Now that the season has ended, I’ve realized that if I play another 10 years, I’ll look back on this season and always remember it as not necessarily something special, but something that will always stand out in my career.

In one year I had to overcome changes in the coaching staff, coming back from shoulder surgery, multiple injuries to the front four, linebackers and secondary, the first time having my name dragged through the mud as far as an assault charge, and finally missing the 2010 Pro Bowl, which I vow to never let happen again.

I honestly think 2009 will be a milestone in my career in terms of where I go from here.

I’m so proud of my coaches and all my teammates for persevering this year, not falling victim to the media and allowing what people were saying about us to seep into our minds and believe it. This team stayed the course, stayed together and ended on a note that nobody thought we could. We proved the Panthers are a good football team, and though we came on a little late, deserve some recognition among the league’s elite.

Looking forward, where do we go from here? What will the Panthers’ identity be next year, what are going to be the headlines for the 2010 season? In my eyes, it starts today, this very second, this very moment. What are we thinking about, what’s most important to us, what’s going to be the motivating factor?

I’m not thinking so much about what’s going to happen in the end, but about my preparation. Something might seem like a small task each day, but it’s amazing when those days add up to weeks and months, what the final outcome will be of completing that task every single day, what the hard work and preparation amount to over time.

I’m going into my fourth year and it feels good to be kind of an older guy. There will be a lot of pressure put on me early, and I know there will be even more to come as the season goes on. I’m appreciative of that because I believe pressure brings greatness.

I just want to thank my family, my friends and the fans for all their support throughout the 2009 season. I hope I did not let anyone down or disappoint, I hope I was entertaining, and believe me when I tell you I cannot wait to do it again.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

Initially, I had a lot on my mind, a lot to say. I had a lot of anger as well as disappointment. But I’ve had some time to step back from it and think hard about my words before I said anything, simply based on the fact that Jon Vilma is one of my friends, like me a University of Miami linebacker standout and a guy I admired and looked up to in college.

So even though I felt like I was shafted from the Pro Bowl, I wouldn’t want it to come out publicly in any fashion that I’m downplaying the year he had or the type of player he is.

As far as London Fletcher being the first alternate, I can live with that. He’s had a long and underappreciated career. And in my eyes, I’ve always seen him as a very consistent, very good player.

To me, it’s not so much about breaking records. It reminds me about the Colts having the opportunity to go undefeated and break that record. It’s not about breaking records, it’s about finishing first. To me, that’s all I want to do. Year in and year out, as long as I’m wearing a helmet, as long as my play represents my family and my name, I want to strive to finish first.

When you do that, and it’s overlooked, it is a very demoralizing feeling.

Things like being named NFC Player of the Week and team MVP, as well as the highest praise from the likes of Bill Belichick, Sean Payton and Brian Billick, coaches that are widely respected and renowned, to go out of their way and mention  my name as a guy who deserves to go to the Pro Bowl, or make reference to me being one of the best linebackers they’d ever seen, almost makes it hurt worse.

So, as an athlete, what do we do best? Let it roll of your back and move on to the next play. I refuse to be ashamed of the season I had, especially with all the circumstances that don’t get mentioned, and allow the hype of the Pro Bowl to linger and dwell on my mind.

Moving forward, I’ve decided to walk around like I always have, with my chin up and my chest pushed out, being proud of the man I am and the player I am, and to do what I’ve always done: Strive to finish first.

The best thing that I heard after realizing that I wasn’t going to be in the 2010 Pro Bowl was what my marketing director told me. My marketing agent is Robert Bailey, who played at Miami and in the NFL for 10-plus years. He was one of the first people I talked to after I found out that I wasn’t going. He told me a story about a test he took in college, one he studied for for days, five hours a day, he studied so hard because he wanted to do so well. Well, he got a 98 on the test and he couldn’t wait to tell his brother, who was a doctor. When you work hard for something and it pays off, it’s a very emotional, very rewarding feeling. So he calls his brother and tells him he got a 98 on the test. And his brother said, you should have gotten 100. You should have studied harder. He refused to give his approval because perfection is the goal.

Robert was telling me that maybe I have to shoot for something bigger than the Pro Bowl. Maybe I should work out even harder and aim for being the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year and the Super Bowl MVP next year. Maybe that’s what God is telling me, to set my sights even higher.

So hats off to all of the players who made it and just know that it fueled the fire for next year. This won’t be the last time you hear about Jon Beason being snubbed for the Pro Bowl. Because based on my play next year, they’ll still be talking about it.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

It feels great to be exonerated. But what bothers me is that it’s human nature for a person to form their own opinion based not on reality, but perception. Even though my name has legally been cleared, I know some people out there are going to believe the allegations. That’s the part that doesn’t sit well with me.

Look at the whole Tiger Woods thing. It looks bad all the way around, even though we’re still not sure to what degree everything is true. I like the way Phil Mickelson put it: “What Tiger does is none of my damn business.” It’s true, it’s really no one’s business but Tiger’s and his family’s. But because of who he is, everyone makes it their business.

I’ve learned some hard lessons about the media. They might say they like you, and maybe they do, but when there’s a story out there they go for it.

I just want to put it behind me and hope it is never brought up again, just move forward. I know there are a lot of athletes who have been accused and even found guilty of far worse, but they were able to repair their image. I think in my situation it was very minor and if I move forward and just continue to be myself as much as possible and play well, I think everything else will take care of itself.

Kobe Bryant, as high on a pedestal as he was, had a great big fall. But he fixed it with his wife first, then made everyone else forget by being an outstanding basketball player. Lo and behold, now all anyone talks about are his championships. Ray Lewis, faced with a harsh situation, came out strong and went on to be Super Bowl MVP and arguably the best linebacker of all-time.

I’m not saying I’m like those guys, I don’t compare athletically. But for me, my image is all I have. You work hard to make a name for yourself, and in the end that’s all you’re remembered for. It’s your legacy.

Now I just want to talk about football and play football.

To continue the type of season it’s been, we lost another key component when Jeff Otah, our All-Pro left tackle, went down.  It’s the never ending story for us. In this dangerous sport you need a little luck and for guys to stay healthy if you’re going to go all the way, and that just hasn’t happened this season.

