Jon Beason back where he's happiest

SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Right after the lockout ended, the Carolina Panthers gave linebacker Jon Beason two bits of good news.

Although he had a year left on his contract, they handed him a five-year extension worth a reported $50 million. That was very nice, but the second bit of news made Beason even happier.

As soon as coaches were allowed to talk to players again, Ron Rivera informed Beason he would be returning to his spot at middle linebacker. Beason was forced to move to weakside linebacker last year because Thomas Davis suffered a season-ending injury in a June minicamp. The Panthers put Dan Connor in the middle and James Anderson was on the strong side. The linebackers weren’t a major problem as everything else was going wrong during a 2-14 season. But Beason was almost giddy as he talked about moving back to the middle.

“When I talked to the coaches before the lockout, there were different scenarios because we didn’t know if James and Thomas [both re-signed as free agents] would be back or if Dan would be healthy,’’ Beason said. “That had me worried during the lockout, but all those things are answered now.

“I’m thrilled I can go back to what’s become my natural position. I like to grind a bit. I like having everything on my shoulders. When it’s bad, it’s on me. When it’s good, it’s on me. Being a Mike backer is definitely something I love.’’

Davis is still recovering from the knee injury, but is expected to be ready for the start of the season. The apparent plan is to play Beason in the middle with Anderson and Davis on the outside and Connor getting lots of playing time as the top backup.

“If guys are healthy, I think our linebackers can be as good as anybody in the league,’’ Beason said. “We’ve helped ourselves up front and I think we can be scary good.’’

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(espn.com)