Dear readers.
As myself, you are probably a Carolina Panthers fan, and these days, that is though. We have a quarterback, that as his best right now, would still make at least one turnover. A defence that does seemingly well, does not finish games either. It is hard to look at. People not making plays for 60 minutes. Yes the first half of the Saints game was great, best of the season, but will it be remembered? No, fans will remember the lead we lost, the opportunities we did not cope with.
We had every opportunity to win this game, 14-0? 17-3? FINISH THE GAME. Do not let them get chances to win, we must have known they went for deep passes to their speedsters? I was so happy going in to the halftime, playing ball out on the street, optimistic about the future. Now that we lost, was that the season? This game was a huge momentum and optimistic breaker. Falcons, Dolphins(Playing on my birthday, so pleeease win), Jets and Bucs are games we HAVE to win, if we still want to have a shot at going all the way. we would be 7-5 going into games with Patriots, Vikes, Giants and what could be the all important finalé Saints. As i see it, we are out of the playoff race if we lose more than one game. Can it happen? Maybe, this is a f***ed up league, everything can and will eventually occur. We have the talent, we just gotta take everything the opponents give us, and then some.
Do not put your mind to a W, before the 60 minutes have past. Do not throw opportunities out the window, every play can be great, go for greatness on every play.
Feel free to comment below.
Martin Cinicola, Denmark.
November 11, 2009
DeAngelo broke one for a touchdown, our defense sent them three and out. We punted, then I recovered a fumble and we scored, 14-0 with 10 minutes left in the first quarter. Our defense was great through the first half, but we blew a coverage late and that gave them a field goal and momentum coming into the half.
We were doing what we wanted to do on defense.
But in the second half they hit for a long touchdown pass and it was just unfortunate. We had the opportunity to make some plays, I had the opportunity to make some plays, we just didn’t do it. It’s all about finishing, attention to detail when the game is on the line.
I refuse to use injuries as an excuse, because the fact is that the 53 guys we have on this team have been good enough and have played well enough the majority of the season to win all of our losses. For whatever reason, that’s not happening. We’re coming up just short.
I don’t have any of the answers right now. I guess we just have to emphasize finishing. We have to do something different, because what we’ve been doing just isn’t working.
Losing Thomas Davis was a big blow. There isn’t a linebacker in the NFL who was playing better than Thomas Davis. He’s a guy we were pushing for the Pro Bowl, he’s that good. Here’s a guy that’s a great person, a guy I look at like a brother, he put in the work and it’s supposed to pay off. I believe everything happens for a reason, but when something like that happens sometimes I just don’t know.
His injury is an example of what we’ve been going through all year. Someone has always been able to step in and pick up the slack. When Charles Godfrey got hurt in the secondary, Sherrod Martin stepped in and played great for us against Arizona. That was truly unexpected because we brought him in as a corner, we didn’t know he was such a good safety. Obviously we’ve had an injury situation at defensive tackle, we addressed that with Hollis Thomas.
Offensively we had our two top fullbacks go down and we started a rookie running back at the position. Other guys have stepped up, and that’s the beauty of this season. We’re still in these games, even if we’re not playing with our quote-unquote “best 53.”
The main thing I want to say is that the season is not lost yet. We’ve got five of our next 8 games at home. Hopefully we can get something going.
Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jonbeason.
November 6, 2009
After all we’ve been through, starting out 0-3, then winning 3 of 4, the crazy thing is the season is still young. If we beat New Orleans we’re 2-1 in the division and they’re 2-1 in the division. That’s what it all boils down to.
The difference for the Saints is that they’re running the ball, too. Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell, who we all know from Denver, can run it and they have a quarterback in Drew Brees who has been pinpoint accurate. They’ve also gotten faster at the wide receiver position over the last couple years. But the difference between the team that had the quarterback passing on every down and going for Dan Marino’s record last year and this team, which is 7-0, is the running game.
Also look at Brees’ passer rating on third down. It’s insane. Games are won and lost on third down and in the red zone and no one does it better there than Drew Brees.
