SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Richard Sherman, a thorn in the San Francisco 49ers’ side since 2011, is “not really” surprised that his Seattle Seahawks will face Blaine Gabbert instead of Colin Kaepernick on Sunday.

“Football is a crazy game,” Sherman said Wednesday. “It’s who’s playing well at the time.

“Who would have thought, when they were playing well and Alex Smith was out there, that a year later (in 2013) Alex would be gone from San Francisco and Colin Kaepernick would be their guy?

“I mean, things like that happen in football, and you’ve just got to roll with the punches.”

The last-place 49ers (3-6) have opted to roll with Gabbert for a second straight start after he won his debut, 17-16, over the Atlanta Falcons at home on Nov. 8, preceding last week’s bye.

Sherman vociferously taunted Kaepernick — who is 0-4 as a starter at Seattle — and the 49ers after the Seahawks clinched a Super Bowl berth two years ago, using Sherman’s tip in the end zone to produce a last-minute interception in Seattle’s 23-17 win.

Sherman is not expecting a radicalized offense with Gabbert, who won his starting debut Nov. 8 against the Falcons (185 passing yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, plus 32 rushing yards).

“He successfully ran the offense,” Sherman said. “He got them down the field and made some great decisions, in terms of running and passing the football.”

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll also came away impressed.

“He certainly played fast,” Carroll said on a conference call. “He looked good. He looked confident. Obviously they prepared him well.”

Gabbert sounds ready to face the Seahawks and especially Sherman, a three-time All-Pro who is still searching for his first interception of the season.

“He’s a cornerstone of that defense and been doing that at a high level for a long time,” Gabbert said. “You have to be cognizant of where he is because he can make plays when the ball is in the air.”

Sherman shadowed Torrey Smith in last month’s meeting, and Smith finished with no receptions. Smith claimed afterward he got open at times, yet only one pass came his way. “Whether he was open or not, I’m sure it’s on tape, and I’m sure if he was open, they’ll try to go after me this game,” Sherman said. “We’ll go out there and have another fun game.”

Smith is averaging an NFL-best 21.4 yards per reception, validating his reputation as a deep threat, even if he is only on pace for a career-low 32 receptions.

“He’s been a tremendous threat for them,” Sherman added. “He has tremendous speed and versatility, moving inside and out. He’s created another element for the offense, in terms of explosiveness and getting the ball downfield.”

For the first time since 2011, Sherman will not be facing a 49ers team coached by Jim Harbaugh, who coached him at Stanford and spiced up the Seahawks-49ers rivalry.

“It doesn’t make much difference to me,” Sherman said of a non-Harbaugh affair. “You go out there and execute your responsibility to the best of your ability.”