SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Among the many qualities San Francisco 49ers coach Chip Kelly values in a quarterback is the ability to consistently throw an accurate ball.

That's not a groundbreaking idea, as it's something every coach wants in his quarterback. But seeking it and finding it are two very different things, something the Niners and Kelly have been reminded of in the first two weeks of the season.

Blaine Gabbert won the 49ers' starting job in part because he made good decisions with the ball in the preseason, the other quality Kelly values most in a quarterback. But the accuracy lacked then, just as it had in his previous five seasons and just as it does now.

"I think being good in the passing game on the offensive side of the ball takes all 11 guys," said 49ers coach Chip Kelly, with starting QB Blaine Gabbert. Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports

Asked Wednesday about the notion of coaching a quarterback to be accurate, Kelly said it's not something built in and there's a lot that goes into it -- including protection, being on the same page as receivers, throwing mechanics and footwork. If just one of those things is missing on a given play, chances are a pass will fall incomplete.

“There’s a lot to it," Kelly said. "I don’t think it’s as easy as some people think it is. It’s the most difficult position to play because you’re trying to execute something while someone is trying to take your head off. It’s not as easy, I think, as people think, but I think it’s a huge part of being a very, very good quarterback ... the ones with repetitive accuracy is what you talk about on a consistent basis. Not only just getting it to the receiver, but getting it to the receiver in a position where he can go make a play on the ball.”

That's been something that has been difficult for Gabbert, whom Kelly backed as his starter earlier this week, to this point in his career. Although he occasionally flashes the type of arm strength and accuracy that made him the No. 10 overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, the repetitive part has evaded his grasp. So far this season, Gabbert is completing 54.9 percent of his passes, which ranks 31st of 33 quarterbacks to have started a game in the first two weeks. That number falls in line with Gabbert's career completion rate of 55.8 percent.

Since Gabbert entered the league, he's appeared in 39 games, and his completion percentage among quarterbacks with at least 30 games played in that time ranks 44th. More instructive in terms of Gabbert's accuracy (or lack thereof) is his off-target percentage, which measures the number of pass attempts that are overthrown or underthrown and doesn't include spikes or throwaways. Gabbert is at 22.9 percent so far this season, which ranks 27th in the NFL. He was at 27.8 percent with off-target throws in Week 2 against Carolina.

While Gabbert is quick to acknowledge that he misses on some throws, he also echoes Kelly in pointing out that it's not always just a misfire that leads to a pass falling incomplete.

"There’s a lot of factors that go into when a ball is completed or when it’s incomplete," Gabbert said. "It’s not a single guy. It’s not the quarterback. It’s not the receiver. It’s not the O-line. It’s a group effort. Just like anything on offense, when you’re running the football and throwing the football, there’s 11 guys that have got to be on the exact same page for any play to execute at a high level. On incompletions in the game, there was a multitude of factors on why a specific ball wasn’t completed. Sometimes it was the throw, and that goes on me. That’s just something that we’re working to correct right now, and as we go along in the season we’re working hard in practice throughout the week to eliminate that on game day.”

To Gabbert and Kelly's point, the 49ers had five drops in Sunday's loss to Carolina. Some of that is the product of mental lapses, but it's also worth noting that Gabbert hasn't had much time to develop rapport with wideouts such as Jeremy Kerley and Rod Streater, both of whom were late additions to the roster before the season began.

And for the players who aren't new to the roster, everybody is new to Kelly's system. For example, in the preseason Gabbert threw a pass to the flat, and the running back didn't run the flat route, leaving Gabbert to throw incomplete to a spot that would have been an accurate throw had the receiver been where he was supposed to be.

“I think it’s not always the quarterback," Kelly said. "And I try to say that not to take pressure off of Blaine, but just because that’s the case. ... It’s a combination of everything. There’s a lot that’s involved in all of that, and I think being good in the passing game on the offensive side of the ball takes all 11 guys. It doesn’t just take a quarterback that’s an accurate guy, because if you can’t protect him, he’s not going to be very accurate. Or, if your receivers and the quarterback aren’t on the same page, you’re not going to be very accurate.”

At this stage of his career, it's unlikely that Gabbert is suddenly going to become one of the most accurate passers in the league, but he did at least show the capacity for middle-of-the-pack-level completion rates a year ago, when he connected on a career-best 63.1 percent of his attempts and posted an off-target percentage of 18.9, also the best of his career.

If Gabbert can get back close to those levels, it would go a long way in ensuring he hangs on to the starting job moving forward.