The first thing we have to do is stop the run, make them one-dimensional. When they run the ball, it opens up the passing game because you have to respect the run and put an extra body in the box.
Once you stop the run you have to get pressure on Brees. All the teams that have had any success at all against the Saints this year have done that.
Really, this is a game of want to. You gotta line up and beat their guys, 1 on 1. I think that’s the beauty of this game. It’s an important game, a division game, and the fact that they’re undefeated is the cherry on top.
We can go from everyone saying the Panthers are out of it, they’re not going to win anything, to being the most talked about 4-4 team in the NFL. I like the sound of that.
This is an opportunity for us. They can hype it all they want, what it comes down to is that playing a meaningful game in November instead of December, that’s just great. We’re excited and ready to go.
Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jonbeason.
October 23, 2009
Here’s how you find out that you are being fined by the league: The first practice after a game, you find a Fed Ex in your locker. You always expect one when there’s a questionable play, and I think all personal fouls are automatic fines now.
We played Dallas on a Monday night and we were off Tuesday, so on Wednesday I found the envelope in my locker. It says something like, “Under the Cause Act, you are being fined for …” and then whatever you did, and on what date. It’s real formal.
I was fined $5,000 because they said I hit Felix Jones out of bounds.
You can appeal, but the funny thing is the people who fined you are also the same people in charge of your appeal. The rate of retraction of a fine on appeal, well, it almost never happens. I’ve never heard of the league canceling a fine, but they will lower it once in a while.
The head office called my agent Drew Rosenhaus on the date of my scheduled hearing and they put me on the phone with some guy. I told the guy on the phone what happened, and that by no means did I intend to hit Felix Jones out of bounds, I told him it was not malicious and that I just couldn’t stop my momentum.
He said thank you and hung up the phone. There wasn’t much interaction.
It was a third and short and it was a toss play, just me and Felix running for the first down marker. He ran right over it, and as he did I made contact with him. So I’m at full speed, he’s at full speed, I met him at the midpoint right at the marker, we made contact and ended up 5-6 yards out of bounds. There was a flag on the play.
The game was three weeks ago and I just had my appeal, so I don’t know when or how I’ll find out the result. But $2,500 would be better than $5,000.
We’ve got Buffalo on Sunday. They’ve played some good teams and they’ve played them very well. They have a high-powered offense, a capable quarterback in Trent Edwards and a fast, experienced receiving corps, plus an athletic tight end and a great 1-2 punch coming out of the backfield. They’re going to run the ball, they know you know they’re going to run the ball, and they try to do it anyway. That’s bold in this league.
They’re going to run the ball right at us and we know it. If we can’t stop it, maybe we need new guys.
Every facet of our team, in terms of offense, defense and special teams, running, throwing, catching, blocking, tackling, forcing fumbles, making the right reads, in every facet we need to put in a little more emphasis and make sure we are doing it right on every play. Even though we won our last two games there’s still room to improve.
We just acquired Tank Tyler in a trade with the Chiefs for draft picks. He’s a very athletic player, a very tough player, so I’m interested to see how he’s going to help us. I think he and Hollis are going to make our D-line more athletic and give it more depth.
Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jonbeason.
October 14, 2009
We got the win on Sunday against the Redskins and we’re relieved, but we know we’re capable of winning games. I know the character of these guys and the talent that we have. A comeback win like this will hopefully be a morale booster and we can get some momentum off of it.
The bye came at a good time for us. I’m looking at it like we’re 1-0. After watching the film, I didn’t feel like I played a great game. Technique-wise I could’ve been better, so I’m a little disappointed. Sometime soon I’ll hit my stride and be more dominant.
I think Jake played well the last three games, not just against Washington. He’s had some turnovers, but if you watch the film you can see he’s making the right reads and good throws.
Tampa this week is a dangerous team for us. They’re talented on defense, the front four and the front seven is solid and they have Ronde Barber in the back. We can’t overlook them just because their record isn’t good. I know we feel like we’re a good team, and our record is not that good either.
