Belichick Talks Beason

BB: [Jon] Beason’s definitely one of the best inside linebackers we’ve seen all year. He’s very active and he gets in on a lot of plays. Those are some challenges for us this week.

Q: Going back to the draft when you were evaluating Jon Beason, did you see him as a pure 4-3 player or could he have been a fit in a 3-4 for you? BB: I think he could play for anybody. I think he could play for anybody, no matter what defense they had, I think there would be a place for Jon Beason. He runs well. He’s big. He’s physical. He’s got great range, good tackler. I think any defense would get him on the field somewhere, probably off the line of scrimmage as an inside linebacker, but he can play over the center, over the guard, play over the tackle, [or] off the line. He looks very comfortable and very productive in all those spots for the Panthers. I think he’s really a good football player and does an excellent job in pass defense, similar to [Jonathan] Vilma, but bigger. They are different but they are both very athletic, they run well, they cover a lot of ground. I would say Beason is bigger and a little bit more physical. And Vilma’s a pretty instinctive player, but they are both very good.

Q: Am I right in thinking you spent some time with Jon Beason prior to that draft and how close were you? Because he was right around the area you were picking and you ended up with Brandon Meriweather. How was it spending time with him and how close were you to bringing him here? BB: I can’t remember exactly how close it was, but obviously we had a lot of interest in him. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s a good football player in the National Football League because he does a lot of things well. He’s a smart guy that’s big, athletic. He’s a good tackler, plays good pass defense and those guys are hard to find at middle linebacker – guys that are real good pass defenders. There were a lot of good football players on that Miami team and those are two of them that you mentioned.

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(weei.com)