We play Minnesota on Sunday Night Football. Any chance you get to play on national TV takes the game to another level. More people are watching, so it’s an opportunity to prove the doubters wrong. The Vikings could go all the way to the Super Bowl. We’re looking to beat them so we can have that to look back on, like, we beat the team that won it all, or we beat the team that went to the Super Bowl. There’s still a lot of incentive to go out and play well.

It’s been a rocky season, we’ve had some injuries and didn’t get any breaks, but if we win this game at least we’ll be able to say we beat a great team. It’s not completely fulfilling but there would be a little satisfaction.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

It’s unfortunate when you put yourself in a situation where you might be vulnerable and someone takes advantage of it. I look at it as a learning experience, and an opportunity for my true character to ultimately be revealed. I have the utmost confidence in the judicial process, and when all is said and done I’m confident my name will be cleared and my reputation restored.

Going into the game against Tampa, I told myself I wouldn’t let my personal life affect how I perform on the field. So many guys are depending on me to do my job and be accountable. The fans expect me to go out and play well and they deserve the best I have to give. So I really wanted to get the job done, especially after losing two in a row.

What I wanted was to go out and make a big play. I was telling some of the guys that I was going to get a pick-six, or recover a fumble and take it to the house. I wanted to do something huge to prove to all the doubters, I am who I am, and good things happen to good people.

Getting those two interceptions in the red zone really made it a day to remember, especially after all the negativity I went through the whole week.

I feel totally blessed to be able to perform on the football field, and prove who I am, and that good things do happen to good people.

Heading into the Patriots game I was checking the forecast for New England this weekend. I’m a Florida boy, but sometimes you have to play cold-weather teams in their weather. I just hope it’s not one of those classic New England winter games. It’s supposed to be 36 degrees with a chance of snow. It’s always a little warmer when it snows.

Playing the Patriots will be a challenge. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. When I go to bed at night after the game, I’ll say to myself, I just played against Tom Brady. If I played well, I’ll know I earned it.

We still have a mathematical chance to make the playoffs. We have to decide as a team and as individuals that that’s what we want to do, then go out and do it. All of our games are winnable in my eyes.

Fans, I want to go back to the Pro Bowl this year so please don’t forget to vote for me! Go to http://www.nfl.com/probowl/ballot and click on inside linebackers, then click next to my name. Thanks.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

Everybody in this league gets paid, every team has players. What separates each team is the ability to make plays in the clutch, when it’s crunch time and the game is on the line. Every game is determined by one or two plays that can change momentum, or field position, and ultimately the outcome of the game.

We haven’t been making those plays. If I could figure out why, I’d be a billionaire. Or a coach.

It’s very frustrating when you’re good enough to make plays, yet for whatever reason it’s not happening. Thursday night was a prime example of our season. The offense was kicking field goals and the defense was letting up touchdowns. I thought our special teams actually won that battle.

Next we’ve got the Jets. Most people probably think they’re a lot like us because they have the same record and they had high expectations. I don’t think they’re in the same class as us. Other than the Philly game, we haven’t been blown out. I can honestly say I think we should have won every other game. And we’re not losing because of what the other team is doing, we’re losing because of what we’re doing to ourselves.

One thing I can say about the Jets is that their offensive line is very good in the trenches. They’re tough guys, very athletic, they really get after you in the running game and they have one of the best rushing attacks in the league, maybe the best. We have to stop them from running, and a lot of that will be on my shoulders.

We have to force them to throw and make the rookie quarterback beat us. He’s been sporadic, but at this level you have to respect everybody. I like him, he’s a scrappy kid. Hopefully he throws one to me.

It’s been a difficult last couple weeks, we have not played sound defense. We have to make sure we’re all where we’re supposed to be, do our jobs and be as efficient as possible.

Now is the time of the season when you get that character check. We’re two games under .500 which is not good. Earlier we always felt like we had time to turn it around. Now we’re at that “do or die” point for real. If you fall 3 games out of the wild card I don’t think you have a shot. A lot of that will be determined on Sunday.

As a captain I try to be vocal, try to set an example and play with emotion and hope that rubs off on others.

Thursday will be a great day. Thanksgiving has been a big deal to me since high school, when you knew that if you were still playing after Thanksgiving, you must have a good team because you’re still in the playoffs. Thursday I’ll get up and go to work, we’ll have a brief practice, get done early and I’ll come home to my family. My grandmother and mother are going to cook, I’ll just sit around eating, enjoying quality time with my family that you don’t get too often. Then we’ll fly to New York on Saturday for the game.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

DeAngelo broke one for a touchdown, our defense sent them three and out. We punted, then I recovered a fumble and we scored, 14-0 with 10 minutes left in the first quarter. Our defense was great through the first half, but we blew a coverage late and that gave them a field goal and momentum coming into the half.

We were doing what we wanted to do on defense.

But in the second half they hit for a long touchdown pass and it was just unfortunate. We had the opportunity to make some plays, I had the opportunity to make some plays, we just didn’t do it. It’s all about finishing, attention to detail when the game is on the line.

I refuse to use injuries as an excuse, because the fact is that the 53 guys we have on this team have been good enough and have played well enough the majority of the season to win all of our losses. For whatever reason, that’s not happening. We’re coming up just short.

I don’t have any of the answers right now. I guess we just have to emphasize finishing. We have to do something different, because what we’ve been doing just isn’t working.

Losing Thomas Davis was a big blow. There isn’t a linebacker in the NFL who was playing better than Thomas Davis. He’s a guy we were pushing for the Pro Bowl, he’s that good. Here’s a guy that’s a great person, a guy I look at like a brother, he put in the work and it’s supposed to pay off. I believe everything happens for a reason, but when something like that happens sometimes I just don’t know.

His injury is an example of what we’ve been going through all year. Someone has always been able to step in and pick up the slack. When Charles Godfrey got hurt in the secondary, Sherrod Martin stepped in and played great for us against Arizona. That was truly unexpected because we brought him in as a corner, we didn’t know he was such a good safety. Obviously we’ve had an injury situation at defensive tackle, we addressed that with Hollis Thomas.

Offensively we had our two top fullbacks go down and we started a rookie running back at the position. Other guys have stepped up, and that’s the beauty of this season. We’re still in these games, even if we’re not playing with our quote-unquote “best 53.”

