San Francisco 49ers Quarterbacks Battle, Get Virtual Reality Reps
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 15: Quarterback C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers passes against the Washington Redskins during the second quarter at FedExField on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard has put up impressive numbers this preseason. He has thrown 23 passes — three of which have gone for touchdowns and none for interceptions. From a progression standpoint, Beathard and other 49ers quarterbacks have made use of virtual reality.
Similar to the Chicago Bears and a couple other NFL teams, the 49ers are using STRIVR‘s technology to help their quarterbacks improve. The partnerships of the two organizations began back in 2015.
Beathard has taken a liking to the tech as he reportedly reviewed 1,000+ plays using the VR headsets during a single week.
“You only get limited reps in practice, but you’re able to watch through virtual reality, essentially every rep in practice – all of Brian [Hoyer]’s and Matt [Barkley]’s and go back and watch mine, and kind of play things out in your head as you watch practice,” Beathard told NBC Sports Bay Area.
The third-round pick out of Iowa now finds himself amidst a QB battle. Beathard entered the preseason behind veterans Barkley and Hoyer on the depth chart but is now viewed by many as the second-string favorite, ahead of Barkley. Some have even made the case of Beathard being the Week 1 starter.
KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 11: Quarterback C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers passes during the preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on August 11, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
In deciding who will start, practice reps become an issue, making STRIVR’s tech even more important. Quarterbacks can be exposed to real-time defenses and learn progressions by simply strapping on a headset.
“How do you reduce the hits but yet not reduce the amount of time someone can practice their craft? So knowing someone can put a VR machine on and get real, live, what in football we call ‘reps,’ without taking those hits on was we thought advantageous,” he said.
It seems VR will play a big part in the development of Beathard and many other quarterbacks across the league.
