The San Francisco 49ers lost to the Seattle Seahawks 24-13 in Week 12, but the final 67 seconds ended up being the most interesting part of the game. Starting quarterback C.J. Beathard took a hit from Michael Bennett and suffered a lower leg injury that required he leave the field. Backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo came on in his place and got in three official snaps to close out the game. Garoppolo scrambled once for four yards, and completed his two pass attempts for 18 yards and a touchdown.
Both quarterbacks chatted with the media after the game. No decision has been announced for Week 13 vs. the Chicago Bears, but it’s safe to say both will face a lot of questions heading into the week. Here are transcripts, courtesy of 49ers PR.
49ers QB C.J. Beathard
How are you feeling?
“I’m feeling alright. Yeah, I’ll be alright.”
What happened on the play, and where did you feel it?
“I just had thrown the ball and a guy went into my knee. I just felt it up into my hip. That’s all I really remember from the play.”
Which leg?
“Left.”
Did they say anything about when you would be able to play?
“They didn’t tell. I’ll get an MRI tomorrow morning and really get some insight on what exactly it is. It may just be a bruise to the knee. You don’t know. I’m trying to get back out there as soon as possible. Obviously, I don’t think anything’s torn or anything like that. It doesn’t feel like it.”
So, you believe it’s a knee injury and not a hip?
“I don’t know. We’ll see tomorrow I guess.”
Same old story, you were taking a lot of hits, under a lot of pressure. Did you think maybe some of those issues had been resolved based on what the New York Giants game looked like?
“You’re always going to take hits as a quarterback, doesn’t matter who you’re playing for. Obviously, the guys that were in there did the best that they can do. [OL] Trent [Brown] was out for the game but we’ve just got to get better. All phases of the game: offense, defense, special teams, quarterback, running backs, o-line, everywhere. We just got to get better. That’s all we can do right now.”
S Eric Reid said he was a little bit upset. He was out there with you. He was a little bit upset fans were cheering while you were still down. Another guy said it might’ve just been the excitement of maybe QB Jimmy Garoppolo getting to play for the first time. Did you hear any of that and do you have any reaction to that?
“I didn’t. I was just focused on my knee and talking to the doctors. I wasn’t really focused on the fans or the crowd. So no, I didn’t hear any of that.”
What did it mean to you to have S Eric Reid out there on the field? Have you guys came close?
“Yeah. Me and E. Reid got a good relationship. He’s one of the leaders of this team. Especially the leader on defense. He’s a role model for a lot of guys. To have him out there having my back, it means the world to me. A lot of guys had my back throughout the whole thing. It’s just really cool to see that all the guys got your back.”
You had a few running plays called for you today. Is that something you like to do?
“Yeah. I like to do it, and I think I can run the ball. So, anytime we can mix some things up for defenses to have to think about another thing rather than just handing it off. They have to game plan for some zone-read stuff. I like doing it.”
Would you like to do more of that?
“Yeah. I would definitely say if I’m a hundred percent healthy, no doubt.”
Played a little bit more out of the Pistol today as well. Did you do a lot of that during the week?
“We did. We did a lot of that during the week. Did some straight hand-offs out of the Pistol. Some zone-read stuff, some play action out of the Pistol. That was more of a thing we did a lot of this week in practice.”
Based off what you’ve seen in practice how comfortable does QB Jimmy Garoppolo seem with the offense? How much has he increased his mileage?
“He’s definitely gotten smarter. It’s been however many weeks. He’s definitely gotten a better grasp of the offense since he’s gotten here. You’d have to ask him about that.”
49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo
How did it feel being out there?
“Whenever you lose, it’s always tough. So we’ll go look at the film, break everything down and go from there.”
How did it feel to get your first touchdown in a 49er uniform?
“It was cool. Like I said, tough situation being down at that point. We’ll move on from here.”
Can you take us through the touchdown pass?
“[49ers WR Louis Murphy] Murph made a great catch on it in the end zone. The offensive line gave me some time, I had to scramble a little bit and it was a nice play by everybody.”
How was getting the plays transmitted with the wristband? How did that work?
“We only had a couple chances at it, but for what it was, it was fine. Always a new experience. We’ve been working on it in practice and everything, so it’s a work in progress.”
We’ve heard a lot about the playbook and how big it is. How is it compared to the Patriots’ for instance?
“I’ve been saying this for the past couple weeks now, it’s like a different language. Similar concepts, but different names and everything. That’s part of being a quarterback. There are little things that people don’t see outside of the locker room. You need to master those things and I’m in a situation where you have to do it as fast as possible.”
About how many words are in a play call in this offense?
“It could vary. It could be five, six. It could be 20-something. Every play is different.”
You guys always talk about how you have to be ready at the drop of a hat. At that point in the game with a minute left, are you still as engaged as you would be early in the game?
“Oh yeah, that’s our job. We only get three to three-and-a-half hours every week once a week to come out here and perform, so for those three-and-a-half hours you’ve got to be as locked in as possible. It’s football, you’ve got to love coming out here. The result didn’t come the way we wanted today, but we’ll work and get better at it.”
Does it help almost to go into that situation where you don’t really have time to think about anything and just go in and cut it loose a little?
“There’s never an easy situation to go into, being the backup. I’ve experienced both ends of it. You always have to be ready. I’ve been saying it for the past four years. You never know when your time is going to come, if it’s going to come, so when it does you’ve got to take advantage of it.”
When there are no time outs and you come into a situation like that when time is running out, the outcome of the game doesn’t depend on it, but was the right language coming into your head?
“Yeah. Like I said, it’s a work in progress. I’m upset the ref didn’t give me the first down on that slide, I thought I had it. I guess it worked out. Little critiques here and there that I could get better, even in those first few plays.”