New York Giants: Need Jon Beason back and healthy ASAP

During the New York Giants’ week 1 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, a few things were apparent. First, the team lacked consistency on offense, but that’s not too troubling, in my opinion.

Something that was a lot more concerning, however, was how much the defense suffered in the absence of starting inside linebacker Jon Beason.

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Filling in for Beason was unproven player Unai’ Unga, and while he picked off an errant Tony Romo pass, he wasn’t nearly as productive as Beason would have been.

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“The Unga Games” looked uncomfortable getting the plays in and making adjustments, and he really struggled on Dallas’ final drive of the game. The Cowboys utilized their running back in the passing game, and Unga was beat badly. Unga was the man in coverage on three of Romo’s five final passes. His indecisiveness proved to hinder any chance at a defensive stand.

On the final play of the drive, Unga kept backpedaling into the end zone, although Jason Witten stopped at the goal line. It was a rookie mistake, and it – along with a phantom pass-interference call, lack of a pass rush and poor clock management – cost the Giants the game.

To put it bluntly: New York needs Beason to return if they want to succeed.

Some fans might think Beason has nothing to offer the team. He always seems to be injured, and he has a relatively hefty contract for a player who basically missed all of 2014.

He’s the most important part of the defense, though, and he makes everybody around him better when he’s on the field. The term “quarterback of the defense” is often overused, but that’s the best way to describe the player Beason is and what his value to the defense is.

When he’s on the field, he’s not going to make many mental mistakes. Beason has an incredible football IQ, and it’s a big reason why the undersized — 6-0, officially — linebacker has been able to find so much success in the NFL.

Jun 8, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants middle linebacker Jon Beason (52) during organized team activities at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY

He knows exactly where his teammates are supposed to be, and he’s great in making last-minute adjustments. Beason gives everything he has on every play, and when he makes a mistake, he does so at 100 percent. Once he dissects the play, he flies to whoever has the ball.

Beason flows to the ball and almost always brings down the ball carrier in the open field. I’ve seen him make one-on-one tackles against Eddie Lacy, Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson.

It’s easy to overlook Beason’s value on the defense since he hasn’t played a more than four games — he played 12 games with the Giants, three with Carolina in 2013 — since 2013, but he’s the quintessential middle linebacker for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.

In the preseason, Beason said he wanted to try to emulate Antonio Pierce in Spags’ defense, according to Nick Powell of NJ.com. Anyone who remembers those vaunted Giants defenses of 2007-08 will also remember how big of a piece Pierce was.

Spagnuolo likes middle linebackers who are smart, instinctive and physical. Beason has all three of those traits, and a high motor to boot.

Having Beason back in the lineup also gives the Giants a whole lot more versatility on defense. Since Beason is a reliable player, Spagnuolo can dial up more blitzes against a weak Falcons offensive line. His return is bound to make this unit enormously better.

Beason is also the emotional leader of that defense. He’s very vocal, and he and defensive end Cullen Jenkins are the most veteran players on that defense. Last year, Beason was named team captain in only his second year with the team, which showed how much his peers respect him.

Hopefully, Beason is available for week 2 after nursing a knee injury that he initially called “minor,” according to Ohm Youngmisek of ESPN.com.

While Atlanta doesn’t have a tight end who’s the same caliber of Jason Witten, the team has Matt Ryan, who’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

In the proverbial game of mental chess that Ryan is bound to play with New York’s defense, I like Beason’s chances to succeed a lot more than I like Unga’s.

Next: New York Giants: Takeaways From Week 1 Loss

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