They’re looking to find points and develop an identity. It could be one of those frustrating games for us because they’ve got that elusive quarterback now, he’s like a young Michael Vick. He’s a very talented guy and they have a great running game, plus Kellen Winslow is always dangerous at the tight end position.
We just have to go out there and take care of business and not look at the stats, because that’s how you get beat.
Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jonbeason.
October 8, 2009
Coming off a bye week at this point gives us an opportunity to start from scratch. It’s a new beginning for us, we’re starting again with Week 1 at home against the Redskins on Sunday.
All three of our losses mattered, but now there’s nothing we can do about them except move on. We know we made a lot of mistakes. Having a week off gave us a chance to realize we have problems and decide how we’re going to fix the problems. Now when we’re out on the field we can make sure the problems are fixed so they won’t happen again.
As for my knee, it feels great, it really does. I can honestly say I have no issues with it whatsoever. I felt strong, loose and fast our last game, I’m starting to become my old self.
I think this season I’m receiving a lot more attention from the offense on the field. But that’s supposed to happen. Steve Smith knows he’s going to face double teams because he’s Steve Smith. Being considered one of the better players makes your job harder. But if I’m not making plays I expect other guys to. As long as we’re successful it’s not a problem for me.
Even though we have three losses I’m really proud of how our young guys have responded despite being undersized and inexperienced. Nick Hayden is one of them who really stands out, he’s a motor guy who gives a good effort and makes plays. Moving forward I hope they stay the course and continue to try to get better. You can’t get complacent in this league just because you’re getting playing time.
We also signed Hollis Thomas, a D-lineman. I like him a lot. He’s not a big stats guy, but he’s a veteran guy who has some juice. He could have a huge effect on me because teams will have to pay him respect and that will take some of the attention away from me.
The Redskins are a good team, they’re like us in that they’ve shown glimpses of how good they can be. They have very talented players on offense and defense and they should be real fired up because we got after them pretty good in the preseason.
Clinton Portis is a tough runner, he’s not an easy tackle. He plays bigger than he is and has deceptive speed as well. So if he’s feeling good, he’s definitely a threat. Mike Sellers is definitely becoming a good fullback in this league, they have a talented receiving corps, an athletic tight end and an athletic quarterback who can make all the throws. All the talent is there, for the Redskins it’s just a matter of when they’re going to put it all together.
One of the things I like about this league is that if you’re not playing well you’re always on the hot seat. Teams constantly strive to get better, to find that perfect equation for what’s going to work and how you’re going to win games. That’s where we are right now.
Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/jonbeason.
September 10, 2009
My knee feels great. I’m going to have to wear a brace but I took every rep in practice today.
I am absolutely, definitely playing on Sunday against the Eagles.
I knew I would be a fast healer. I think a lot has to do with your mindset and what you do when you leave the trainer’s room. Some guys would go home and do nothing, but there are a lot of things you can do at home to help you get over an injury faster. I used an Accelerated Recovery Performance Trainer, or an ARP trainer. It activates your muscle and stimulates it, makes sure the weakened muscle is firing. It also brings blood flow to the area and speeds up the recovery process.
I’m excited. It’s the start of a new season, which is always big, and we have high expectations with a lot of guys back. We were obviously disappointed with how our season ended last year and we definitely want to step up and make it right. I think we were good enough to win it all last year, we just have to focus a little more, put in a little more effort, get a little more preparation, that can make a difference.
The Eagles don’t do much on offense but what they do, they do it well. Donovan McNabb is a veteran, he can get it done with his legs or his arm. When he looks to pass he makes a lot of quick gains, then takes a shot. The guy he likes to go to is Brian Westbrook, he’s a running back but was second on that team in receptions, so you have to know where he is at all times. The second-year receiver DeSean Jackson has really come on as a deep threat, he has great speed. Those three guys make that offense work.
