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San Francisco 49ers: 10 Early Predictions for 2016 Regular Season

By Trevor Irvine

January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Chip Kelly addresses the media in a press conference after being introduced as the new head coach for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 20, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Chip Kelly addresses the media in a press conference after being introduced as the new head coach for the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks on next to quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Falcons 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) looks on next to quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Falcons 17-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Blaine Gabbert wins starting QB job

Out of the four quarterback’s on the current Niners roster, only Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick are the potential starters.

QB Thad Lewis is just a camp body, and sixth-round pick Jeff Driskel is the team’s likely future starter, but he is a minimum two years away from getting on the field.

So it comes down to Gabbert and Kaepernick. Kap had a poor 2015 season. A lot of it was on him. Some of it was on the porous offensive line. Another part of it was the horrendous play calling.

We are not at the point of giving up on him completely. However, he has a major disadvantage of having to go through his extensive rehabilitation period after his three off-season surgeries. He just will not be able to run the new offense through camp.

Gabbert was fair in his limited action in 2015. He played some good games and he had some below-average games. He did show better awareness in the pocket, using his feet better and making better decisions.

But there is still much room for improvement in his decision-making and his downfield throws. He took 25 sacks in eight games, and despite having a career-high 7.2 yards per attempt, the leading QBs in this category all averaged over 8.0 yards per attempt.

The good news is he is on the improve (in terms of his career). He is healthy and is learning the offense, but more importantly he is being able to practice the new offense onto the field. He will be the team’s starting QB going into this season.

Next: Defensive MVP: Jimmie Ward