Report: 49ers Wanted to Wait for 'Weak' Falcons Defense to Start Blaine Gabbert

It doesn't seem possible, but it appears the San Francisco 49ers have somehow managed to discard quarterback Colin Kaepernick while shading backup Blaine Gabbert and the Atlanta Falcons in the process.

News that San Francisco (2-6) will bench Kaepernick for Gabbert surfaced after Sunday's 27-6 loss to the St. Louis Rams. Bay Area sports reporter Kyle McLorg first gave word of the move:

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Source: The 49ers are benching Colin Kaepernick https://t.co/qNjjD2VjQG

— Kyle McLorg (@Kyle_McLorgBASG) November 3, 2015"

Ideally, that's where the story would've ended. Kaepernick's out, and Gabbert's in. Collect your tears accordingly.

But McLorg had another interesting tidbit on the situation. According to his source, the 49ers decided they wanted Gabbert to take over for Kaepernick before Sunday's game but were waiting for a more pliable defense for Gabbert to work against.

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Source: 49ers were going to do this last week, but decided to wait so that Gabbert could debut against a weak Falcons defense at home.

— Kyle McLorg (@Kyle_McLorgBASG) November 3, 2015"

If true, this is a bad look for San Francisco. This isn't the beer league Turkey Bowl. You can't write off games in the NFL, particularly if your franchise was in striking distance of a Lombardi Trophy just two years ago. 

Also, it's kind of rude. They might not be the Steel Curtain, but the Falcons have feelings too:

The irony in all of this is that even with the 49ers' franchise-altering quarterback move, nothing has really changed in San Francisco. Ever since coming up short to the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XLVII, the franchise has been an unending oil spill of spite and sideways disgruntlement.

Nothing can happen neatly with the 49ers. Every incident comes with five acres of chewed-up lawn and unnecessary collateral damage. As Vernon Davis reminded us Monday, players don't leave this team peacefully. They flee the building, wrap themselves in a space blanket and immediately regale the world with stories of the horrors they endured within.

As for this Gabbert-Falcons report, I remind you we're relying on the word of McLorg's anonymous source with this revelation.

That being said, if there's one franchise capable of ruining its quarterback's birthday, shading his replacement and riling up its next opponent with a single leak, it's the 49ers.

Dan is on Twitter. He pictures Jed York as the kind of guy who barbecues with napalm "just to make sure."