddle. Shotgun. Short right to McDonald. Touchdown.

Not in my notebook, but exclusively for you. Beautiful pass and catch. Gabbert showed poise and quarterback presence. McDonald caught the ball, perfectly thrown, at Houston's 29, made one gorgeous cut and ran into the end zone untouched. Gabbert showed he can throw a TD pass 43 yards. Meaning he can strike from far away. Meaning he has a good enough arm. Can execute the kill throw.

And one other thing. The Niners offense gained 302 yards in the first half. Quite an upgrade from the Butcher's offense.

Kelly took Gabbert out immediately after that TD throw even though half of the first quarter still remained. After starting out badly, Gabbert ended up with a 95 passer rating in his three series. Completed four of 10 passes for 63 yards.

On the other hand, Kaepernick had his ups and downs as a spectator, something rare in the NFL. He did very well when Gabbert didn't do well - and we commend Kaepernick for that. But when Gabbert led that TD drive, capped off by that 43-yard beauty, Kaerpernick didn't do so well. Not playing can be very chancy.

Why did Kelly take out Gabbert after only three series? Several answers present themselves.

Kelly didn't want Gabbert, a guy who may be the real starter, to get mauled in a mere exhibition game. Or Kelly wanted to take out Gabbert on a high note, not risk a confidence-crushing pick or fumble. Or Kelly didn't want Gabbert to get too far ahead of Kaepernick in the quarterback duel, competition being good all around. Or Kelly already has decided Kaepernick is hopelessly behind Gabbert and Gabbert is the starter - although he hasn't said so. And Kelly didn't need to see any more.

Afterward, Kelly spoke to the media, Kelly straightforward, direct, refreshing. Didn't sugarcoat it about Gabbert. Said he was “up and down.”

Said he doesn't think Kaepernick is seriously injured. Said it wouldn't have been fair to play Kaepernick and judge him when he's subpar. He'll get his chance. “We're not going to push him so we can have a proper evaluation of him,” Kelly said.

Which means Kaepernick eventually will get on the field - unless he's hurt worse than anyone is saying. My guess - he still has a chance to win the job, an outside chance.

But Kaepernick learned an important lesson on Sunday. Despite his short-lived success doing nothing early in the game, playing generally is the preferred option.

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.