Giants linebacker Jon Beason expects to play vs. Falcons
New York Giants linebacker Jon Beason said he thinks he'll play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, according to NJ.com.
Beason has missed the team's last two games since he re-injured his big toe in the Giants' Week 2 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
While Beason may not start in his return, he'll likely at least split snaps with Jameel McClain, who has moved from outside linebacker to the middle to help fill in for Beason in his absence.
"We just bring him along accordingly," said [head coach Tom] Coughlin, who would not go as far as admitting that Beason would start on Sunday. "He doesn’t take all the snaps the first day he’s back, he takes a few more the second day and we assess that."
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Beason originally injured his foot during an OTA practice in June, sustaining a torn ligament and a fractured sesamoid bone. He missed all of training camp but returned to start the Giants' first two games before re-aggravating the injury.
The team and Beason elected not to go with surgery to repair his toe, meaning the linebacker will likely have to deal with pain all season.
"Yeah, you know, you break scar tissue," he said. "We didn't have the surgery so the scarring was actually the repair, if that makes sense. There wasn't as much pain as the first time when it was a soft-tissue injury. You break the scar tissue so I don't have a lot of play in my toe. That is the big hold up. I need by big toe to play football and push off, pivot. You try and compensate for a lack thereof."
Spencer Paysinger and Mark Herzlich have split time at the outside linebacker position vacated by McClain.
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Beason, 29, was acquired from the Carolina Panthers in a trade last October. He has eight tackles in his two games this season.
- Ben Estes
