SANTA CLARA — Coach Jim Tomsula praised the way Colin Kaepernick has handled his demotion, with Blaine Gabbert remaining as the 49ers’ starting quarterback for a post-bye visit to the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 22.

“Colin has handled himself just unbelievably, OK?” Tomsula said Tuesday on KNBR 680-AM. “People know how I feel about Colin Kaepernick and how much I think of him.

“I do believe in the person. He’s handled himself just awesome here and with his teammates. That part of it you couldn’t ask for any better.”

Kaepernick made 53 consecutive starts, including playoffs, before getting benched in favor of Gabbert last week. Gabbert responded by leading the 49ers to a 17-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Gabbert hasn’t been promised the starting gig beyond the next game, however, as Tomsula said Tuesday that his “calendar” is focused on “winning one game at a time.”

“We’re going to move ahead here, and Blaine’s going to stay in that role,” Tomsula said. “We’ll move forward that way right now.”

Tomsula held off from declaring Gabbert as the entrenched starter during a news conference after Sunday’s game and again Monday.

Only after Tomsula met with his quarterbacks did the 49ers announce on Twitter that Gabbert would remain the starter.

Why the delay?

“Because, I mean, I know everybody wants to know everything right away, but I’m going to speak to the people here and the lives it directly affects,” Tomsula said. “We’re going to talk about it (in) here before anywhere else.”

Asked if he consults with general manager Trent Baalke to form a joint decision, Tomsula said it’s his call and that he informs others of it.

“No, obviously I make any decision football-wise on who’s playing on the field,” Tomsula said. “Then I get with the coaches. We always make sure we let them know what we’re doing.”

Tomsula said there was no grand announcement to the team about staying the course “with Blaine in that seat. No big thing. … That’s not how it goes. It’s not a news conference in front of the football team, for God’s sake. It’s, here we go, and we’re going.”

Tomsula refused to compare Gabbert and Kaepernick, when asked by KNBR co-host Brian Murphy. Instead, Tomsula reiterated how well Gabbert used his brain, feet and throwing arm.

“Obviously I’m excited for Blaine and very excited for the opportunity he had and he’s going to have again,” Tomsula said. “And I’m also very excited for Colin Kaepernick, as he moves on here and keeps rolling and the future for him. As a coach, you want nothing but the best for all your players.”