Was there ever any doubt?
There's definitely an air of 'fool me twice, shame on me' to doubting whether Jon Beason will suit up for the Carolina Panthers following an injury. Even following surgery it appears Beast will make his 65th consecutive start, and it couldn't come at a better time. This afternoon head coach Ron Rivera to the media that he expects Beason to play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals which should offer major help to a defense reeling from getting carved up this preseason without Beason on the field.
Granted, some of the Panthers lackluster performance the last three weeks can be credited to Carolina hiding their scheme, but as a field general Beason's ability may eclipse his skills as a linebacker, and that's no small feat. He will ensure the alignments are set up the way Sean McDermott wants, he'll keep players motivated and he'll read offensive pre-snap adjustments better than any player on the Panthers could; when the whistle is snapped he'll be one of the primary run stoppers on the Panthers D, which will be very much needed.
If you don't understand why Beason is so important to the Panthers, or why fans in this area believe he's one of the best linebackers in the NFL then watch this weekend's game, I think he'll put on a show.