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 9, 2009
Workouts are going great. I’m out there grinding twice a day, getting ready for training camp. It’s hot here in Fort Lauderdale, which is good because it simulates the weather in Spartanburg.
I feel like my old self again after the surgery. I feel motivated and hungry, like I’m about to enter the NFL again as a rookie. Here I am a veteran and I feel like I’m starting all over again with new coaches, new schemes and new terminology.
I’ve come to the realization that everybody likes to talk about what you did or how great you are, the season you had and the Pro Bowl, but to me the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league because none of that stuff matters if you don’t make the next play.
This year I want to have a short memory. Do what is expected of me and then move on to the next play. Try to make a great play, then move on to the next play.
If I do that, individually I’ll get what I want but also the team will respect it and respond. The guys can almost taste that and it becomes part of their makeup. If we can do that every play, we can win this whole thing.
Our tight end Dante Rosario is down here working out with me. After coming down here and training, I think you can expect big things from him this year. I hope we use him more on offense because I think he’s a special talent.
July is my time. I stay at a hotel, everything is right here for me, I don’t have a kitchen or anything. I wake up, work out, come back to the hotel, have my food prepared for me, lay down for a rest, come back and work out again in the afternoon. During my time I don’t want anybody to bother me, I want to feel tired and feel like I made a deposit today.
That’s my new thing. You have to make a deposit every day. You make deposits, watch your deposits grow and hopefully in February I can make one big withdrawal.
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.
Written By Jon Beason
January 20, 2009
If I had to pick one word to describe my second season in the NFL, it would be “enlightening.”
We were able to accomplish so much as a team, but it all comes down to how you finish. I think this experience will be great for me. I know that I can play, make Pro Bowls and All-Pro, and it’s enlightening to know that I can do that this early in my career.
That’s half the battle, and now I know what it takes.
I guess it was just not our day against Arizona. We just weren’t good enough to win that day and the Cardinals, well, I guess it was just their day.
I recorded the game and watched the “championship chase” later, when they showed the Cardinals’ sideline conversations during our game, when it was over. It burned me up pretty bad, but you want to have that experience because you want to know what it feels like to lose in the playoffs, so you know that you don’t ever want to have that feeling again.
I was shocked at how well the Cardinals played on defense against us and how well they’ve played since. Where was that D all year?
You can’t win when you have six turnovers from the quarterback position, but you also can’t win when you give up 150-something yards and six catches to one receiver in the first half. Everybody had a hand in it, including myself. It’s something you can’t do in the playoffs, where there’s a new level of focus, desire. It’s the time to elevate your game and we didn’t do that.
I stayed in Carolina for a while, just doing nothing, hanging out, relaxing. Getting the body feeling better. I wasn’t ready to face everyone at home, talking about the Arizona game. I wanted to let it die down for a while, wait until everyone started talking about the Super Bowl. I actually just got home to Miami last night.
I worked out today, I have to make some appearances, then go on to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. I want to represent my team, my organization, my family and myself well. It’s my first time out there, so I want to make sure I show my peers that I belong. It’s important to me that the other players watch me and say, oh, that’s what everyone was talking about. As far as the game goes, though, I honestly don’t know what to expect at all.
Our big issue for the off-season is whether J.P. will be moving on to another team. There is no replacing Julius Peppers, they just don’t make ’em like that. He always drew the attention of the offense so they would leave me alone back there. If he goes, he’ll always be remembered as Julius Peppers, “The Freak.” But I’m happy for him if he decides to leave, if that’s what he thinks is best for him. It’s hard to go out and play and give it your all if you don’t want to be where you are. That’s why contracts only go so long, players should have a right to be free agents and choose where they want to play.
I think Julius loves it here, but maybe for him it’s just time to move on.
My Super Bowl prediction: Who would have thought the Cards would be in the Super Bowl for the first time in their history? The Panthers have only been around 14 or 15 years and we’ve been to one. I think the Pittsburgh defense is good enough to slow down that offense, and I think the Steelers offense is good enough to score on the Arizona defense. I give Pittsburgh the edge in all three phases, including special teams.
Steelers 27, Cardinals 17.
Carolina Panthers All-Pro middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com.
Truth is, I didn’t know much about it at all until some people told me I was the second player in Panthers history to get it. It’s only awarded four times a season, so I started to think maybe it was a pretty big deal.
But I’ve never really been big on the individual stuff. It feels good, it’s something to strive for, but I want to be a champion—not the Defensive Player of the Month.
If you win an award, that’s like a bonus, but winning a Super Bowl dominates my thoughts and dreams and just about everything I do.
Every day I picture myself in a game, making a play to win it. I do that all the time, and it’s the same thing, every game.
Every night football crosses my mind at some point. They say your dreams are your unconscious desires.
When I set a goal I stay focused on it, I constantly think about it. It’s easy to forget when you get tired, tired of practice, tired of meetings. Every day you have to go out there and say, what can I do today to make myself a little better? To help the team win? When you stay focused all the time, it’s easier to maintain a high level of intensity.
Not everyone can stay that focused; anybody can do it for a day. Being consistent is hard. Most guys in this league are just as good or better than me, but they can’t stay as consistent as me, as focused and intense. Those days when you’re tired, when you push through it and something good comes out of it, that makes you feel like it was all worth it.
We play at Oakland on Sunday. Amazingly, we didn’t have a good practice on Wednesday. You would assume after a bye week you would come back mentally fresh, but it just wasn’t a good day for us. Guys were making a lot of small mistakes on stuff that we’ve repped a million times since training camp.
Today, we had a great practice, the intensity was there and guys hardly made any mistakes. Jake was on fire, putting the ball wherever he wanted.
It’s a dangerous game against the Raiders. When you play a game that you’re supposed to win, some guys go in extremely confident and think they can win just by showing up. It’s a cliché, but it’s true … any given Sunday in the NFL, any team can win.
My approach is, the Raiders are a very talented team with a lot of big-play capability. They can just put it together, go out there and have fun, rally behind all the critics saying they don’t have it.
We’re halfway through, when the true season starts. At 6-2 we’ve set ourselves up to be in a good position, but so have a lot of other teams. Every game is huge right now, and teams can still turn it around. It comes down to winning one game every week, so the next game is always huge.
We’ve been real good at home, so getting home-field advantage for the playoffs is really important to me right now. We’re unbeaten at home, so it doesn’t matter who we’re playing or what predicament we put ourselves in, we know we can come back from it.
That’s a good thing to see and be a part of.
Carolina Panthers starting middle linebacker Jon Beason, the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October, writes a blog for playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com.