The main thing I want to say is that the season is not lost yet. We’ve got five of our next 8 games at home. Hopefully we can get something going.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

After all we’ve been through, starting out 0-3, then winning 3 of 4, the crazy thing is the season is still young. If we beat New Orleans we’re 2-1 in the division and they’re 2-1 in the division. That’s what it all boils down to.

The difference for the Saints is that they’re running the ball, too. Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell, who we all know from Denver, can run it and they have a quarterback in Drew Brees who has been pinpoint accurate. They’ve also gotten faster at the wide receiver position over the last couple years. But the difference between the team that had the quarterback passing on every down and going for Dan Marino’s record last year and this team, which is 7-0, is the running game.

Also look at Brees’ passer rating on third down. It’s insane. Games are won and lost on third down and in the red zone and no one does it better there than Drew Brees.

The first thing we have to do is stop the run, make them one-dimensional. When they run the ball, it opens up the passing game because you have to respect the run and put an extra body in the box.

Once you stop the run you have to get pressure on Brees. All the teams that have had any success at all against the Saints this year have done that.

Really, this is a game of want to. You gotta line up and beat their guys, 1 on 1. I think that’s the beauty of this game. It’s an important game, a division game, and the fact that they’re undefeated is the cherry on top.

We can go from everyone saying the Panthers are out of it, they’re not going to win anything, to being the most talked about 4-4 team in the NFL. I like the sound of that.

This is an opportunity for us. They can hype it all they want, what it comes down to is that playing a meaningful game in November instead of December, that’s just great. We’re excited and ready to go.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

Here’s how you find out that you are being fined by the league: The first practice after a game, you find a Fed Ex in your locker. You always expect one when there’s a questionable play, and I think all personal fouls are automatic fines now.

We played Dallas on a Monday night and we were off Tuesday, so on Wednesday I found the envelope in my locker. It says something like, “Under the Cause Act, you are being fined for …” and then whatever you did, and on what date. It’s real formal.

I was fined $5,000 because they said I hit Felix Jones out of bounds.

You can appeal, but the funny thing is the people who fined you are also the same people in charge of your appeal. The rate of retraction of a fine on appeal, well, it almost never happens. I’ve never heard of the league canceling a fine, but they will lower it once in a while.

The head office called my agent Drew Rosenhaus on the date of my scheduled hearing and they put me on the phone with some guy. I told the guy on the phone what happened, and that by no means did I intend to hit Felix Jones out of bounds, I told him it was not malicious and that I just couldn’t stop my momentum.

He said thank you and hung up the phone. There wasn’t much interaction.

It was a third and short and it was a toss play, just me and Felix running for the first down marker. He ran right over it, and as he did I made contact with him. So I’m at full speed, he’s at full speed, I met him at the midpoint right at the marker, we made contact and ended up 5-6 yards out of bounds. There was a flag on the play.

The game was three weeks ago and I just had my appeal, so I don’t know when or how I’ll find out the result. But $2,500 would be better than $5,000.

We’ve got Buffalo on Sunday. They’ve played some good teams and they’ve played them very well. They have a high-powered offense, a capable quarterback in Trent Edwards and a fast, experienced receiving corps, plus an athletic tight end and a great 1-2 punch coming out of the backfield. They’re going to run the ball, they know you know they’re going to run the ball, and they try to do it anyway. That’s bold in this league.

They’re going to run the ball right at us and we know it. If we can’t stop it, maybe we need new guys.

Every facet of our team, in terms of offense, defense and special teams, running, throwing, catching, blocking, tackling, forcing fumbles, making the right reads, in every facet we need to put in a little more emphasis and make sure we are doing it right on every play. Even though we won our last two games there’s still room to improve.

We just acquired Tank Tyler in a trade with the Chiefs for draft picks. He’s a very athletic player, a very tough player, so I’m interested to see how he’s going to help us. I think he and Hollis are going to make our D-line more athletic and give it more depth.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

Coming off a bye week at this point gives us an opportunity to start from scratch. It’s a new beginning for us, we’re starting again with Week 1 at home against the Redskins on Sunday.

All three of our losses mattered, but now there’s nothing we can do about them except move on. We know we made a lot of mistakes. Having a week off gave us a chance to realize we have problems and decide how we’re going to fix the problems. Now when we’re out on the field we can make sure the problems are fixed so they won’t happen again.

As for my knee, it feels great, it really does. I can honestly say I have no issues with it whatsoever. I felt strong, loose and fast our last game, I’m starting to become my old self.

I think this season I’m receiving a lot more attention from the offense on the field. But that’s supposed to happen. Steve Smith knows he’s going to face double teams because he’s Steve Smith. Being considered one of the better players makes your job harder. But if I’m not making plays I expect other guys to. As long as we’re successful it’s not a problem for me.

Even though we have three losses I’m really proud of how our young guys have responded despite being undersized and inexperienced. Nick Hayden is one of them who really stands out, he’s a motor guy who gives a good effort and makes plays. Moving forward I hope they stay the course and continue to try to get better. You can’t get complacent in this league just because you’re getting playing time.

We also signed Hollis Thomas, a D-lineman. I like him a lot. He’s not a big stats guy, but he’s a veteran guy who has some juice. He could have a huge effect on me because teams will have to pay him respect and that will take some of the attention away from me.

The Redskins are a good team, they’re like us in that they’ve shown glimpses of how good they can be. They have very talented players on offense and defense and they should be real fired up because we got after them pretty good in the preseason.

Clinton Portis is a tough runner, he’s not an easy tackle. He plays bigger than he is and has deceptive speed as well. So if he’s feeling good, he’s definitely a threat. Mike Sellers is definitely becoming a good fullback in this league, they have a talented receiving corps, an athletic tight end and an athletic quarterback who can make all the throws. All the talent is there, for the Redskins it’s just a matter of when they’re going to put it all together.

One of the things I like about this league is that if you’re not playing well you’re always on the hot seat. Teams constantly strive to get better, to find that perfect equation for what’s going to work and how you’re going to win games. That’s where we are right now.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

Coming off a bye week at this point gives us an opportunity to start from scratch. It’s a new beginning for us, we’re starting again with Week 1 at home against the Redskins on Sunday.

