Jon Beason Interview on 5/10. Worth a Listen! (Summary Included)

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

Jon Beason gave an interview on the Mac Attack on 5/10/13. Searched for a previous thread on it but couldn't find it and somehow I don't believe it has been posted. Great interview and worth a listen. About 20 minutes long in total. Summary below.

• Beason about his charity event that took place on Monday night. Gave out prizes and some vacations and a Panther's fan package for a great cause and a charitable donation (MLB Foundation). Involved people buying tickets and going to The Palm restaurant in Charlotte and Beason and some other Panther's players including Gross, Kalil, Luke, Olsen, CJ, Hardy, Godfrey, Stewart, Steve Smith, and Thomas Davis would serve as waiters for the evening. Beason said its tough asking people for money and the event was nearly sold out but he was happy the roll out the red carpet for people. Beason thought that himself, Gross, and Kalil would make the best waiters because they have previous experience. Said DeAngelo would be the worst tipper and that DeAngelo would appreciated being nominated by Beason as the "worst tipper."
  

• Asked how pumped he was about the Panthers drafting two defensive tackles in Star and Short. Beason was excited about the picks and said it directly benefits him and the rest of linebacking corps. Loves the rotation and potential of the defensive line unit. Says he will be in there hiding behind that front four and ready to make plays. Believes the defensive line didn't get enough credit for what they did last year by the national media. Says we are extremely excited on the second level of the defense.
  

• Beason said he realized and had total respect for Luke Kuechly when he was in college. Watched him play at BC as a fellow ACC alumni and talked about him prior to the draft. He said he knew he was special right away with the way he studied, prepared, and worked hard. Said he knew he was an immense talent right away at the Mike position and that Luke was glad to be back in the middle and he was totally comfortable there from the first snap. Said he has the "it" factor and is grounded enough to be as good as he wants to be and that he still wants to get much better.
  

• Beason said its tough as an athlete trying to recover from injury because you have to live in the moment and realize your time in this league is limited. He said he now wants to make the most of this opportunity and win championships. When the game was taken away from him, he found a new appreciation for the game and it isn't about the personal accolades but about wining championships. Beason said football is about right now. Said it hurt hearing people say that we should trade him and that he doesn't have it anymore and when he lays that first big hit on someone next season he will just be thinking "I told you so, I told you so." Says he pities the guy who will be on the receiving end of that hit and will try to take his head off. Says its nothing personal, but someone has to pay for him missing time due to injury.
  

• Asked about his various injuries in different places and if he ever had a doubt that he could get back to form and come back stronger. Beason said the achilles and shoulder injuries are soft tissue related and it is all about what he put into it and putting the effort into rehabbing as quickly as possible. However, the micro fracture on his knee is bone related and just needs to be healed in time. Mentioned it was frustrating just waiting around for the pain to cease and lately he has been able to run around and says the injury is out of his hands and he is basically just waiting to wake up and have the pain gone. Says he feels good and hasn't lost anything in terms of strength and stamina.
  

• Asked by the interviewer "what Jon Beason will be lined up against Seattle week 1?" Beason says he appreciates the doubters and they mean the world to him. Doubters have helped him turn into a man and the doubters have gotten him to where he is today. He always overcomes and always wins because of the doubters. He says he will be slightly upset, highly motivated, and eager to prove to the world who he is and who he can become. Believes he can still be the best player at his position. 52 will give everything he has got.
  

• Interviewer says he doubted Thomas Davis getting back to form after three injuries. Beason is highly motivated by Davis and they went through rehab together and that they competed against each other in rehabbing and getting back to where they were. Wanted to win each day. Thomas Davis set a benchmark by coming back from three ACL injuries on the same knee. Beason said Thomas Davis has just scratched the service of his potential and that he is driven by Thomas.
  

• Asked how good this 2013 Panthers can be. Said first and foremost we are healthy. Said offseason moves have helped both sides of the ball and we got deep at some positions where we were previously pretty shallow. Really loved our draft and said it undoubtedly made us better across the board.
  

