HELLO, OLD FRIEND
Eli and Tom reunion set for Sunday
Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin were intertwined from 2004-2015 as quarterback and head coach of the Giants, but Sunday they will be opponents for the first time when Coughlin’s Jaguars come to MetLife Stadium for Big Blue’s season opener.
Yes, Jon Halapio said, there are times when he forgets Will Hernandez is a rookie. Not off the field, mind you, because it is away from the game where Hernandez acts like what he is, a 23-year old taking this all in for the first time.
Take tickets, for example. Hernandez, as a novice Giants guard, does not know how the ticket-purchasing process works. And so, a veteran has to explain it to him.
“I go ‘Oh yeah, he doesn’t know because he’s a rookie,’ ’’ Halapio said. “Something simple like that.’’
It is between the lines, with the pads on and the smile wiped off his face, where the fact Hernandez indeed is a rookie can be blurred.
“Will has his head on straight,’’ Halapio said. “That’s something he had the first day he got here.’’
This is all well and good, but Sunday, Hernandez makes his NFL debut, lining up as the starting left guard on a rebuilt Giants offensive line, and the challenge from the Jaguars’ ferocious defensive front is real and dangerous. It will be understandable if there are more than a few jitters and if the experienced, frothing-at-the-mouth Jacksonville interior defensive linemen get the better of a young guy on Day 1 of his regular-season career.
Understandable for some, but not for Hernandez. He is not buying it, not for a second.
“For me, in my head, once I go out there the years of experience, the big-name stars or whatever, it goes blank for me,’’ Hernandez told The Post. “I don’t see any of that. The only thing I see is the guy in front of me and what I have to do to help the offense win and get it done.
“Being a rookie, it’s definitely not an excuse. If they put me out there, these coaches know exactly what they’re doing, it’s because I can go out there and perform. I have enough confidence in myself to know it’s the same way. So I’m not gonna use the whole ‘rookie card’ excuse.’’
There is a storm front blowing in from Jacksonville. Marcell Dareus lines up as the nose tackle and Calais Campbell is the right defensive end. It is quite a tag team waiting for Hernandez. Dareus is a no-nonsense 28-year-old and twotime Pro Bowler with the Bills — the highest-ever draft pick (third overall, 2011) of all Alabama defensive linemen — who was traded last season to the Jaguars. Campbell, 32, after nine years (and three Pro Bowls) with the Cardinals was signed in 2017 by the Jaguars and produced a career-high 14.5 sacks.
Hernandez will get a full dose of both. Hernandez said at times Campbell “will slide down to the three-technique,” from the outside. Translation: “Right over me,’’ he said.
The Giants believe Hernandez is made for this. They had a firstround grade on him and were resigned to not getting him with the 34th overall pick, feeling he would be gone before the second round kicked in. Lo and behold, Hernandez was on the board and the Giants had their road-grader from Texas-El Paso to lead the way for Saquon Barkley, their firstround pick.
There are questions all over the new offensive line, other than at left tackle, where Nate Solder, signed in free agency from the Patriots, is a fixture. Halapio made his NFL debut last season and ended up starting six games, all at right guard, and will be making his starting debut as a center Sunday. Patrick Omameh, a former Jaguars starter, is the new right guard. Ereck Flowers, a bust as a left tackle, moves to right tackle, attempting to salvage what is left of his time with the Giants.
All have some or extensive experience in the league. Hernandez is the outlier.
“I don’t worry about Will because of the way he approaches every day,’’ Halapio said. “He’s the same guy every day. He comes to practice, works hard, even in the preseason games he was going 100 miles per hour.’’
Hernandez never backed off in training camp, never missing any action as he quickly emerged as one of the most rambunctious Giants, involved in his share of practice altercations. He comes off confident without a trace of cockiness, easy to smile away from the field.
He will not be doing much smiling Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium, knocking heads with perhaps the top defensive team in the league.
“I knew I could go against these guys any week,’’ Hernandez said, “and that’s exactly why I’ve been training so hard in the offseason and been so eager to learn as much as I can from these guys, from these vets and from the coaches. To face guys like that. Yeah, it’s definitely exciting and I’m definitely up for the challenge.
“If I’m out there, it’s because I can do it. I’m not out there to see if I can do it, I’m out there because I can do it.’’