Read any news about the NFL lately? To say it’s been a rough couple of months for the National Football League’s PR team would be the biggest understatement you’d read all day. Actually, they’d probably settle for ‘rough’ at this point, because NFL headlines have been a messy, brutal cluster of WTF’s? But don’t worry, football fans. Recently, Duracell and the New York Giants invited us to come check out how Duracell’s Quantum batteries fuel the stadium with positive energy.
We also got to talk to three time Pro Bowler, Giants linebacker Jon Beason about his teammates, locker room music and more. To read the interview, click the arrows above.
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How important is it to have Duracell power everything in the stadium, including the helmets? I know I couldn’t hear anything while I was down there, so it must be a million times more crazy on game day?
You can simulate it, but it’s nothing compared to what we call ‘live bullets.’ Obviously when fatigue sets in, pain sets in, watching what the offense is doing and picking up on the other stuff going on around you, we need to rely on the fact that durable quantum is powering this thing and it’s going to be consistent. To hear the numbers and realize that 650 batteries are used per game, it’s amazing because they all matter. Something goes wrong with just one and it could be the play that changes the outcome of the game. Everyone has their role. From the players, to the groundskeepers and even down to the batteries.
Absolutely. I played a little high school football [both laugh]. I wont go all Al Bundy on you [both laugh] but I know it’s different when you’re out there on the field. You can barely hear anything and communication is important.
We still use signals, because we have to make sure everyone knows the call.
I interviewed one of your teammates around this time last year, ya man Prince Amukamara. Tell me what it’s like to share a locker room with that guy? He seems like a lot of fun.
It’s always interesting. Always comedy. He’s a very, very intelligent dude. Extremely sharp mind but he can come off and be a jokester. He’ll do anything for a joke.
What’s the funniest thing he’s done that you can share?
I wouldn’t say he does pranks, but it’s just his personality. He plays not the fact that he;s different. He’s a great dude and a special talent. To be as big, strong and as fast as he is, he can be as good as anybody. I think the ceiling of potential is through the roof for him.
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What’s the biggest difference between playing with Cam Newton from the Panthers and playing with Eli Manning?
They’re two very different guys. One is a guy that’s in his 10th or 11th year, whereas Cam is, I think, in his third and when you go out and have as much success as Cam’s had as a rookie, it’s tough to be compared to either Manning, or a Drew Brees, or Aaron Rodgers and all the great quarterbacks who’ve been in the league for 9 to 10-plus years. [Cam] has the ability to be as good as anybody, maybe even more raw physical ability, but where the gap is, is in the experience. I saw that coming in. Eli’s a leader, and so is Cam, but Eli’s a guy who has won Super Bowls and SB MVP’s. You see it in both of them and you notice the preparation and Cam’s on the right track to being in theta elite class.
Who’s the best quarterback in the NFC East NOT named Eli Manning?
That leaves [Tony] Romo, the new gun in Philly [Nick Foles] and the young gun in Washington [Robert Griffin III]. I don’t know, I guess the skill sets are all very different. But if you combine skills and experience it would be Romo. If you look at his numbers they’re staggering. Obviously they’re not as good as he wants them to be in the playoffs, but he’s very elusive, he’s got a great arm and he will make a miraculous ‘oh-my-god’ play every now and then. He becomes a tough matchup. He’s a close second to Eli.
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I want to talk a little about music, I mean I am from VIBE magazine and I’m sure you don’t get the chance to that often. What’s the most played artist in the locker room?
It’s funny because if you look at the NFL as a whole, it’s guys from all over the country. So you hear a different type of music even though we’re coming together to be one. The hot guys are Drake, Lil Wayne, but we do a good job of mixing it up. You’ll hear country and a lot of stuff. We play a bunch of genres and we do a good job of sharing the music as a team.
If you had to choose, give me three artist that you’d want to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show.
First off, Michael Jackson. He’s the best entertainer to ever live.
And I remember that performance from ’93. It was incredible.
Yeah, there’s nothing like it. Who else is really good? You know what? I went to Sade concert and at 50, she was still really good.
That’s a good pick, that’s different. And she’s still hot at 50.
Yeah man, and the way she sounded was unbelievable. Let’s see who else? I’m a big Alicia Keys fan but in terms of the dancing and overall performance, I’m going to give it to Beyoncé.
I was gunna say, no Queen Bey? She’s done it before, but we can go with it again.
Yeah, but I love Keys (laughs)