Jon Beason Injury: Updates on Giants LB's Status and Return

Updates from Sunday, Sept. 14

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News confirmed that Jon Beason is active for Sunday's game:

Original Text

The New York Giants' already-weak defense could be at an even greater disadvantage due to an injury plaguing linebacker Jon Beason. 

According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, Beason didn't practice on Thursday, and Vacchiano included a quote from head coach Tom Coughlin:

Dan Graziano of ESPN New York also included some of what Coughlin had to say about Beason's absence from practice:

Beason missed the entire preseason with a foot injury, which Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports seems like the reason for sitting out:

This news couldn't come at a worse time for the Giants. Even though we are only heading into Week 2, Coughlin's team hasn't looked right going back to the preseason. They were picked apart by Detroit in Week 1, allowing 417 total yards, including 341 through the air.

Now, they are preparing to host an Arizona offense that had 11 players catch at least one pass against San Diego last week. 

Beason has been one of the few bright spots for New York's defense since being acquired in a trade with Carolina last October. He had 93 total tackles in 12 games, leading to the Giants giving him a three-year contract extension in the offseason. 

Before agreeing to that extension, Beason told Dan Salomone of the team's website that New York was a place he wanted to be:

"

Being a free agent, it’s the first time where you get to choose where you want to play or who you want to play with and all of that stuff. But when you come to a place like the New York Giants, there are high standards, there are great players, and this team has done it on a consistent level. So for me, it’s all about winning at this point in my career.

"

Beason got his wish to return, but the situation in New York has changed dramatically since winning a Super Bowl in 2011. They have missed the playoffs the last two years and got off to a poor start this season. He had four tackles in the game against Detroit. 

The Giants can't afford to lose their starting linebacker, so it's good that this sounds like one of those cases where an older player just needs time to heal up playing on a short week. Beason may not be what he once was but is still better than what the Giants have coming off the bench. 

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