From semi-pro to NFL starter
JON HALAPIO can remember a time not so long ago when he was playing for the Boston Brawlers and had to bring his own equipment to games and practice. It was 2014.
“It was two levels below semipro football,” Halapio told The Post on Wednesday. “It was a struggle. We had to bring our own tape, our own gloves and everything. High schools are better equipped than what we had. You really had to do a lot of self-talk to keep going to practice every day because it was hard.”
That was just one speed bump in Halapio’s journey from a sixthround draft pick by the Patriots in 2014 to the Giants’ starting center Friday night against the Jets and presumably for the start of the 2018 regular season.
There’s a game and season to prepare for, which is why Halapio doesn’t spend much time dwelling on being cut four different times by three different NFL teams. Or having to switch from guard to center after the Giants selected Will Hernandez with a second-round pick in April. He’s a member of the Giants’ starting offense now, calling signals along the line and snapping the ball to Eli Manning. It’s a long way from playing for the Boston Brawlers.
“It’s interesting to be in this role right now,” Halapio said. “It was a little unsettling at first because any time you’re moved from your natural position, you’re out of your comfort zone. But day-in and day-out I kept getting more comfortable. Now we’re all com- fortable with each other.”
Halapio, 26, wouldn’t give up on his dream to play in the NFL despite the adversity he faced. Here’s the short version: He was drafted as an offensive guard in 2014, but cut by the Patriots before the start of the season. He signed with the Brawlers of the Fall Experimental Football League.
“I wanted to put something good on film and show teams I’m still active and I could still play,” Halapio said.
The Broncos saw enough to sign him in 2015, but he was waived during the summer mini camps. After a brief stint with the Cardinals, who released him that September, he signed with Brooklyn Bolts back in the FXFL, but stayed for only one game.
“It was even a bigger struggle than the year before,” Halapio said of playing with the Bolts. “You had to pay for your own tickets and pay for your own food. Compared to the paycheck I was getting, it wasn’t worth risking injury.”
He returned to New England in 2016 before being released again, but caught on with the Giants, where he spent 2016 and most of the 2017 season on the practice squad. He eventually made his first NFL start in Week 12 at right guard. When Hernandez was drafted, the Giants moved Halapio to center, where he has outplayed incumbent Brett Jones.
Giants coach Pat Shurmur, a former offensive lineman, said he likes what he sees in Halapio.
“Jon is very smart. He blinks fast,” Shurmur said. “He makes good decisions in terms of getting us going in the right direction.”
He also said he likes the fact Halapio has worked hard to get where he is.
“I’m fine with guys that have got some scars and some adversity and they push through it,” Shurmur said. “Guys that push through adversity, they develop a mindset to handle adversity when it comes down the road.”
When Halapio does reflect on his journey, he calls it a learning experience that has prepared him for this opportunity.
“Obviously it was hard,” he said. “You’re trying your best to find a home and stick somewhere. It gets frustrating. But I look back at it now and it’s all been a learning experience. It hurts when you get released from one team to another. But you quickly heal that wound and do your best and try to get on another team and do your best. That’s what I’m trying to do right now.”