All three of our losses mattered, but now there’s nothing we can do about them except move on. We know we made a lot of mistakes. Having a week off gave us a chance to realize we have problems and decide how we’re going to fix the problems. Now when we’re out on the field we can make sure the problems are fixed so they won’t happen again.

As for my knee, it feels great, it really does. I can honestly say I have no issues with it whatsoever. I felt strong, loose and fast our last game, I’m starting to become my old self.

I think this season I’m receiving a lot more attention from the offense on the field. But that’s supposed to happen. Steve Smith knows he’s going to face double teams because he’s Steve Smith. Being considered one of the better players makes your job harder. But if I’m not making plays I expect other guys to. As long as we’re successful it’s not a problem for me.

Even though we have three losses I’m really proud of how our young guys have responded despite being undersized and inexperienced. Nick Hayden is one of them who really stands out, he’s a motor guy who gives a good effort and makes plays. Moving forward I hope they stay the course and continue to try to get better. You can’t get complacent in this league just because you’re getting playing time.

We also signed Hollis Thomas, a D-lineman. I like him a lot. He’s not a big stats guy, but he’s a veteran guy who has some juice. He could have a huge effect on me because teams will have to pay him respect and that will take some of the attention away from me.

The Redskins are a good team, they’re like us in that they’ve shown glimpses of how good they can be. They have very talented players on offense and defense and they should be real fired up because we got after them pretty good in the preseason.

Clinton Portis is a tough runner, he’s not an easy tackle. He plays bigger than he is and has deceptive speed as well. So if he’s feeling good, he’s definitely a threat. Mike Sellers is definitely becoming a good fullback in this league, they have a talented receiving corps, an athletic tight end and an athletic quarterback who can make all the throws. All the talent is there, for the Redskins it’s just a matter of when they’re going to put it all together.

One of the things I like about this league is that if you’re not playing well you’re always on the hot seat. Teams constantly strive to get better, to find that perfect equation for what’s going to work and how you’re going to win games. That’s where we are right now.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

My knee feels great. I’m going to have to wear a brace but I took every rep in practice today.

I am absolutely, definitely playing on Sunday against the Eagles.

I knew I would be a fast healer. I think a lot has to do with your mindset and what you do when you leave the trainer’s room. Some guys would go home and do nothing, but there are a lot of things you can do at home to help you get over an injury faster. I used an Accelerated Recovery Performance Trainer, or an ARP trainer. It activates your muscle and stimulates it, makes sure the weakened muscle is firing. It also brings blood flow to the area and speeds up the recovery process.

I’m excited. It’s the start of a new season, which is always big, and we have high expectations with a lot of guys back. We were obviously disappointed with how our season ended last year and we definitely want to step up and make it right. I think we were good enough to win it all last year, we just have to focus a little more, put in a little more effort, get a little more preparation, that can make a difference.

The Eagles don’t do much on offense but what they do, they do it well. Donovan McNabb is a veteran, he can get it done with his legs or his arm. When he looks to pass he makes a lot of quick gains, then takes a shot. The guy he likes to go to is Brian Westbrook, he’s a running back but was second on that team in receptions, so you have to know where he is at all times. The second-year receiver DeSean Jackson has really come on as a deep threat, he has great speed. Those three guys make that offense work.

We have to do our best to eliminate those three guys, and we have to keep pressure on McNabb while making sure he doesn’t run on us too much. It’s hard to stop good players, but swarming to the ball and gang tackling are always the best antidote to a good offense.

I have extra motivation for this game because I missed one. I don’t like to miss any, I don’t care if it’s preseason or whatever. It was tough to sit out. But now I’m back and the games really count. I’ll be wearing a knee brace and going up against a good back in Westbrook, so I’m excited about the challenge.

We’re playing at home against a good team. We’re going to turn it loose. This is the start of a new beginning.

Also, I will be starting up my radio show again tomorrow, same as last year, on Thursdays starting around 4 or 4:30 p.m. on 610 AM. I’m usually on-air for an hour or hour and a half.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

I got my MRI results the other day and the doctors said it was an MCL sprain, no surgery required. Now I just have to deal with this and keep moving forward.

I’m going to attack it like I attack everything else in my life.

All my life I’ve healed fast and I don’t see why this time should be any different. I expect a speedy recovery. I think it starts in your mind; if you believe it in your mind, your body will follow. I think the guys who feel sorry for themselves take longer to come back from injury than the guys who are willing to do what it takes, listen to the medical staff and attack the rehab.

I hate being injured just because at the end of the day I think being a good player means being durable. There have been a lot of potentially great athletes who can’t stay healthy, and if you can’t stay healthy no one cares how good you are. It kind of sucks when freak things happen but injuries are a part of the game if you play long enough.

Basically, it was one of those freak things, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I got leg whipped and hit right on the outside of the knee. I knew exactly what it was, I realized it was an MCL because I hurt it in college. I played the rest of that series, maybe four plays, then came to the sideline and told them that I was pretty sure I had injured my knee.

I’m feeling a lot better by the day, I’m encouraged by how I feel right now. For me it’s all about getting back on the field. The crazy part is, even though Week 1 isn’t the Super Bowl, or the playoffs, of a game for the division title, I want to play, and I’d be willing to suck it up.

But this is a long season, and I have to make sure I’m healthy for the long haul.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

One of the best parts of training camp is the camaraderie, hanging out with the guys. You’ve got guys who are married, guys with kids, single guys, rookies, a lot of personalities, and it’s amazing how quickly through football you can become somebody’s friend, and a close friend at that.

It’s a beautiful thing. People around the world should really look at teams in general. We’re just a bunch of guys, white, black, whatever, just trying to coexist together.

I actually just did some acting for a website. They went around and filmed some guys working out, then filmed some skits with us to show a lot of our personality. It’s funny, it’s about pro athletes picking a Fantasy team of office workers. They let us do a lot of improv and they said I was a natural actor, that I acted like the camera wasn’t even there. In one scene I had to pretend I was having a phone conversation with Bryant McKinnie. We started talking about who we would draft in our office worker league and I was lying on a bed, acting like a 12-year-old girl chewing gum and twirling my hair. We used football terms to describe the office workers and why we would draft them.

