C.J. Beathard discuses the beating he endured against the Cardinals

You healthy?

"I am. As healthy as can be."

Was Monday kind of tough?

"Yeah, I was sore as usual. Maybe a little bit more sore than normal Monday and Tuesday. But, I feel pretty good right now."

Is it getting easier every start out there for you?

"Yeah, I think so. I think the experience has definitely helped me. Even though it's only been three games, I definitely feel more comfortable out there."

What's it like losing all the players you lost during the game? How much juggling did you guys have to do in the offense?

"It definitely affects the way you call plays. Especially when you have your starting fullback go out, and a few receivers go out. Obviously, the injuries we had at O-Line, that's something you kind of have to change your game plan up a little bit. That's no excuse. We've got to go out and deal with what we have and get a win."

What kind of strides have you seen QB Jimmy Garoppolo making in the meeting room just in terms of his ability to retain information and all that?

"He's definitely grasping the offense a lot better with the plays and the verbiage and everything like that. I think he's definitely making improvements there."

To your credit, you hang on to the ball because you're not afraid of getting blasted. But, do you have to work on at times either throwing it away or just getting rid of it sooner, if nothing else to protect yourself a little?

"Yeah, I think anytime, obviously anything I can do to help. I'll definitely try to do that better, get the ball out, not take some of those unnecessary hits that I don't need to take."

Coach said that you guys have been getting run-blitzed more than he's ever seen in his life. Does that kind of go into that last question that you need to get rid of the ball faster?

"No, I think it's just a rookie quarterback, and they're trying to put pressure on us. Especially since we've got a banged-up O-Line. These teams are seeing that and are trying to put more pressure on us than usual."

How do you counter that?

"Protect. Get the ball out. Make plays when they're there, and execute. It's nothing that we don't work on in practice. We've just got to be able to do it in games."

What's the mood of this locker room at 0-9? It gets tough to go out there and keep fighting every week, but this team doesn't seem to have quit.

"No, we don't. There's guys in here, and you can use any and every excuse to call it quits, but these guys have a great attitude. Everyone in here is ready to go and get our first win. We've got one more game before the Bye, and we're trying to get this first win of the season. Everyone's got a great attitude in here. We're excited to get out to work and practice today. Yeah, we're looking forward to getting back to work."

I apologize for this question, but people have said half-jokingly that you're out there to take hits, so Garoppolo doesn't have to. Does that rub you the wrong way?

"I just don't listen to it. People can say this or that. I've heard worse things said about me. Whether it's this or that, going back to the college days you just don't listen to the outside stuff. All I know is I'm trying to do my best and get better. The coaches have the team's best interest in mind. I trust them and trust my team to get back to work this week and work to get a win."

* Transcript provided by the San Francisco 49ers