We have to do our best to eliminate those three guys, and we have to keep pressure on McNabb while making sure he doesn’t run on us too much. It’s hard to stop good players, but swarming to the ball and gang tackling are always the best antidote to a good offense.
I have extra motivation for this game because I missed one. I don’t like to miss any, I don’t care if it’s preseason or whatever. It was tough to sit out. But now I’m back and the games really count. I’ll be wearing a knee brace and going up against a good back in Westbrook, so I’m excited about the challenge.
We’re playing at home against a good team. We’re going to turn it loose. This is the start of a new beginning.
Also, I will be starting up my radio show again tomorrow, same as last year, on Thursdays starting around 4 or 4:30 p.m. on 610 AM. I’m usually on-air for an hour or hour and a half.
Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter @jonbeason.
August 26, 2009
I got my MRI results the other day and the doctors said it was an MCL sprain, no surgery required. Now I just have to deal with this and keep moving forward.
I’m going to attack it like I attack everything else in my life.
All my life I’ve healed fast and I don’t see why this time should be any different. I expect a speedy recovery. I think it starts in your mind; if you believe it in your mind, your body will follow. I think the guys who feel sorry for themselves take longer to come back from injury than the guys who are willing to do what it takes, listen to the medical staff and attack the rehab.
I hate being injured just because at the end of the day I think being a good player means being durable. There have been a lot of potentially great athletes who can’t stay healthy, and if you can’t stay healthy no one cares how good you are. It kind of sucks when freak things happen but injuries are a part of the game if you play long enough.
Basically, it was one of those freak things, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I got leg whipped and hit right on the outside of the knee. I knew exactly what it was, I realized it was an MCL because I hurt it in college. I played the rest of that series, maybe four plays, then came to the sideline and told them that I was pretty sure I had injured my knee.
I’m feeling a lot better by the day, I’m encouraged by how I feel right now. For me it’s all about getting back on the field. The crazy part is, even though Week 1 isn’t the Super Bowl, or the playoffs, of a game for the division title, I want to play, and I’d be willing to suck it up.
But this is a long season, and I have to make sure I’m healthy for the long haul.
Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter @jonbeason.
July 30, 2009
One of the best parts of training camp is the camaraderie, hanging out with the guys. You’ve got guys who are married, guys with kids, single guys, rookies, a lot of personalities, and it’s amazing how quickly through football you can become somebody’s friend, and a close friend at that.
It’s a beautiful thing. People around the world should really look at teams in general. We’re just a bunch of guys, white, black, whatever, just trying to coexist together.
I actually just did some acting for a website. They went around and filmed some guys working out, then filmed some skits with us to show a lot of our personality. It’s funny, it’s about pro athletes picking a Fantasy team of office workers. They let us do a lot of improv and they said I was a natural actor, that I acted like the camera wasn’t even there. In one scene I had to pretend I was having a phone conversation with Bryant McKinnie. We started talking about who we would draft in our office worker league and I was lying on a bed, acting like a 12-year-old girl chewing gum and twirling my hair. We used football terms to describe the office workers and why we would draft them.
Dante Rosario was involved, too. We did 3 or 4 scenes together, a chess scene, a workout scene. It was funny. It should be posted in 3-4 weeks.
One thing about training camp I’m not looking forward to is sleeping in the dorm at Wofford College. I can see the logic in going off-site where it’s not as comfortable. I had a good conversation about it with the owner, Jerry Richardson. He actually went to Wofford and is the only owner to have played in the NFL. The conditions are not the best but it’s all about football. It’s hot down there and the coaching staff will get a good indication of what players can make it if they get through the hot, muggy weather. It’s humid and there’s no breeze whatsoever.
Sleeping on those old dorm mattresses can be tough for some of the guys. There are definitely certain guys who could do without it. I just heard that 17 NFL teams have camp at their own facility. They stay home and sleep in their beds. Knowing that makes it tougher. If the whole league did what we do, no one would complain.
