Beathard a breath of fresh air in taking over Hoyer’s QB spot
Teammates hailed C.J. Beathard for being so calm, composed and decisive as the 49ers new quarterback Sunday. The same held true at the postgame buffet.
He patiently asked for pulled chicken, declined the brisket, opted for sweet barbecue sauce and then boarded the team bus as their newand-improved signal caller.
No, Beathard didn’t rescue the 49ers from their winless ways. He came entertainingly close, however. Sunday’s 26-24 loss at Washington brought a fresh, hopeful vibe that had faded among the 49ers’ five redundant losses with Brian Hoyer at quarterback.
“It’s something you dream about as a kid, going in and playing your first NFL game,” Beathard said. “It was cool.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan quickly confirmed afterward that Beathard is the new starter, a move that should make 49ers fans rethink about selling their tickets to Dallas Cowboys fans at Levi’s Stadium next Sunday.
“The game is not too big for the guy,” Shanahan said. “He comes in, doesn’t hesitate, he’s extremely tough. He came in there and gave us a little bit of a spark, made a few offscheduled plays.”
Instead of answering questions about Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins’ victorious effort and the 49ers’ likely pursuit of Cousins next year, it was refreshing for Shanahan and the 49ers to talk about this season’s current option, the one they used a third-round draft pick to challenge Hoyer.
And Beathard made enough plays to keep alive the 49ers’ comeback hopes until the final seconds.
True, Hoyer did the same in previous games, and the 49ers are the first team in NFL history to lose five straight by three points or less. Just consider that Hoyer is a ninthyear journeyman, and Beathard is a 23-year-old fresh out of Iowa whose only previous NFL accomplishment was beating out Matt Barkley for the No. 2 job in camp.
“Aw man, that’s something you dream about, and unfortunately we weren’t able to finish there,” Beathard said of the last drive. “But we’ve got a lot of improving to do, to keep building and keep getting better as the weeks go.”
Officially, Beathard’s debut came two weeks earlier at Arizona, in a onesnap cameo featuring a handoff in relief of a wounded Hoyer.
All hope was not lost Sunday until Beathard’s final, cross-field pass got intercepted by Kendall Fuller at the Washington 32-yard line. The 49ers had 52 seconds to start a winning drive, and three Beathard completions moved them to the Washington 40-yard line. Then came a fateful penalty: offensive pass interference on wide receiver Pierre Garçon, who was in hot pursuit of a pass intended for him when he ran into a linebacker.
Nothing was nicer than Beathard’s first career touchdown pass, a 45-yard throw to Aldrick Robinson that cut the 49ers’ deficit to two points with 1:58 remaining.
Beathard slid up a collapsing pocket, and rather than scramble further for safety, he spotted Robinson near the front-right corner of the end zone.
On the stadium façade right above that, on Washington’s ring of honor, is the name Bobby Beathard. That would be C.J.’s grandfather, who delivered Super Bowl-winning rosters as a Washington executive and is the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s contributor finalist for next year.
“It’s really cool,” C.J. Beathard said. “You look up and you see grandpop’s name right on the stadium and I think it’s really cool. I got so much from him and I try to be just like him and chase just like him.”
Beathard had no family at Sunday’s game other than some cousins. What he certainly had was ambition. That’s a great trait on a winless team, on a rebuilding franchise that’s lost 35 of its past 43 games.
“He came in, did well and helped us out,” Garçon said. “He just needs experience.”
And now he’s going to get it.