Dante Rosario was involved, too. We did 3 or 4 scenes together, a chess scene, a workout scene. It was funny. It should be posted in 3-4 weeks.

One thing about training camp I’m not looking forward to is sleeping in the dorm at Wofford College. I can see the logic in going off-site where it’s not as comfortable. I had a good conversation about it with the owner, Jerry Richardson. He actually went to Wofford and is the only owner to have played in the NFL. The conditions are not the best but it’s all about football. It’s hot down there and the coaching staff will get a good indication of what players can make it if they get through the hot, muggy weather. It’s humid and there’s no breeze whatsoever.

Sleeping on those old dorm mattresses can be tough for some of the guys. There are definitely certain guys who could do without it. I just heard that 17 NFL teams have camp at their own facility. They stay home and sleep in their beds. Knowing that makes it tougher. If the whole league did what we do, no one would complain.

But I have complete faith in Mr. Richardson. He can relate. He’s not one to tolerate guys who can’t stay out of trouble, he knows they’re no good for the locker room and he knows that can bring a team down. He’s done a great job with this franchise the last 15 years.

Some people have asked me about Michael Vick. All I can say is I think it’s human nature to learn from your mistakes. Unfortunately, even if a guy has paid his dues and gone through the justice system, society still holds their mistake over their head. They never really get away from it.

I think Mike is like any guy who gets out of jail and no one wants to hire him even though he’s paid his debt to society.

Hopefully someone will go out on a limb and pick him up. I absolutely think half of being a great quarterback is just having “it,” God-given ability. Some guys are born to be great in that position and then have to develop the skills and the work ethic. Vick has proven he has the God-given ability and I don’t think two years off will hurt him.

And I’m pretty sure he’ll come out with a chip on his shoulder.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

Workouts are going great. I’m out there grinding twice a day, getting ready for training camp. It’s hot here in Fort Lauderdale, which is good because it simulates the weather in Spartanburg.

I feel like my old self again after the surgery. I feel motivated and hungry, like I’m about to enter the NFL again as a rookie. Here I am a veteran and I feel like I’m starting all over again with new coaches, new schemes and new terminology.

I’ve come to the realization that everybody likes to talk about what you did or how great you are, the season you had and the Pro Bowl, but to me the NFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league because none of that stuff matters if you don’t make the next play.

This year I want to have a short memory. Do what is expected of me and then move on to the next play. Try to make a great play, then move on to the next play.

If I do that, individually I’ll get what I want but also the team will respect it and respond. The guys can almost taste that and it becomes part of their makeup. If we can do that every play, we can win this whole thing.

Our tight end Dante Rosario is down here working out with me. After coming down here and training, I think you can expect big things from him this year. I hope we use him more on offense because I think he’s a special talent.

July is my time. I stay at a hotel, everything is right here for me, I don’t have a kitchen or anything. I wake up, work out, come back to the hotel, have my food prepared for me, lay down for a rest, come back and work out again in the afternoon. During my time I don’t want anybody to bother me, I want to feel tired and feel like I made a deposit today.

That’s my new thing. You have to make a deposit every day. You make deposits, watch your deposits grow and hopefully in February I can make one big withdrawal.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

Michael Jackson: Best there ever was, best there ever will be.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

I’ve been hitting it hard since I got down to Miami Sunday night, worked out twice Tuesday, twice Wednesday and I’m planning on twice today. I’m just hittin’ it, I’ve got to get to the point where everything feels right for training camp and I’m not there right now.

But I will be.

My shoulder feels pretty good, all the fast-twitch muscles can get sore but there’s been nothing unexpected. I’ll be 100 percent for training camp.

We’re glad to have JP back and I think he’s happy too. In some ways that’s the way I expected the procedure to unfold. The Panthers would have had to trade him for lesser value because his value is through the roof. A team would have had to give up several high draft picks and then pay him close to $100 million, so it’s a double edged sword.

It’s been great getting to know Pep as a person the last few years and to see him play in games in unbelievable. He’s such a specimen, such as freak, he’s so gifted and talented it’s unbelievable. He’s definitely the most talented lineman I’ve ever seen and maybe the most talented player.

As for me I’m just happy to be back on the grind, man, happy to be back and hitting it hard and getting ready to go back to training camp. For me the opportunities are through the roof this year with the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl in my hometown. I’m definitely approaching it like it’s an opportunity to do something special.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

We have two more days of OTAs left and then we’re off until August 2, when we report for training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC.

My shoulder feels great. I have no limitations as far as being in the weight room. Right now I’m just getting strong and I’m looking forward to getting down to Fort Lauderdale to work with my trainer Pete Bommarito. Dante Rosario is going to come with me and train, we’re just getting ready to do it all over again.

The next month and a half is vital for me in getting back into “Beast” mode, getting bigger, faster and meaner.

I heard a great quote that I’m a big fan of. It was from one of our assistant strength and conditioning coaches named John. “We don’t rise to the occasion, we fall to our training.” That really hit home because people think we get caught up in the moment on the field and come on strong based on the situation, like we’re “in the zone.” The reality is, everything we do is based on our training. If you train to do something, your body will respond. If you condition your mind to react a certain way, the pressure won’t affect you because you are prepared for it. You train your mind and your body to handle all situations and rely on that training when it comes down to it.

Preparation has always been a big part of my game, working harder and longer than anybody else. It allows me to be more consistent.

Fatigue makes cowards of us all.

Our defense is playing a lot faster now with an emphasis on chasing the ball and stripping it. Making tackles and swarming to the ball is a big part of our coach’s philosophy. I like it and I think we have the personnel to do it.

I’m excited for the season and we had better be ready because the schedule is loaded. We play the AFC East and the NFC East, plus our division, with some big-time games, a Monday nighter, a Thursday nighter.

Those are the games you live for.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

There’s more down time before training camp starts so I thought I would give you my top 5 places to hang out in Carolina.

1) Bank of America Stadium. It really is my home away from home.

2) The house that I just bought. I gave up city life.

3) Suite at EpiCenter. It’s a nightclub/dance club with all the bells and whistles.

4) Del Frisco’s. I’m a big surf & turf guy and this is my favorite place to eat on the town.

