Choice of Beathard nicknames
CARSON, Los Angeles County — For some reason, people like to give C. J. Beathard nicknames. Maybe because he’s pretty softspoken and laid back and unlikely to anoint himself “Prime Time” or “Mr. Cool.”
First, his given name, Casey Jarrett, got shortened to C.J. One of his high school friends called him a “rodeo cowboy.” When he was in college, he was “Sunshine,” thanks to his long blond locks that remind-
ed teammates of the quarterback in “Remember the Titans.”
Now that he’s an NFL quarterback, he’s picking up new nicknames at a rapid pace.
“A bad ass” is what his former college teammate George Kittle calls him.
And, of course, the now famous description that Reuben Foster came up with last week: “C.J. ain’t no RoodyPoo.”
He was not a Roody-Poo on Sunday (Foster borrowed the phrase from The Rock, which means soft). The 49ers played an entertaining though ultimately unsuccessful game at StubHub Center against the “Don’t call them San Diego” Chargers, losing 29-27.
Beathard was back in the starting job because of the season-ending knee injury to Jimmy Garoppolo. Beathard looked cool and calm and more comfortable than he did a year ago when he was starting games as a rookie. He was 23-for-37 for 298 yards, targeting nine different receivers and throwing two touchdowns.
Unfortunately for the 49ers, he also threw two interceptions. The first, which came in the third quarter, wasn’t really Beathard’s fault. It clanked off Garrett Celek’s hands and into those of Trevor Williams, who returned it 86 yards, setting up a Chargers field goal.
The second sealed the 49ers fate. Beathard tried to beat the blitz and his pass was intercepted by defensive end Isaac Rochell, who was down at the 49ers’ 19-yard line. The Chargers didn’t even have to try to score again — they simply
“C.J.’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever been around. He plays the game angry.” George Kittle, 49ers tight end and former Iowa teammate of C.J. Beathard
ran out the clock.
“That last play was unfortunate,” Kyle Shanahan said. “I wish he got rid of it.”
But overall, Shanahan thought his second-year quarterback — handpicked in the third round last year — played well.
“He played very tough, and made some big plays,” Shanahan said. “He handled adversity well and some chaos with some injuries. I was proud of how he played.”
The 49ers have dealt with attrition all season and Sunday was particularly bad. Both starting tackles and the starting center went out. Though the others returned, tackle Joe Staley did not. He was wearing a brace on his knee when he exited the locker room.
The impact of a weakened offensive line was predictable. Though Beathard was sacked only once, he was hit eight times. And hit hard, taking shots to the chest as he released the ball time and again. But he stood in the pocket and took them.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Beathard scrambled, trying to get the first down, and was tackled hard. Shanahan ran on the field while Beathard lay prone. Nick Mullens, the free agent from Southern Mississippi, started warming up.
“When he was laying there, I was extremely worried,” Shanahan said.
Beathard was fine. He just had the wind knocked out of him.
“I couldn’t breathe,” he said, “but I knew it would come back.”
Breath seems to be the key with Beathard — he’s a slowbreather type of guy. He doesn’t seem to get too rattled.
But don’t take his calm demeanor as being relaxed.
“C.J.’s one of the most competitive people I’ve ever been around,” said Kittle, who caught an 82-yard touchdown pass from his former Iowa teammate. “He plays the game angry. It’s awesome.”
So Kittle wasn’t too worried when he saw his friend getting hammered time and again.
“No, he’s a bad ass,” Kittle said. “He’s got more grit than anyone I know.”
Kittle qualified his compliment by adding, “He’s got a severe dad bod.” New nickname? SDB? Tough and gritty or not, the 49ers can’t let Beathard take too many hits. Their season has taken a hard left turn after the Garoppolo injury but whatever hope they have to be competitive is going to hang on Beathard’s performance.
In addition, the team needs to sign another quarterback. In a competitive game, is Shanahan really prepared to throw a free agent with no experience into the fire like almost happened Sunday?
Though the team has said Colin Kaepernick isn’t in its plans, it certainly would be fun to see what Shanahan could draw up for Kaepernick. And the former 49ers quarterback would provide some insurance.
But for the moment and the foreseeable future, the job is Beathard’s. He said he felt more comfortable than he did a year ago, when he started five games prior to Garoppolo taking the starting job.
His demeanor last year, when the team was struggling to find a win, combined with his toughness, earned his teammates’ respect.
“It’s hard to get C.J. out of the game,” running back Matt Breida said. “It fires us up.”
“There’s nothing sweet about C.J.,” Foster said.
The 49ers are 1-3 and know this road isn’t going to be easy. They’re going to have to compete every week to overcome injuries and inexperience and the gaps in their talent.
“We’ve got a lot of fighters, tough guys who will battle,” Beathard said.
Would he describe himself as a tough guy? “Yeah, I would,” he said. So there’s another nickname. Beathard proved it Sunday.