San Francisco 49ers: 5 Things To Look For in Training Camp

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Jun 8, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) throws the ball with quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) during minicamp at the San Francisco 49ers Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Who’s the Quarterback?

This question reminds me of the great Abbott and Costello “Who’s on First?” parody.

But seriously, the 49ers badly need one of these guys to step up in training camp and take the role by the horns. A clear cut winner will benefit the team much more than a close competition which just raises more questions.

Irregardless of who wins, the QB needs to have a clear grasp of the game plan and the schemes. He then has to execute it. If Chip Kelly wants an accurate passer, you better be higher than 65 percent on your completions. If he wants you to get rid of the ball within 2.3 seconds, you better be throwing it by then.

For the 49ers to go anywhere in 2016, it all starts with the QB. The running game will be very important too, but if the QB can’t run the offense successfully then 2016 will also be bleak.

Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Blaine Gabbert ranked 27th and Colin Kaepernick ranked 37th out of 38 qualified QBs in 2015. Neither guy excelled. Whoever wins the starting QB job for 2016, needs to be ranked in the top 15 for the 49ers offense to have any hope of being competitive this season.

Let’s hope for one of these signal callers to clearly win camp and take hold in Week 1. The offense will be better off for it.

Next: Who will be the wide receivers?