5) Villla Francesca. An Italian restaurant uptown at North Caldwell and 7th street.

It’s been 13 weeks since my shoulder surgery and I’m coming back fast. I feel good right now, I’m just starting to do a lot of the strength stuff and the shoulder feels great. It won’t be 100 percent for a while but the fact that I can lift now and start getting my strength back is a key. Until now all I could do was legs and abs, but now I can start to get aggressive in the weight room.

Our new defensive coordinator is Ron Meeks. I really like his system, its a fast aggressive system. He wants guys who will chase the football and that’s my style, so we’re on the same page. We had an immediate connection.

We also brought in some help from the draft, guys who will hit, extremely athletic and fast guys.

So I feel good about what I’ve seen so far.

Everybody is still asking about JP, and at this point I’m pretty sure he’ll be a Carolina Panther this year. I don’t know more than anybody else does but free agency has pretty much run its course this season.

He said if he’s back he’ll be ready to go and that’s definitely good news for us and from a fan standpoint. Some fans have been rough on him but hopefully he can just push through it and stay focused.

Its tough for fans to understand the business part of football and how things work. You have to play long enough to earn the luxury of free agency and he should have the opportunity to move on if he wants to. He’s a hometown guy who went to North Carolina and was drafted by the Panthers and he’s had a good run here.

I think with 99.5% of the players it would be about money, but JP is a special guy, very genuine, and I truly believe that for him its not about the money.

I look forward to having him back. We were right there last year close to the Super Bowl, and there’s no reason we shouldn’t be right there this season too.

Check back for some workout videos that I’m going to post here soon.

All-Pro linebacker Jon Beason of the Carolina Panthers writes a blog for www.playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com. Follow him on Twitter as jonbeason.

I tore the labrum in my shoulder the first time we played Arizona, I think it was in October.

I put my arm down to push myself up and it kind of collapsed. I popped it back into place and got back in the huddle. I think we were winning, 24-23, and two plays later I made an interception that led to a field goal and we won the game.

It’s funny how certain players can play through pain and some can’t. I have values for the parts of my body. In terms of my wings—shoulder, elbows, hands—it’s not negotiable. Unless it’s sticking through the skin or bleeding bad, I’m staying in the game.

It was eight or nine weeks into the season, I was thinking about the playoffs, going to the Super Bowl, making the Pro Bowl. There was no way I was going to come out of the game ever.

The rest of the season I rehabbed it and treated it. It popped back out a couple more times, and I was basically playing with no strength. When I tackled someone it was almost like throwing a pillow at them. I had no grip in that arm, no way to stop someone. I played like that the rest of the season, just fighting to get the job done. It took away my range of motion. But I know my teammates would do the same for me.

And I wasn’t going to sit home through my first Pro Bowl, so I had the surgery done on February 12. It’s in a sling 4-6 weeks and I have to rehab it close to four months. After that I’ll be able to lift anything I want. I just got the stitches out yesterday, so I just started moving it again.

I absolutely will be ready for training camp and I’ll be at full strength for our first exhibition game. I really think I can be ready for OTAs at the end of May, but I don’t know how much they’ll let me play against guys who are trying to make the team.

I have to make sure there are no setbacks. We have new defensive coaches, new schemes. It will be a process learning that stuff and getting acclimated to new terminology.

I just want to let Panthers fans know that there’s no quit in us. Continue to believe in this team, in our coaches. We’re going to keep going at it and we’re never going to stop.

There’s a breakthrough coming real soon.

Carolina Panthers starting middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com

Peyton Manning and his wife are kind of like Mr. and Mrs. Pro Bowl, they’ve been out there so many times. I got to Hawaii early and bumped into Peyton, we just shook hands and I told him I’m a big fan.

It was weird just standing around chatting with Peyton. He invited me to have a drink and a little sunset watching from the suite he had in the hotel. He’s a real class act. He had a football in his hands and told me he can’t go too long without throwing a ball. That showed me the level of commitment these guys have to the game. It truly dominates their life and their thoughts.

It was a great feeling to be able to bring my loved ones to a place like Hawaii. That’s a place a lot of people say they want to go at least once during their lifetime, so to be able to do that was great.

It was a vacation the entire trip, practice included, and the whole setup was first class. I think everyone who has achieved that level of excellence wants to showcase that in the game, though. You don’t want to be that one guy being used out there on the field.

But there was a high level of sportsmanship during the game and everyone was out there cracking jokes. Nobody was trying to do anybody any harm, like you would during the regular season.

You make friends with everyone out there. I hung with Lance Briggs, we talked about working out together. Everyone has that level of respect for each other. I was shocked to find out that these guys actually knew who I was. It was kind of breathtaking. All so new to me.

I can meet athletes, supermodels or actresses and not be starstruck. But shaking hands with the guys you’ve looked up to for so long, to be around the elite, is breathtaking. I was a little in awe because I think being there showed that I’ve made it. You know, as a person who plays the game, you don’t have any idea how the other players see you.

It was great being there with my teammates, Julius, Jordan and Steve Smith. When they called on Steve he made plays, and he could have done that all day. He wants the ball every play, that’s what makes him Steve Smith.

I also hung with Patrick Willis, DeMarcus Ware and Julian Peterson. It was exciting for me to meet Peterson, I was in high school when he came into the league. I was the one giving him the call during the game. DeMarcus is a nice guy all the way around. To me, it’s amazing how being a good person can correlate with being a good player. I think if you do good things for people, good things happen to you. DeMarcus is a good-hearted person.

Lance Briggs is hilarious. He has great hands and makes plays from sideline to sideline. It’s tough to shine when you play next to a guy like Urlacher. Lance is another guy I’ve watched and admired.

Me and Patrick both wore No. 52 and we had a good thing rotating in every three plays. We were making jokes, going on the field at the same time, just out there having a good time.

Everyone out there had something to admire, some reason why they’re great. Seeing that definitely gives me motivation to get back here next year because if I’m playing that well, I know it will give the Panthers a better shot at getting to the Super Bowl.

Carolina Panthers starting middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com

I just got in last night after a 10-1/2 hour flight and didn’t see a single play of the Super Bowl.

