Beathard looking to pass his 1st test
The 49ers are 0-6, their starting quarterback has already been benched and … things are falling neatly into place?
Ludicrous? Consider: The 2017 season was never about making the playoffs, but showing progress and determining what areas still need to be addressed in the offseason.
Progress? Check. After losing 14 games by an average of 14.3 points last season, the 49ers have become the first team in NFL history to lose five straight games by three points or fewer. As a bonus, their lack of a win could give them a premium pick at the top of the 2018 draft.
As for that other matter: quarterback Brian Hoyer’s benching could help the 49ers determine their course of action at the NFL’s most vital position.
Hoyer’s faceplant cleared the path for rookie C.J. Beathard, who will make his first NFL start Sunday when the Cowboys visit Levi’s Stadium.
Barring an injury, the 49ers will have 10 games to evaluate whether Beathard belongs in their most important offseason discussion.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked how Beathard’s performance will impact their plans at quarterback: “A ton,” he said.
It seems unlikely that Beathard, a third-round pick without eye-popping physical ability, will be so brilliant that he ends 2017 as the unquestioned 2018 starter. That said, NFL history shows unheralded backups can quickly become unstoppable starters (see: Warner, Kurt).
Shanahan said he’ll be examining to see whether Beathard has the traits of a future Super Bowl winner.
He needs to “show that he has the ability to lead us to where we want to go,” Shanahan said. “And I think that’s everyone in this league. Everyone’s goal in this league is to have an opportunity to go all the way. I think first and foremost, people are going to always look at the quarterback first. He’s the guy who touches the ball every play.
“There definitely (aren’t) 32 of those in the world. So by no means do you have to be one of those top-five guys, but you have to show the ability that you can build things around a person.”
Shanahan highlighted Beathard’s intangibles when the 49ers traded up to select him late in the third round, and it appears he could possess traits that prevent QBs such as Hoyer, 32, from becoming established starters.
Hoyer, for example, had his career-worst passer rating (15.9) and a threw a career-high four interceptions in his only career playoff start in January 2016. This season, the first in which he entered as the unquestioned starter, he had a stellar training camp before losing his job after less than six full games, partly because he was tentative: Just 54.2 percent (19 of 35) of his third-down completions netted first downs.
Meanwhile, Beathard was inserted for Hoyer last week with the 49ers trailing by 14 points on the road and nearly directed a 17-point comeback in a 26-24 loss against Washington. Shanahan and teammates such as left tackle Joe Staley remarked on his poise after Beathard completed 19 of 36 passes for 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
“I just think I don’t get too high or too low in any situation,” Beathard said. “I just try to stay pretty mellow because I know the game of football. There’s a lot of ups and downs. … It’s all about staying mellow and staying the same through all of it.”
On Wednesday, Beathard batted away questions about what the rest of the season could mean for his career.
“I’m not looking that far ahead,” he said.
Really? It’s not in the back of your mind?
“No, honestly, I’m really just focused on this week,” he said.
What does he need to do to show he’s a franchise QB?
“I’m really not looking that far ahead right now,” Beathard said. “Like I said …”
It’s a wise approach for Beathard, but for many observers, the 49ers’ 2017 season is all about how it sets them up for
next season.
And, so far, with a historic string of close losses and an unexpected chance to evaluate an intriguing rookie QB, it appears to be setting up well.