This week's big news story out of Santa Clara surrounds the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. All signs are pointing toward rookie C.J. Beathard, who is coming off of the best game of his young career, getting his fifth NFL start. Of course, the wildcard is Jimmy Garoppolo, who was acquired via a trade with the New England Patriots on October 30.
The 49ers would like to see Garoppolo take the field this season, but are comfortable taking their time preparing him to do so. Beathard is coming off of the best performance of his young career. In a 31-21 win over the New York Giants on November 12, he completed 19 of his 25 pass attempts for 288 yards, two passing touchdowns, a rushing touchdown, an interception, and a passer rating of 123.4.
While the 49ers will use this week's practices to decide on a starting quarterback for Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks, there is no rush to do so. The Seahawks, who are coming off of a short week following a Monday night loss to the Atlanta Falcons, must prepare for the possibility of facing either quarterback until the 49ers announce a decision.
On Tuesday night, Beathard joined 95.7 The Game and was asked about his reps in practice and if he will start on Sunday.
"I've been getting the majority of the first-team reps but, obviously, they haven't made a decision this week," Beathard told Damon Bruce. "I mean, I would think that I would. We just had a little practice [on Monday] where [Garoppolo and I] both got reps, but I don't know. I think [head coach Kyle Shanahan will] let us know probably in the next couple of days or so and we'll find out at practice what the deal is. Whatever they decide, I trust their decision."
Does Beathard feel like he is in a daily battle to hold onto the starting job?
"I've got to go out there and prove myself every day," Beathard said. "I don't have room to take steps in the wrong direction or backward steps, so that's kind of what I've been doing. I'm really just focusing on myself, not looking to my left and my right. 'What is he doing? What is this?' The only thing I can do is what I can do. It's not going to be perfect all of the time, but you learn from your mistakes and try to get better from it all."
While Beathard had solid protection during the victory over the Giants, he didn't come out of the game unscathed. The quarterback injured his thumb during his touchdown run. It was the same thumb he injured on a teammate's helmet the week before.
Beathard had a week of rest as the 49ers enjoyed their bye week. The team returned to work on Monday.
"I'm feeling a lot more recharged and refreshed," Beathard said. "Obviously, my thumb is still bothering me a little bit, but it's fine."