San Francisco 49ers' QB competition is a good thing

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- While fans and the media following the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback competition this summer have focused on who is winning, new coach Chip Kelly always has stressed another aspect of the duel.

The fact that there's a competition.

The 49ers learned why having multiple capable quarterbacks, regardless of who starts, is a good thing Monday when it was revealed that third-string candidate Thad Lewis had suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Sunday's preseason opener.

The injury occurred on a scramble, one of 12 attempted by 49ers quarterbacks in their 24-13 loss to the Houston Texans.

Jeff Driskel picked up 61 yards on five runs, Blaine Gabbert 18 on three and Lewis 10 on four, an 89-yard total that was better than 11 teams' total rushing production on Week 1 of exhibition play.

And let's not forget: A quarterback who once rushed for 181 yards all by himself in an NFL playoff game didn't play against the Texans because of a sore shoulder. That would be Colin Kaepernick.

"I think playing the quarterback position is based off decision-making," Gabbert explained, noting that pulling the ball down and running is a part of the process. "You've got to make smart, fast and quick decisions, take care of the football and not turn the ball over.

"If you're forcing balls downfield that aren't open, that goes back into that decision-making category."

On a day when Kaepernick sat out, Gabbert, Lewis and Driskel all said they made throws they wished they could have back.

The message is still sinking in even after 12 quarterback scrambles: When in doubt, run.

"If there is an opportunity to run the ball," Driskel said of his 61-yard day, "I'm going to take it."

The question is: How long can the team continue to put its quarterbacks at risk 12 times in a game? It already cost them one.

As a team, the 49ers ran well. Their 236 rushing yards were the second-most in the league.

But afterward, before he knew how seriously Lewis was hurt, Kelly was more concerned about what had gone wrong than the big rushing total.

"Honestly, I was not very pleased with the turnovers," he insisted. "That was the biggest thing that really stuck out to me."

One of the turnovers provided the difference in the game.

The 49ers had a nice drive going in the first quarter, having gotten a 22-yard run from Carlos Hyde and an 11-yard completion from Gabbert to tight end Vance McDonald.

But with the team approaching midfield, Hyde fumbled on a rushing attempt and the Texans' John Simon returned it for a touchdown.

Lewis also lost a fumble on a day when the 49ers lost the turnover battle 2-0.