I had to be here by 7 tonight or I would miss the first meeting for the NFC Pro Bowl team, so I found out I had to fly during the Super Bowl. But I had dinner with my friend Lawrence Timmons of the Steelers last Friday and wished him luck. I’m glad everything worked out for him.

I was trying to pack, but the truth is nobody tells you anything. I had to talk to some of the guys who had been to the Pro Bowl before, just to find out what to bring.

The way it works, you have practice in the morning, and you’re pretty much free the rest of the day. I have a community service event that I’m required to do, but I don’t know what it is yet. Pretty much everything is at our leisure. We won’t have our first meeting until tonight so I don’t have a lot of details.

Right now, I’m looking out my balcony window and it’s beautiful. We’re really secluded out here at the Marriot, about 45 minutes from everything. You have to drive to downtown Honolulu for all the fun stuff, the clubs, shopping, whatever you want to do.

I’m here with my girlfriend and my family gets in on Wednesday. My mom, grandparents, brother and cousin are coming. I’m also having my financial advisor come out, too.

Steve Smith came in on Saturday, I just talked to him like 10 minutes ago. I’m going to get with some of the guys who have been here before, that will make it a cool experience.

Now, we’re getting ready to eat, then we’ll go to a spa, check out downtown, do a little shopping. Buy some Hawaiian stuff, have a mai tai or something.

When I think about the Panthers, I realize how much is going to change next season. We lost almost all of our defensive coaches to other teams. Change is 50-50, it could be a great thing or a horrible thing. I’ll miss all of our coaches, I was very close with some of them and had a very good relationships with our defensive staff, but I’m looking forward to next season. I would have been fine playing with those guys for the next 10 years, but I consider myself a very coachable guy.

Any question marks we have will be about losing Julius Peppers. I feel he is irreplaceable, but maybe we can get a couple guys to fill in and spell each other at that position and play at a high level.

Carolina Panthers starting middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com

If I had to pick one word to describe my second season in the NFL, it would be “enlightening.”

We were able to accomplish so much as a team, but it all comes down to how you finish. I think this experience will be great for me. I know that I can play, make Pro Bowls and All-Pro, and it’s enlightening to know that I can do that this early in my career.

That’s half the battle, and now I know what it takes.

I guess it was just not our day against Arizona. We just weren’t good enough to win that day and the Cardinals, well, I guess it was just their day.

I recorded the game and watched the “championship chase” later, when they showed the Cardinals’ sideline conversations during our game, when it was over. It burned me up pretty bad, but you want to have that experience because you want to know what it feels like to lose in the playoffs, so you know that you don’t ever want to have that feeling again.

I was shocked at how well the Cardinals played on defense against us and how well they’ve played since. Where was that D all year?

You can’t win when you have six turnovers from the quarterback position, but you also can’t win when you give up 150-something yards and six catches to one receiver in the first half. Everybody had a hand in it, including myself. It’s something you can’t do in the playoffs, where there’s a new level of focus, desire. It’s the time to elevate your game and we didn’t do that.

I stayed in Carolina for a while, just doing nothing, hanging out, relaxing. Getting the body feeling better. I wasn’t ready to face everyone at home, talking about the Arizona game. I wanted to let it die down for a while, wait until everyone started talking about the Super Bowl. I actually just got home to Miami last night.

I worked out today, I have to make some appearances, then go on to the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. I want to represent my team, my organization, my family and myself well. It’s my first time out there, so I want to make sure I show my peers that I belong. It’s important to me that the other players watch me and say, oh, that’s what everyone was talking about. As far as the game goes, though, I honestly don’t know what to expect at all.

Our big issue for the off-season is whether J.P. will be moving on to another team. There is no replacing Julius Peppers, they just don’t make ’em like that. He always drew the attention of the offense so they would leave me alone back there. If he goes, he’ll always be remembered as Julius Peppers, “The Freak.” But I’m happy for him if he decides to leave, if that’s what he thinks is best for him. It’s hard to go out and play and give it your all if you don’t want to be where you are. That’s why contracts only go so long, players should have a right to be free agents and choose where they want to play.

I think Julius loves it here, but maybe for him it’s just time to move on.

My Super Bowl prediction: Who would have thought the Cards would be in the Super Bowl for the first time in their history? The Panthers have only been around 14 or 15 years and we’ve been to one. I think the Pittsburgh defense is good enough to slow down that offense, and I think the Steelers offense is good enough to score on the Arizona defense. I give Pittsburgh the edge in all three phases, including special teams.

Carolina Panthers starting middle linebacker Jon Beason writes a blog for playerpress.com at www.jonbeason.com

Everybody’s hyping up the playoffs, but for me the key is not to get caught up in everything that’s going on and what’s at stake. If you’re distracted you can’t play focused, you can’t play fast and be yourself.

I’m just thinking about playing ball, practicing hard every day and winning another game.

After the last two games, I kind of feel like our defensive tackles, Maake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis, were a little underappreciated. I didn’t know how bad it could get without those two starters in there. The good part is we got some young guys some playing experience in big games up front, and they did a pretty decent job, but it was a big difference not having those guys up front.

That goes back to the Giants game when they were able to run against us after halftime. I’ll tell you this, it’s about 50-50 who I would want to play if we beat Arizona. We want another shot at the Giants to prove we can beat them. But it would be great to play the NFC Championship Game at home. It’s the biggest game you can have at your place because the Super Bowl is at a neutral site, and we’re playing really well at home this season.

With Kemo and Damione back against Arizona it’s going to be like old times. The Cards are going to try to run the ball but we know they really want to throw it. They ran early against Atlanta but then for two quarters did nothing but throw.

Larry Fitzgerald is great in space, when the ball is in the air no one goes harder or is more consistent. But I think the most dangerous guy is Anquan Boldin because he can make people miss and turn short throws into touchdowns. If he doesn’t play, that’s a huge factor in their big play ability.

The Cardinals have been doing a lot of talking in the media. They don’t have much respect for us and it’s obvious that they don’t fear us at all. All I have to say is that words never hurt anybody. What you say means nothing, it’s all about action.

The Cards should expect to see a lot of action on Sunday.

I was recently selected to the Pro Bowl and it’s a great honor, especially because the fans vote, your peers vote and your coaches vote, so it means a lot.

