
SANTA CLARA – Colin Kaepernick replaced Alex Smith as 49ers quarterback in the middle of the 2012 season after Smith sustained a concussion that sidelined him for one game.
Now, the quarterback who replaces a struggling Kaepernick is being compared to the veteran player Kaepernick unseated in the first place.
“When we got Blaine on board here, there were some similarities to what we felt Alex Smith went through,” 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst said. “Alex came here, was very young and played, had to slug out a lot of tough situations. And we felt like Blaine had all this talent, and as a young player, maybe a change of scenery would be good for him.”
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Smith got his fresh start in 2011 while remaining with the 49ers. He signed a one-year contract as a free agent and found success under the coachings of Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman. The 49ers traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013 after Kaepernick seemingly established himself as the starter.
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Gabbert, the No. 10 overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2011, is scheduled to make his first start in more than two years on Sunday when the 49ers face the Atlanta Falcons, who are studying feverishly to try to familiarize themselves with what Gabbert might be asked to do.
“We looked at every single rep that he’s done in the preseason,” Falcons defensive coordinator Richard Smith said. “Whoever they play, their system is not going to change. They’re both good athletes. They have strong arms. I’m sure No. 7 is a little faster in terms of mobility on his feet, but the system is not going to change.”
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Gabbert’s biggest matchup will be against Falcons safety Kemal Ishmael, who figures to start for the second week in a row for veteran William Moore, who is sidelined with a groin injury.
“Obviously, he hasn’t been on the field that much,” Ishmael told Atlanta-area reporters this week. “He’s a real experienced guy, so they’re probably going to run the same offense they would run with Colin Kaepernick. So we’re just going to go out there and do what we do – use the tendencies that they’ve been showing all season and just make plays from there.”
Chryst said he believes Gabbert is ready for this opportunity after spending the past season-and-a-half preparing for this opportunity.
“He’s really applied himself well in the classroom, learning it,” Chryst said. “He’s engaged and active. He’s a really bright guy. He probably didn’t have some of the injury history that Alex did as well.
“Last year, I thought he practiced well but in the preseason games he got a little skittish – a little ‘I’m not ready for this.’ And with another year within the system, another year within the organization, which is always more comforting, I thought he had a really good preseason.”
The last time Gabbert got on the field was more than two months ago in the preseason. He completed 82.1 percent of his passes, completing 23 of 28 attempts for 203 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. His biggest duty against the Falcons will be to deliver the ball quickly to his targets before the pass rush gets to him or the safeties read where he's throwing it.
Kaepernick has experienced difficulty getting rid of the football before the 49ers’ pass protection broke down. After being a sacked a franchise record 52 times last season, Kaepernick was thrown for losses 28 times through the first eight games.
Gabbert appears to do a better job of throwing in rhythm. In the exhibition season, Gabbert attempted a pass on average .25 seconds faster than Kaepernick has during the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus.
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“He does get the ball out differently,” Chryst said “That’s just his style of play. We’ll see if that matches up with a spark that we want to get in terms of the pass game, getting the ball out. But our charge is to still get the run game going to get the play-action going and mix that in with some passes.
“And there will be some quick passes, as well as some down-the-field stuff.”
It’s not certain who Gabbert will have as his supporting cast with injuries to the 49ers’ top three running backs, as well as receiver Anquan Boldin likely being listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. The team’s top receiving threat is Torrey Smith, who appears optimistic the change at quarterback could be beneficial.
“From what I’ve seen here, he’s a guy who’s comfortable in the offense and there’s confidence he can make every throw,” Smith said.
“He does a great job of getting the ball out. He understands football, so it’s on us to make him look good -- like it’s our job to help Kap and make him look good, as well.”