Willie McGinest and Solomon Wilcots joined NFL Network's NFL Total Access on Wednesday to talk about quarterback competitions around the league as training camps near. When the topic steered over to the San Francisco 49ers, each gave their opinion on the impending battle between Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick for the starting job.
"I think it's going to be Blaine Gabbert by default." answered McGinest when asked which quarterback had the advantage in San Francisco. "Colin Kaepernick has not been able to be full speed in the offseason, hasn't really thrown the football. So you said, 'Going into camp' – it's going to be Blaine Gabbert to start until Colin Kaepernick get's healthy."
"Now I do think that this offense suits Colin Kaepernick better for what Chip Kelly is trying to do," continued McGinest. "With his athleticism, with his arm, throwing the ball down the field – something that fits him perfectly once the season gets started."
That would be one vote for Kaepernick. What did Wilcots have to say on the matter?
"You know Willie, you can't coach courage," said Wilcots. "Blaine Gabbert – at times – been a little skittish in the pocket. So I gotta go with Colin Kaepernick because I do believe that Colin Kaepernick has the skillsets, I think to lead a football team. Now there's been times, of course, when he has struggled, where things have broken down around him, where the team hasn't had the structure, but we've seen him play at a high level. We've seen him take a team to the Super Bowl. And so I think he can be the guy to get it done over Blaine Gabbert."
That would be two votes for Kaepernick.
"I think once the season starts, [Kaepernick] will be the starter, but we're just saying 'Going into camp,'" emphasized McGinest. "'Til he heals up."
"If he's not the starter, certainly this is going to be his last year in San Francisco so his career could head in a totally different direction," added host Dan Hellie.
You can watch the entire segment below with the discussion about the 49ers kicking off at about the 1:14 mark.