Good friends Halapio, Jones battling one another to be Giants’ center

Chiefs' Eric Berry back from another season-ending injury

Eric Berry has twice overcome season-ending injuries, and the way the Kansas City Chiefs safety came back from a cancer diagnosis to play the following season was nothing short of inspirational. In other words, Berry has every reason to rue what might have been. Yet the undisputed leader of the Chiefs secondary would be driven to distraction if he wasted much time feeling sorry for himself. Instead, Berry preferred to use the two-plus seasons spent on the sideline as a learning opportunity, a chance to better himself mentally and emotionally if not physically. "I learned so much," he explained after the Chiefs' first padded practice of training camp on the fields of Missouri Western State University. "The whole cancer deal was a privilege, to be honest with you. A blessing. Because I learned so much, and so many people inspired me. Just being to connect with them, the common thread of having cancer and overcoming it, I can't tell you what it means to me." Berry learned similar lessons about overcoming adversity, keeping a positive mindset and focusing on what he could control when he lost seasons to a torn ACL and a ruptured Achilles' tendon. The knee injury occurred in 2011, his second year in the league, when he was coming off a breakout rookie year that ended in the Pro Bowl. Berry was blocked low by Buffalo wide receiver Steve Johnson in their season opener and wound up missing the rest of the season. He returned to make two straight Pro Bowls, and was voted an All-Pro in 2013, the year before his cancer diagnosis. Berry underwent chemotherapy and other treatments and the lymphoma went into remission, and he was back on the field in his familiar No. 29 jersey in time for training camp. Two more Pro Bowl appearances and two more All-Pro nods followed suit. Then came last year's opener in New England, when the Chiefs were busy rolling to a dominant victory over the Patriots. Berry went down with a seemingly innocuous injury that ultimately marred an impressive win when it was revealed that he tore the tendon on the backside of his left ankle. Despite his decision to not attend Saturday's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, Terrell Owens will be "honored" by the hall for his NFL career. Hall President David Baker tells The Associated Press on Monday that the Canton, Ohio, shrine's mission statement begins with the goal "to honor the heroes of the game." So Owens, who instead will be making an appearance at the University of Chattanooga, where he played college football, will be part of the 2018 class exhibit that includes a glass locker for each new member; their pictures on the light standards of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium; a role in opening videos shown within the stadium; and mention in any reference to the 2018 class. Baker said NFL Network and ESPN, which both televise the inductions, will show a video of Owens' career to the audience at home. That video will not be shown in the stadium. "It's difficult he will not be here to put on the jacket, unveil his bust, make a speech, and attend the parade," Baker says. "For those things, there's nothing we can do." Owens has cited the fact it took three years of eligibility for him to make the hall, claiming there were false representations of him as a teammate during the voting process. He also noted that no former players vote, ignoring that Hall of Famers James Lofton and Dan Fouts are among those on the committee. The 44-year-old Owens had a mostly sensational 15-year career playing for San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, Buffalo and Cincinnati. He is second to Jerry Rice in receiving yards and third in touchdown catches behind Rice and Randy Moss, who is entering the hall this week and will attend the festivities.

East Rutherford, N.J. — When Jon Halapio joined the New York Giants' practice squad in 2016, Brett Jones was one of the first guys to welcome him.

Jones had joined the Giants the previous year as a center in trying to make the jump from the CFL to the NFL, and he appreciated when some new teammates made him feel welcome.

Why not do the same for Halapio? The two 27-year-old offensive linemen became real good friends and helped each other become better players.

Halapio, a guard at Florida, taught Jones some trade secrets at the spot and Jones taught his buddy how to snap and play center.

A little less than two years later, Jones is fighting to keep the starting center job he manned the final 12 games of last season. And it's Halapio, who is the main competition.

Not only is he the competition, Halapio has been getting most of the first-team snaps in the lineup being put on the field by new coach Pat Shurmur.

Jones isn't worried. It's early in training camp and nothing is set. He also has no regrets about teaching the guy who might take his job.

"It's always been like that in my life," Jones said Monday. "If anybody ever gave me an opportunity I wanted to repay it to them. So that was my thing. Jon was on the practice squad and I was the backup center and if Jon was going to play I wanted to help him out and do what I could. That's what a good teammate does."

Learning to snap was part of the mentoring.

"He had asked me and I sort of gave him the basic training for it," said Jones, who was the CFL's most outstanding lineman in 2014 and missed his first season in the NFL the following year because of a training camp injury. "After practice we would stay and practice snapping. It sort of went from there."

Halapio took the long road to the NFL. He was drafted in the sixth round by New England in 2014. He was on the Broncos' practice squad that season and went to the Cardinals and Patriots training camps in 2015 and '16, respectively, getting cut each time.

The Giants signed him to the practice squad for most of 2016. He was cut in training camp the following season and re-signed to the practice squad. Injuries got him on the active roster in October and he played in 10 games with six starts at guard. The move to center came this year. "Everything was new so I had to learn a lot, not only the schemes, but the different techniques and calls," Halapio said. "I had to learn a lot."

The biggest differences are blocking from a balanced stance, having to make line calls and read coverages and sometimes making the shotgun snaps.

"The more you do it, the better you get," Halapio said. "In the offseason I snapped a bunch, and even now I keep snapping after practice so it's second nature."

Halapio admits fighting Jones for a job felt odd at first.

"It's just pure competition now," Halapio said. "Like coach says all the time, don't read into who's taking the first-team reps. Everyone is being evaluated. As far as me and Brett goes, we're friends. We help each other out in the film room, on the field, outside of football. Nothing is awkward between us. Yeah, it's just pure competition between us and everybody in the room."

The Giants have revamped their offensive line after last year's disastrous 3-13 season. Guard Justin Pugh and center Weston Richburg signed elsewhere as free agents. Guard John Jerry is now a backup fighting for a roster spot.

Patriots free agent Nate Solder was signed to take over at left tackle and 2015 first-rounder Ereck Flowers was moved to right tackle. Second-round draft pick Will Hernandez is the left guard and free agent Patrick Omameh is the right guard. The center spot is uncertain. A former center, Shurmur says he is watching the position closely. He wants his centers to be good communicators.

Halapio might be a little stronger than Jones, who probably understands the job better and had 30 NFL games under his belt at guard and center.

It should be an interesting decision for Shurmur.