A couple weeks ago, we were fortunate enough to chat with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia. The interview was part of a promotion for the new American Flag Football League. Last weekend, we looked at what Garcia had to say about his unexpected rise from the CFL to the NFL. He also offered his thoughts on Terrell Owens in the Hall of Fame and on the coaching change in San Francisco.
I also asked him what he thought of recently drafted 49ers quarterback, C.J. Beathard. Beathard was drafted in the 3rd round, a pick many thought was a reach. Garcia had good things to say about Hoyer and here’s what he said about Beathard:
“I don’t recall where C.J. was drafted, but if I’m not mistaken wasn’t a top two-round pick, probably later round guy. You aren’t expecting that guy to step onto the field right away—and that’s good for C.J. He can continue to learn and grow as a player mentally and physically. When we come out of college at 23, 22, years old, we are far from our full maturity. It will give him a chance and an opportunity to continue to grow and learn from a guy [49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer] who’s been a pro for a number of years now and who’s been around guys like Tom Brady and some of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL who can now be that leader in that quarterback room for these young guys and give them a chance to learn and grow and not be expected to be put on the field in the line of fire right from the get-go. Not to take away competition, you want to create a competitive environment. You want an environment to bring out the best in that position. But I think certain guys still have to learn and grow, and other guys need to take responsibility of that leadership position.”
No doubt, being able to sit and learn will be beneficial for C.J. Hopefully there is some competitive fire in that quarterback room. If you ever watched the documentary The Brady Six, it shows a lot of quarterbacks taken who were just fine with sitting and learning for a bit under a veteran. That relaxed attitude may have been detrimental, as they were either thrown into the fire due to injury, or outright out of the league sooner rather than later.
We’ll definitely get a bit more introspective on Beathard and the quarterbacks when 49ers training camp gets going.