Jon Beason expects to celebrate his Giants anniversary day on the field

The one-year anniversary of the Giants' acquisition of Jon Beason is approaching. On Oct. 4, 2013, they sent a seventh-round draft pick to the Panthers in exchange for the middle linebacker who became the face of their second-half success last season and a captain this season.

"It feels like it's been about eight-and-a-half days," Beason said on Thursday. "It's gone by fast. That means you're having fun, you're enjoying it. I do feel at home. I'm just anxious to get back out there and do what I love: Play ball."

It sounds as if he'll get that opportunity on Sunday. After missing two games due to the aggravation of a foot and toe injury that sidelined him the entire preseason, Beason said he expects to play against the Falcons (his old NFC South rivals from his Panthers days, he added).

"They're working me back in slowly, trying to be smart about it," he said. "There will be an adjustment period, but we feel good about it."

It's hard to quantify what Beason's presence has meant to the Giants in 12 months. Even when he has not been on the field, he's been a key reason why the team has gone 9-7 since his arrival.

"Jon is a special guy," defensive coordinator Perry Fewell said. "He's the guy that kind of brings us together between the front end and the back end and ties it all together for us . . . We needed a person with a voice like that to come in and tie us all together as a defensive unit. I think, yeah, that was a big acquisition for us."

At the time, the trade was downplayed. Damaged goods for a bargain-basement price was the story line. Beason, whose career in Carolina had been stymied by injuries, didn't miss any games for the Giants last year. He returned from the foot and toe injury to play in the first two this season but sat out the last two. He keeps making modifications to his cleats to help, but knows that the pain will likely not go away until after the season. Especially with all of the games that are played on artificial turf.

"There's pain there, but not as much when there was a soft tissue injury [in the summer]," he said. "You break the scar tissue, so now I have a lot of play in my toe. That's what really is the holdup. I need my big toe to play ball, push off, pivot. You try to compensate. That's really the biggest issue."

Beason probably won't carry a full workload on Sunday. The Giants have depth at the position with Jameel McClain and the possible return of rookie Devon Kennard. That will allow them to ease Beason through this recovery in terms of snaps. Even limited, he's given the Giants more than they could have imagined when they traded for him.

"One year," Beason reflected. "We'll have to celebrate then. It'll have to be something special."

Like, maybe, playing in a game?

"And winning," he said. "That works."