Jon Beason considered the question for a handful of seconds and then, decisively and with an impact — just like the way he plays — predicted his future with the Giants.
“I think they’ll keep me,’’ Beason told The Post on Wednesday.
Seeing what Beason has done in his short time with the Giants, why in the world would they not keep him? All he has done is take command of the middle-linebacker position from the moment he arrived, forge a presence in the locker room that rivals any of the established team leaders and make so many plays on the field his outrageous 17-tackle tour de force against the Redskins is not considered an aberration.
“No, I don’t think so,’’ coach Tom Coughlin said. “I think that’s the way he plays.’’
The way he plays is unlike the way the position has been played for the Giants in quite some time. The expectations when he arrived from the Panthers Oct. 4 for a late-round draft pick were hopeful but modest. Beason, however, has been so impressive the Giants might be thinking he’s too good to be true.
“I know from my experience going to a new team, a lot of times you’re trying to feel your way around, but you can tell it’s not an act with him,’’ defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins said. “That’s who he is. Everybody appreciates that because they don’t feel he’s putting on a front, coming in trying to be something he’s not. You can’t do anything but admire him.’’
Jason Pierre-Paul looks back at the trade and shakes his head in amazement.
“He’s a game-changer,’’ Pierre-Paul said. “I don’t know what call they made to get him over here … however we got him I’m just glad he’s here and I hope he’s here next year too. We got some guys on the team that makes a difference, keep ’em. And we ain’t got to reload on the middle linebacker. He’s there already, you know?’’
Presumably, the Giants know. Beason is playing this season for $1 million, but he’s already made a ton of money, as he signed a six-year, $52 million deal with the Panthers that included $20 million guaranteed bonus. The final three years of the deal were voided when Beason restructured the contract back in the summer and his worth will have to be re-determined after this season. He’s only 28 years old and seems to have fully recovered from the torn Achilles tendon and the knee injury that limited his effectiveness the past two years.
Given his ease in the spotlight and the way he has been welcomed and needed, Beason wants to put down roots.
“I’m here for the time being,’’ Beason said. “No one knows what tomorrow holds or next year. Obviously I’d like to be back. I’d like to think they want me back.
“I think they’ll keep me. Now what it’s going to be or how long, that’s up to them. I’ve said it, I’ve been enjoying myself, I like how things are run around here, I like the guys on the team, I like the fans and the city. Obviously I wish we could have won more games thus far but I think we’re trending upwards and that’s important.’’
Since Beason took over as the starting middle linebacker, the Giants are 5-2 heading into Sunday’s game against the Chargers in San Diego. The season-crushing loss to the Cowboys still eats at him, as he had only four tackles, not nearly enough to suit his high standards.
“I actually had a conversation with Coach Coughlin,’’ Beason said. “I told him I prepared the same, I played just as hard, if not harder, I really, really wanted the Dallas game and sometimes you can’t get to the ball. I’m really not used to coming out of a game with three or four tackles, it just hasn’t been my track record.’’
He was like a dervish last week at FedEx Field, suffocating Redskins running back Alfred Morris, making 13 solo tackles. Coughlin described Beason as “a sideline-to-sideline guy’’ and when reminded the Giants for years have been searching for that kind of player in the middle of their defense, he said, “Everybody’s looking for that.’’
Have the Giants finally found it?
“I think so,’’ Coughlin said.