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SANTA CLARA – C.J. Beathard went to the lectern in the 49ers' press conference room in white socks without shoes. He was not shaved, his hat was back.
He looked like someone who had slept a weekend and was preparing to be anchored on his couch to watch a football day.
Instead, Beathard made his first public appearance as a quarterback to the 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo's season came to an abrupt end on Sunday in Kansas City with a tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
Beathard played five and a half games for the 49ers last season as a rookie. He went into the lineup to replace Brian Hoyer in trouble and he came out when coach Kyle Shanahan determined that Garoppolo was ready to step in.
Beathard seems comfortable in his return to a starting role, that 's for sure.
"Just having this experience, being released and played in five NFL games, there's nothing you can do to simulate these reps in practice," Beathard said. "The only way to do it is to go out there and actually get those reps of playing time.
"Just being one more year in the system and Kyle's attack helps a lot, just knowledge of the offense, faster progressions and all that stuff."
If there is one area in particular that Beathard needs to improve dramatically compared to his time as a starter last season, it's the speed with which he progresses to avoid bags and shots.
Last season, Beathard was fired 19 times for an average of one bag for 12.8 spinoffs. After Garoppolo took over, the authorized bags were reduced to once every 14.7 times he dropped to throw.
The 49ers were 1-4 in Beathard's five starts last season. The team got a record 0-9 in franchise before Beathard got 288 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-21 win over the New York Giants in Week 10.
In all, Beathard completed 54.9% of his passes for 1,430 yards with four touchdowns and six interceptions. He has much higher expectations this time around.
"I think we have a much better team than last year," said Beathard. "I really like the group we have and obviously we are doing everything in my power to get the ball out of the hands faster and perform readings faster. As an entire team, everyone, O-Line, receivers, runners, everyone can contribute. "
Beathard has the opportunity to play in the last 13 games of the 49ers of the regular season. But to give yourself a better chance of staying in the field, it must do faster readings and avoid unnecessary hits. Veteran receiver Pierre Garçon said he saw Beathard make improvements in this area.
"It comes with being comfortable," said Boy. "When you know what to expect, you know the games, you know the depth, the comfort and the experience, and that's what it has. During the summer, that's what he's working on. It comes with time.
Shanahan said that he had invited Beathard to play before last season. Hoyer's poor play in six starts left Shanahan with no other choice. And then, watching from outside while Garoppolo and the team finished on a five-game winning streak, it was also a positive experience.
"When you go through it for the first time, it's always slower, no matter how hard you work," Shanahan said. "(It) had ups and downs, then I thought that he had to sit and watch Jimmy and watch someone else try to get through . I think it helped him into the off season.
Shanahan said he thought Beathard was strong enough to have been forced to play early in his professional career.
"I was worried because we had not much choice," Shanahan said. "It was not exactly the situation in which I wanted to put the C.J. That's why I think a lot of our team and I gained a lot of respect for him.
"He never hesitated, he never saw his confidence change and when he was finally benched and we put Jimmy on the line, you'd think that a guy would be less confident after that. You can ask him, but I really believe that he was more confident. Even though he was struggling sometimes, he really believed he could do it. That's the kind of guy you want to go fight with.
And that could be part of the reason why Beathard looked so comfortable on Wednesday when he first addressed the media in 2018 as a starter.
"Of course, he is more ready because he has experience now," said Boy. "He's very experienced and I'm sure he's looking forward to it. We all know that he has much more experience playing in this league and that it comes with time.
"We really have a lot of confidence in C. He knows the guys, he knows the system, so it's not great for him."
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