Jon Halapio had just taken the reigns for the New York Giants in 2018 when disaster struck and he suffered a season-ending ankle fracture in a Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
It was as if the 27-year-old had finally caught the break he needed only to be brought down by a different break — one that led to a few questions of uncertainty before eventually providing the necessary motivation to work his way back.
“It was hard,” Halapio said, via the New York Post. “I had my days where I would have a ‘why me’ type of feeling. [But] I never really lost confidence because I knew what I was capable of and what I bring to the table.”
The Giants, from general manager Dave Gettleman to head coach Pat Shurmur, have repeatedly cautioned to not forget about ‘Pio despite the presence of Spencer Pulley, pointing out that he had played exceptionally well prior to his injury.
“He was really playing well for us before he got hurt a year ago,” Shurmur said this offseason. “So we had high hopes for him last season. It appears he has come back 100 percent and is back in there just like he was when he left us.”
Nearly nine months removed from his injury, Halapio is back to 100 percent and had been splitting first-team reps with Pulley over the spring. His goal, of course, is to win the starting center job and then benefit from the presence of second-year left guard Will Hernandez and veteran right guard Kevin Zeitler.
“[Hernandez] is light years ahead from when he first started out. Two things that stick out to me are his awareness and his maturity,” Halapio said. “Having two solid guards like that, big bodied guys in there. The awareness and maturity that they have, and the wisdom, especially with Kevin, it helps a lot for me.”
Considering that all four other positions along the offensive line are now established, Halapio and Pulley will be left battling it out for the final starting nod. And all things considered, that’s a great problem for the Giants to have.