• Ripped on Adam Schein and wants to buy him lunch because he woke up everybody in the locker room and motivated everyone in the building and Beason thanked him for doing so. Guys know what is being said about them and it is just fuel for the fire. No one will speak of it but it is in the back of everyone's mind and the team and staff know what was said. Mentions the last two years and setting team highs/records for the number of guys that went on IR.
  

• Jon and Thomas Davis have always competed and they sit around with Luke and joke about how no one can break tackling records this year because there aren't enough tackles to go around and they don't care about individual stat lines. They just want to be dominant as a unit. They want to be the best unit every Sunday and thats the level they plan to play at consistently and he is confident they will do so.
  

• Interviewer brings up how Beason has been on NFL.com talking about 89 and Luke on the top 100. Says Beason is a really classy guy and deserves a tip of the hat. Beason said he wouldn't say things about Steve Smith and Luke if he didn't mean it. It isn't just because they are teammates and he says he is very very critical of other guys in this league. Said its a shame that Luke didn't get voted into the Pro-Bowl because its clear people didn't watch this defense and Luke go to work. Aside from believing Luke is already the best MLB in the game, that there is nobody close to Luke right now in terms of the potential he has and what he can be as a player.
  

Listen here! http://charlotte.cbslocal.com/2013/05/10/jon-beason-adam-schein-provided-motivation-for-the-entire-building/

Click here to view the article

[BelgianPantherFan]

Great interview, thanks for the summary.

[Catalyst]

For Beason to be as vocal a supporter of Luke as he's been shows what kind of person and player he is. That's rare in today's... hell, these days period. To essentially lose your job to someone and then emerge as one of their most vocal supporters takes a ton of class.

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

Definitely one of the better player interviews I have heard in a long time. Beason is hungry and if he can return and play at a high level this season will make this defense very formidable. 

[Proudiddy]

Man, how quickly fans forget... Beason was everyone's favorite leader until the achilles injury, now it seems popular for everyone to write him off and want to release or trade him. I'm still believing in Beast, and hope he retires a Panther. As was said above, it shows what kind of guy he is with how he has handled the situation with Luke. Also, did people forget that despite being one of the youngest players on the team that he was the guy that pulled Smitty off of Lucas a couple years ago? And his production/heart on the field prior to the injuries, as well as his work ethic??? I really hope he pulls off a TD and proves everyone wrong. This is gonna be a sick defense.

As an aside, I was surprised that he specifically mentioned that he had a micro fracture injury/procedure... That's the first I have heard of it, and that's troubling as it has ended many a player's career in basketball, which is obviously a lot less violent. That being said, I know Beast will prove everyone wrong. Can't wait for this season!!!

[Taro ∆]

I appreciate the effort but good god you have way too much time on your hands.

[Zod]

I appreciate the effort but good god you have way too much time on your hands.

 

As opposed to watching Laverne and Shirley reruns at 2am?

[Creep59]

Pie just for all that work.

 

 

You should post a tldr version.

[SCP]

Man I hope Beason can return to form. A healthy Beason, Luke, and TD out there at the same time? Good luck opposing offenses.

[Zod]

Beason really is a class act. Extremely bright, self motivated, and leadership skills that are off the chart.

[BelgianPantherFan]

Very well spoken also. I can see him making a career on television after he retires winning 2 consecutive rings with the Panthers.

[MHS831]

Beason is class.  I met him once and he was very impressive as a human being and a leader.  He made me want to suit up. Beason is a person who is going to get the most out of his teammates.  I hope he restructures his contract because he is going to be a pretty expensive OLB.

 

Love the words about Kuechly.   How hard was it to watch a rookie take your spot?  

[SpeedOFLight]

Im exciting to seeing this team healthy next year. Kudos to Beason. Seems like a down to earth guy. Glad he is on our team!

[Lout]

I think we could have Urlacher/Briggs thing going on with Keuchly/Beason..