It's getting harder to find a bright side

There was a fair amount of snickering and guffawing in the newsroom the other day, when the news broke that the 49ers were benching quarterback Colin Kaepernick and starting Blaine Gabbert against the Falcons this week.

Not only that, their starting running back was probably going to be someone they just signed off the street.

The chortling happened within earshot of me — which could have been part intentional, or part ignorance.

And my response to all this ribbing was ...

... Well, what are you going to say?

“Look, you wisenheimers, joke all you want about Yo Gabba Gabbert and Pierre Thomas now. See who’s laughing Sunday.”

Uh huh.

OF COURSE, when Kaepernick was starting, people were ripping him for missing wide-open receivers, caving in when the rush got too close, throwing balls into the ground instead of to his receivers, or beaning unsuspecting people on the sidelines.

And then, when the 49ers — 2-6 and losers of six of their last seven games — decided to give him what amounts to a “mental break,” the 49ers were barbecued for giving up on him.

Come on, now.

A few years ago, he was portrayed in a similar light as the Seahawks’ savior quarterback. But these days, he’s being lumped in with the likes of RG3 — who has fallen WAY out of favor with the Redskins.

Kap’s running ability salivated some folks — but, as we’ve said before, quarterbacks who run usually end up like dogs who chase cars.

So, relegated (mostly) to being a pocket passer, Kap showed a strong arm but not necessarily an accurate one, and seemed to lack touch on throws that needed to be fitted in to tight spots.

Even with a full deck, the 49ers under Kap still had to settle for too many field goals when they got into the red zone.

I’m sure the Seahawks are trembling over the prospects of facing the 49ers’ backup quarterback in a couple of weeks — not that they had any problem badgering Kaepernick, or bludgeoning Vernon Davis, who was freed to Denver earlier in the week.

Perhaps we could bring back J.T. O’Sullivan — he actually won a game in Seattle (in 2008).

BESIDES, LISTENING to the experts in the Bay Area, the problems go far beyond the quarterback — much of the talent from those championship contenders a few years back has left the building, and the people in charge of drafting their replacements have done a poor job restocking the shelves. The result is a team that can’t move the ball, can’t protect the quarterback, can’t throw the ball to its wide receivers, can’t rush the passer, and allows opposing pass catchers to roam wide, wide open through the secondary.

Other than that ...

Gabbert may be able to do some things that Kaepernick could not, but as former Idaho coach Robb Akey liked to say, your starters are your starters for a reason. If he was the answer, he would have been playing by now.

Kaepernick is not the sole reason for San Francisco’s downfall, of course — but the owner isn’t going to fire himself, and probably won’t fire the G.M. — who is responsible for most of the current roster. At least for now.

So while Kaepernick is the fall guy this week, the 49ers have too many problems to fix all at once.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.