SANTA CLARA – Blaine Gabbert’s toughness was often questioned during his three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars after arriving as the No. 10 overall pick in the 2011 draft.
But his 49ers teammates were raving about that characteristic after the 49ers’ 17-16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Gabbert’s starting debut on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. Gabbert took over for Colin Kaepernick, who found himself on the sideline for the first time since replacing Alex Smith as the starter during the 2012 season. And Gabbert played well enough for the 49ers to get back in the win column for the third time this season.
“With him not playing the whole year and then to step in like this and do what he did, I think he’s a really good player and he’s a tough guy,” 49ers tight end Garrett Celek said.
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Celek was the immediate benefactor of Gabbert ascension to the starting lineup, as Celek accounted for both 49ers’ touchdowns with receptions of 1 and 11 yards.
“Blaine is a good quarterback,” Celek said. “I just happened to be open and he found me and I got the ball.”
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Gabbert played all but two snaps in the 49ers’ victory. He was removed for two plays when the medical spotter ordered Gabbert off the field in the fourth quarter in order for him to undergo testing for a concussion. Gabbert absorbed a helmet-to-helmet hit from Falcons linebacker Philip Wheeler – a play that warranted a 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty.
San Francisco 49ers
Running back Shaun Draughn, who signed with the 49ers last week, said he has quickly gotten to know Gabbert since coming to the organization.
“I met with Blaine a couple times, just to hear his lingo and what he’s feeling about the game,” said Draughn, who rushed for a game-high 58 yards on 16 attempts. “He’s a take-charge type of guy. I don’t know if you heard or saw when he got taken out of the game. He’s a competitive guy.”
Said Gabbert, “I was a little fired up, but that’s the protocol that we have installed now and it’s all for the safety of the players. So, you’ve got to respect their decisions and go through kind of the steps to get cleared. I felt fine. There was no doubt in my mind that I wasn’t coming back in.”
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Gabbert’s touchdown passes to Celek snapped a streak of nine consecutive quarters in which the 49ers failed to reach the opponent’s end zone. Gabbert completed 15 of 25 passes for 185 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
“Confidence, determination and then great leadership,” 49ers fullback Bruce Miller said of Gabbert. “You can feel it in the huddle with all of our guys.”
Gabbert was often criticized for being skittish in the pocket and not standing in against the pass rush earlier in his career. Gabbert was not sacked on Sunday, and he also gained 32 yards rushing.
“I think just knowing that check-downs aren’t a bad thing,” he said. “I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t comfortable in the past, but certain situations, certain plays, certain twists that the defense would run create you to move outside the pocket.
“But, at the end of the day, I told that O-line I was going to stick in there and take some shots to the chin but get the ball out and our running backs did a great job on check downs and our receivers did a great job getting open quickly.”