Jon Beason out of walking boot
Giants offensive linebacker Jon Beason leaves the field after the team's 27-13 win against the Green Bay Packers in an NFL football game at MetLife Stadium on Nov. 17, 2013. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Jon Beason got one thing on his list.
"I'm out of the boot this morning," he said on Wednesday, having just shed the hard protective apparatus that was shielding his surgically repaired right foot. "An early Christmas present."
Eight weeks into what he was told will be a three-to-four-month rehabilitation, Beason finally is at the point that he can start working. Until now, it's been mostly healing, which, he said, is "like watching paint dry." He said he believes he'll be able to begin running in three or four weeks.
"Everything is about to increase big time," the linebacker said. "For the first four or five weeks, I was just sitting around with my foot up. The stitches were in for over three weeks. I was on a little scooter, unfortunately. But it's going to pick up in the next couple of weeks."
Beason said he should have plenty of time to begin training for the offseason program and OTAs, which begin in mid-April. Of course, the possibility exists that his return will not be with the Giants. Even though he signed a three-year deal this past offseason, he's had a series of injuries that have affected his playing time and play. Even Beason acknowledged that the trajectory of his career has been altered by them.
"When you come into the NFL, you set huge goals for yourself, and I think I was well on my way to accomplishing those goals," he said. "As you go, the story gets a little rough. You have these injuries and setbacks . . . For me, I've learned to embrace it and look at it as an opportunity for something bigger."
So what of his future with the Giants? Jameel McClain has played well in his place and leads the team in tackles. The organization is very excited about rookie Devon Kennard. If the Giants do dedicate themselves to a youth movement this offseason, Beason could be one of the veterans with whom they part ways.
"I've been around long enough to know that it is a business and sometimes you have to address those issues when they come up," Beason said. "So far we're geared for Year Two of the three-year contract and I fully expect to hold up my end of the deal, to go out and lead and be the best mike linebacker and teammate I can be."
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