I was emotional because last year I kind of expected to make it but I felt like I got shafted. This year I knew I had the same stats as last year so I didn’t want to get my hopes up. When I found out I made it, I realized how much it meant to me that I didn’t make it the year before.

My next goal? Well, all that individual stuff is great. I think about that stuff, and part of making it to the Pro Bowl is being a great player for your team, being consistent and helping the team win games. For me, the main goal has always been to win a championship. That’s what we call the Real Bowl, the Super Bowl. Guys were congratulating me on making the Pro Bowl, but we reminded each other to keep focused on the Real Bowl.

Beating the Giants on Sunday night would be a good step in that direction.

We definitely believe we can beat the Giants and the Giants know it’s possible. Now it’s just a question of whether we will be able to make it happen and if the Giants will let it happen. Hey, we haven’t even clinched a spot in the playoffs yet. If we win we’ll be the No. 1 seed, but if lose we might not even be in the playoffs. So to be associated with a game of this magnitude is a great feeling.

Yes, all three of our losses this season were on the road and we’ll be playing in New Jersey. I think it really comes down to starting fast, realizing where we’re at. Having home field is great, but personally I like to play on the road because I like coming out of the tunnel and having everybody boo. That gets me fired up, I like it.

And if it snows, let it snow. I’m pretty sure it will snow, there’s a big storm headed that way. Everyone’s been asking me about the weather, but having gone up to Green Bay and played well and got the win, I don’t think the weather will have any impact. It’s such a big game, no one is focused on that.

The Giants have a big back in Brandon Jacobs. You have to respect him at 6-4, 265, he’s a man among boys. The way to stop him is to hit him before he gets started, or just swarm him. If everybody gets to the ball it will be tough for him to run. It’s a great opportunity to make a name off someone who is a monster in the backfield.

I think the Giants are a complete football team, but what makes them special in my eyes is the defense. They especially have good players all across their front four, but their offense hasn’t given them anything lately. I think they gave up 14 sacks in their last two games, eight against Dallas and six against Philly. You can’t win like that.

What’s scary is you know they’re the Super Bowl champions and they’ll be there fighting until the end, so on defense we can’t give up anything.

We control our own destiny and it feels great. There’s really no better feeling. It was a must-win situation against Tampa and to go out and get it done this late in the season is big. You want to have momentum going into the playoffs, you don’t want to go in not playing well or coming off a loss.

Now, if we win our last three games, we get the bye week and home-field advantage through the playoffs, and we’re unbeaten at home so far so that would be big.

We knew against the Bucs that we had to stop the run first, contain Garcia in the pocket and have good formation recognition. I knew that pre-snap stuff would be huge and it was. I’m a huge fan of studying tape, because a team has a philosophy that won’t change. They can change the personnel, change some things around but they can’t change their philosophy every week. That was the key to the game.

I made nine tackles, but of course the clip they showed on SportsCenter had Cadillac Williams going over the goal line as I tackled him. It was a Power O, which is a very common play at every level. The Mike linebacker, that’s me, has to fight through all kinds of traffic to get into the right hole and he got to the goal line before I could get all the way across. He got in on that one, but I think I got the best of him on a goal line play early, when it was mano y mano in the hole, so I felt good about my performance.

That’s what keeps me going, thinking that someday hopefully I’ll get to that level of respect where they’re talking about me the way they talk about Derrick Brooks, the way they talk about Ray Lewis.

Pep had another great game with a couple of sacks. He’s playing great, he’s been relentless, that’s one thing I appreciate and one thing I think all defensive players should have.

We’ve got Denver this week and they’re a dangerous team, 3-0 against our division. They’ve been hurt, some linebackers out, Champ Bailey was injured, every starting running back has been hurt. Something has to give but it hasn’t for them yet.

The offense starts with Cutler, he can make every pass and he’s not afraid to try to fit a pass into a tight spot. When he’s on, he’s dangerous.

It’s going to be a big game. Winning the game is important, but right now we’re just thinking about being consistent in all three phases and going out and dominating.

We had a tough couple of weeks and I just can’t put my finger on why. I wish I could just say it was one guy or one bad call, but we tried different things, changed our schemes, made them more complex, then not as complex.

Still, for some reason teams had some success against us.

When we pulled out that win against Green Bay it was more like a “Thank God” feeling than an “Oh My Goodness.” We dominated in the first half, just like we expected to, then in the second half they started to move the ball and had some big plays and we started to second guess ourselves. Then we won and it was like, “Wow, the offense bailed us out again.”

Hopefully this weekend it will be the defense’s turn. We’ve got a big game against Tampa Bay at home on Monday Night Football and I think it’s just a matter of getting back to basics, having fun and believing in our schemes, just letting it all hang out.

We also have to come out faster than we did against Atlanta, we were down 17-0 early and it’s hard to crawl out of that hole.

Monday night, there won’t be a question that we’re going to come out faster. There’s no way you can go out there and not start fast in a game like this, the magnitude, the stage, what’s at stake. Everybody’s going to be watching.

There’s so much at stake for us and for Tampa, it’s time to show the whole country that we’re Super Bowl contenders, that the road to the NFC title is going to start down here in the NFC South.

I’ve been watching more tape than ever and I just want to be perfect, though I know I can’t. But 2 or 3 plays each game can make the difference, and when you’re really studying and know what to look for, you can have an impact on those plays instead of just reacting to them. And that can make the difference in the game.

I have three interceptions this season but don’t have a sack in my career. Back when I played on offense I had great hands, it was natural to catch the football. Then you become a linebacker and catch a ball or two a day, you don’t really work on your ball skills and you lose that touch. I’ve taken it upon myself to get on the Juggs and catch 40-50 balls a day.

As far as getting to the quarterback, I do blitz, but me being the Mike backer I have the option to read out, so I don’t bury myself in a gap when the play is going somewhere else. Say I’m blitzing into a gap, but I read the play and see that it’s going to be a run. I can pull out of the blitz and go where I know the play’s going to be run.

Anyway, we have a really good group of coaches and players, and when you have that kind of group God is in your favor.

I’ve got a lot of respect for Jon Gruden, to me he’s an offensive guru or genius. It’s going to be a fight against Tampa, and could come down to a battle of wills and preparation. That’s where we want to be—where preparation meets will.