i think growing the beard is a nice way for a lot of people to have that SOLE focus on their goal.
it's also a sign that some people are going a little crazy.
And where he is - the pressure he's feeling, seeing those recent Kai and Ramy pics... he knows the whole world is saying he'll be given a 'gift' 4th place and worth of 6th or 8th... that's gotta be driving him crazy.. he can already hear the haters saying "Jay SHOULD have pulled out of the show..." even if he does compete.
Most athletes, this close to a show and lacking the muscle OR ripped conditioning we see with Ramy, would just pull out and focus on cleaning up at the Grand Prix. because he's such a marvelous champ, the expectations for jay are so high now. Any athlete could pull out of the O with the flu, and the fans/pundits would just shrug it off with 'better luck next year'. If JAY pulls out of the show cause he's not ready, he'll have all these folks who predicted it mocking him - which totally sucks.
"Heavy is the head that wears the crown" = exactly describes Jay's spot right now. Phil has the title, but Jay's sitll the king. Unless he gets 8th at this show. THen his entire legacy is like Ronnie - king for almost a decade but stayed one year too long
