An undrafted free agent, Tommy DeVito was a relatively unknown heading into this season. That all changed when he was shoved into the spotlight after both of the Giants’ top two quarterbacks went down with injury.
However, before his first win against the Washington Commanders or his first start against the Dallas Cowboys, DeVito really became a household name when he told the media that he still lives at home with his parents in Cedar Grove, N.J. – 20 minutes away from MetLife Stadium.
Now, two weeks later, DeVito and the Giants play a home game for the first time since Week 7 when they face the New England Patriots following a win with the young quarterback leading the way for Big Blue.
So, will things be different for DeVito starting an NFL game, this time in his own backyard?
“It’s gonna be a lot of fun,” DeVito said about making his first career home start. “I imagine it’s gonna be like the last two games, but [with] a little more of my friends and family there. That’s really about it. I think it’s a little tougher to play in an away atmosphere so to be home I’ll be comfortable and it’ll be a lot of fun.”
The 25-year-old has already experienced playing a game at MetLife Stadium this season when he went in for the injured Tyrod Taylor against the Jets during Week 8 in what was an away game for the Giants.
Still, coming in with no notice and starting a game are two very different things. Not to mention, DeVito was barely allowed to throw in that game and finished 2-for-7 with -1 passing yards (although he did rush four times for 12 yards and a touchdown).
Compare that with his most recent performance against Washington (18-for-26, 246 passing yards, three touchdowns) and it’s night and day. In fact, DeVito summed up the last few weeks for him as a “roller coaster” with “ups and downs”.
“But we’re coming off a high game so trying to carry that energy and everything going into this week,” he said.
Make no bones about it, the Giants are still 3-8 and have a huge hill to climb just to get back to .500, let alone make the playoffs. Some might even say New York shouldn’t even think about winning any more games this season and try to get a top pick in next year’s draft.
But after beating the Commanders pretty handily, it’s clear Big Blue isn’t throwing in the towel this season. And why should they if they have DeVito, a wild card, at quarterback trying to prove to himself and the organization what he’s capable of?
“He’s doing a great job right now,” said wide receiver Darius Slayton. “I think he’s shown a lot of poise. The first throw he threw to me [against Washington] was a big-time throw – confident, he threw it with some speed, got it in between those zone defenders. So I think his confidence is growing as he plays and I’m excited for him.”
That poise and confidence has begun to shine not only in games – where he said he likes to “stay loose” and “just enjoy the game” – but through his mannerisms off the field as well.
Asked on Wednesday how he’s handling all of the attention he’s received lately, DeVito answered like a true veteran saying he’s “staying off the phone” and focusing on keeping “the main thing the main thing.”
“I know it’ll be all good one week and then the next week it’s all the negative so I’m trying to stay even-keel through it all,” he said.
Despite their record and place in the standings, the Giants catch a bit of a break to close out the season as four of their final six opponents are currently at or below .500, starting with the 2-8 Patriots.
While New England is having a disastrous season of its own, Bill Belichick is still at the helm. Luckily for DeVito, he actually knows the long-time head coach, playing under him in the East-West Shrine Bowl during college.
“He’s one of the greatest of all time or is the greatest of all time coach to ever come through the NFL,” DeVito said. “It’s an honor to be able to play against him. I’ve been around him a little bit in the past with the Shrine game. [He] and the Patriots were my coaching staff for that game so I got to know a lot of them and how they go about their business.
“It’s a challenge and I look forward to it. At the end of the day I’m gonna continue to do what I do to prepare and continue to just try to lead this team, lead this offense and not think too much about it.”
DeVito’s long-term future with the Giants is a question mark. But for right now, they may have captured lightning in a bottle and the young quarterback isn’t doing anything to change that, even if it means keeping his practice squad locker room as a starting QB in the NFL.
“We never really talked about it, but I wasn’t gonna move anyways…” he said. “This is kind of where I started it off this year so that’s where I want to finish this year and then we’ll go from there.”