But I have complete faith in Mr. Richardson. He can relate. He’s not one to tolerate guys who can’t stay out of trouble, he knows they’re no good for the locker room and he knows that can bring a team down. He’s done a great job with this franchise the last 15 years.
Some people have asked me about Michael Vick. All I can say is I think it’s human nature to learn from your mistakes. Unfortunately, even if a guy has paid his dues and gone through the justice system, society still holds their mistake over their head. They never really get away from it.
I think Mike is like any guy who gets out of jail and no one wants to hire him even though he’s paid his debt to society.
Hopefully someone will go out on a limb and pick him up. I absolutely think half of being a great quarterback is just having “it,” God-given ability. Some guys are born to be great in that position and then have to develop the skills and the work ethic. Vick has proven he has the God-given ability and I don’t think two years off will hurt him.
And I’m pretty sure he’ll come out with a chip on his shoulder.
Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.
July 7, 2009
Michael Jackson: Best there ever was, best there ever will be.
Jon
May 12, 2009
There’s more down time before training camp starts so I thought I would give you my top 5 places to hang out in Carolina.
1) Bank of America Stadium. It really is my home away from home.
2) The house that I just bought. I gave up city life.
3) Suite at EpiCenter. It’s a nightclub/dance club with all the bells and whistles.
4) Del Frisco’s. I’m a big surf & turf guy and this is my favorite place to eat on the town.
5) Villla Francesca. An Italian restaurant uptown at North Caldwell and 7th street.
It’s been 13 weeks since my shoulder surgery and I’m coming back fast. I feel good right now, I’m just starting to do a lot of the strength stuff and the shoulder feels great. It won’t be 100 percent for a while but the fact that I can lift now and start getting my strength back is a key. Until now all I could do was legs and abs, but now I can start to get aggressive in the weight room.
Our new defensive coordinator is Ron Meeks. I really like his system, its a fast aggressive system. He wants guys who will chase the football and that’s my style, so we’re on the same page. We had an immediate connection.
We also brought in some help from the draft, guys who will hit, extremely athletic and fast guys.
So I feel good about what I’ve seen so far.
Everybody is still asking about JP, and at this point I’m pretty sure he’ll be a Carolina Panther this year. I don’t know more than anybody else does but free agency has pretty much run its course this season.
He said if he’s back he’ll be ready to go and that’s definitely good news for us and from a fan standpoint. Some fans have been rough on him but hopefully he can just push through it and stay focused.
Its tough for fans to understand the business part of football and how things work. You have to play long enough to earn the luxury of free agency and he should have the opportunity to move on if he wants to. He’s a hometown guy who went to North Carolina and was drafted by the Panthers and he’s had a good run here.
I think with 99.5% of the players it would be about money, but JP is a special guy, very genuine, and I truly believe that for him its not about the money.
I look forward to having him back. We were right there last year close to the Super Bowl, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be right there this season too.
Check back for some workout videos that I’m going to post here soon.
All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.
Written By Jon Beason
January 10, 2009
Everybody’s hyping up the playoffs, but for me the key is not to get caught up in everything that’s going on and what’s at stake. If you’re distracted you can’t play focused, you can’t play fast and be yourself.
I’m just thinking about playing ball, practicing hard every day and winning another game.
After the last two games, I kind of feel like our defensive tackles, Maake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis, were a little underappreciated. I didn’t know how bad it could get without those two starters in there. The good part is we got some young guys some playing experience in big games up front, and they did a pretty decent job, but it was a big difference not having those guys up front.
That goes back to the Giants game when they were able to run against us after halftime. I’ll tell you this, it’s about 50-50 who I would want to play if we beat Arizona. We want another shot at the Giants to prove we can beat them. But it would be great to play the NFC Championship Game at home. It’s the biggest game you can have at your place because the Super Bowl is at a neutral site, and we’re playing really well at home this season.
With Kemo and Damione back against Arizona it’s going to be like old times. The Cards are going to try to run the ball but we know they really want to throw it. They ran early against Atlanta but then for two quarters did nothing but throw.
