Quinn: Falcons prepare for 49ers' offense, not just Gabbert

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Atlanta Falcons first-year coach Dan Quinn said his team’s preparation to face the 49ers is less about focusing on quarterback Blaine Gabbert than trying to understand what the 49ers want to do on offense.

“It’s not the first time you’ve had a quarterback change or an injury,” Quinn said Wednesday on a call with Bay Area reporters. “When a quarterback doesn’t play, I treat it like an injury. OK, if he’d gotten injured last week, would we have panicked today? Hell, no.

“So let’s make sure we understand the scheme and understand all the stuff they have. They have a big playbook. They have a lot of options to go, so our preparation comes down to, let’s make sure we’re really detailed in our prep for whoever plays at QB, and that way we’re not so focused on one player.”

[RELATED: Falcons take to Twitter, troll 49ers' plan for Gabbert]

Coach Jim Tomsula informed Colin Kaepernick on Monday night that Gabbert will start Sunday against the Falcons, a source told CSNBayArea.com. Kaepernick’s mobility is something for which Quinn had to prepare as defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks the past two seasons.

Kaepernick rushed for 130 yards in the NFC Championship game following the 2013 season, as the then-offensive coordinator Greg Roman devised a unique quarterback-draw concept in which the 49ers’ wide receivers ran down the field to spread out the Seahawks secondary and create more room to run.

That is one thing Quinn probably will not have to worry about with Gabbert at quarterback. But, he said, he expects other wrinkles from 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst.

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“It’s one of the cool parts about coaching in this league,” Quinn said. “Concepts come up and you’re like, ‘Whoa, where did that come from?’ You battle like crazy during the game and draw it up on the sideline if it comes up again.

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“There will be some unique stuff this week, for sure, just like there is in a lot of games. We call those unscouted looks. And you just have to trust your rules and preparation and you go play.”

The Falcons’ Matt Ryan, the losing quarterback to Kaepernick and the 49ers in the 2012 NFC Championship game, said he has not followed San Francisco's quarterback situation close enough to comment.

“I know that in the past, having gone against Colin, he’s played well every time we’ve gone up against him,” Ryan said. “He’s certainly a great competitor. I remember playing out there on a Monday night. He had a long touchdown run that was very impressive, and in the championship game, he played really well.”

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