Larry Fitzgerald is great in space, when the ball is in the air no one goes harder or is more consistent. But I think the most dangerous guy is Anquan Boldin because he can make people miss and turn short throws into touchdowns. If he doesn’t play, that’s a huge factor in their big play ability.
The Cardinals have been doing a lot of talking in the media. They don’t have much respect for us and it’s obvious that they don’t fear us at all. All I have to say is that words never hurt anybody. What you say means nothing, it’s all about action.
The Cards should expect to see a lot of action on Sunday.
All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com.
Looking back at last season, we went through, what, four quarterbacks in five games or something like that? I don’t care if you’re the Patriots, Colts or whoever, if you have injuries, you’re not going to win. We know that, and our coaches did a great job in the draft and bringing in new players.
Barring something catastrophic, we’ll be better than 7-9 this year. As a second-year guy I’ve never been in the playoffs, so I want to make a playoff run. And once you get in the playoffs, anything can happen, the Giants showed that last season.
This team definitely has the makeup to get into the playoffs and make things happen. We like being the hunters, not the hunted, so we can sneak up on teams. By the time they wake up, we’re already beating them.
For me, I just want to make sure I’m working harder than the next guy. Coming out of college as an undersized linebacker you have to be like that. I use my speed and athleticism and play with passion and intensity, that’s what I pride myself on. When the game film comes on, I want everyone to say that no one plays as hard as Beason. That’s been a staple throughout my football career, that’s the way I was taught to play. Once you have a little success doing it that way, those things become a habit.
I’ll be the guy wearing the headset in his helmet on defense this season. Now it’s like second nature, I take pride in it and enjoy it. People know it all starts with me and ends with me in terms of making the calls and checks and I enjoy that responsibility. Having the headset makes it a lot easier, you don’t have to look to the sidelines and it gives you time to digest the call, talk it over with one of the linebackers or safeties. It can help us, particularly in two-minute situations.
But there’s a flaw. After 15 seconds, the headset cuts off. The offense gets 35 seconds to call a play, so after the headset cuts off they still have 20 seconds to run anybody out onto the field or change their play. If they do that, the defense just has to react as quickly as possible.
A lot of people ask how long I want to play, and I tell them 10 years. Not that I want to put a cap on my career at 10 years, but if a linebacker plays the game the way it’s supposed to be played, your body can’t take it much more than that. Ray Lewis trained his body so he could do it over a long period of time. Coming out of Miami, I always wanted to be like Ray Lewis but cover like Derrick Brooks. Being compared to a definite Hall of Famer like Lewis is a good starting block for me, it gives me something to strive for.
Jon Beason is the starting middle linebacker for the Carolina Panthers. His blog for playerpress.com runs regularly at www.beason52.com.
A lot of people are talking about whether the problem between Steve Smith and Ken Lucas will have a negative affect on the Panthers this season.
I think it has already brought the team closer together.
I have an older brother, and as kids growing up, and even as adults now, there are going to be disagreements and fights. If me and my brother get into a fight, that’s one thing, but no one else better say anything to him or it becomes my problem, also, and I know he feels the same way.
The Panthers are like a family and we’re going to handle this in-house. Like any family, there are going to be scuffles and disagreements, but at the end of the day, you’re still a family. You have that love for each other and I think that’s what you need to succeed as a team, to care about one another. That’s what you need in any sport.
The guys have already come together over this, it’s been business as usual. Steve has been accepted by everyone, he’s practicing and gives and takes high fives just like any other player.
On top of that, guys are stepping up right now that didn’t think they would have to. Steve is always capable of winning a game if you get him the ball, so knowing he’s not going to be there for our first two games, all the guys, myself included, know that without him out there we’re going to have to play that much harder and be that much better.
It’s not a problem for me.
Jon Beason is the starting middle linebacker for the Carolina Panthers. His blog for playerpress.com runs regularly at www.beason52.com.