Giants Country

Tommy DeVito Endearing Himself to Teammates, Coaches

The New Jersey native has breathed new life into the Giants offense.
Patricia Traina|
Tommy DeVito Endearing Himself to Teammates, Coaches
Tommy DeVito Endearing Himself to Teammates, Coaches

In this story:

New York Giants

East Rutherford, N.J. - New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito is living the dream.

He's a starting quarterback in one of the biggest media markets in the country. He's shown time and again that the game isn't too big or too fast for him and has taken his share of lumps, some of which are his doing and some of which are not, only to bounce back up with that Jersey swagger as if to say, "Is that the bet ya got?"

And he's won two games in a row for a Giants team that at one point was reeling but appears to have found new life and that giddiness about the game that was getting swept away by the losing.

How is the pride of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, who estimated he had over 100 friends and family in attendance to witness his first regular-season start at MetLife Stadium, doing it? 

By being himself and having fun.

"Yeah, I try to bring that energy all the time," said DeVito after the game. "I respect this game so much, but at the same time, it’s a child’s game in my eyes. So, I try to have fun with it. Like I was when I was a kid, when I was five years old playing with my friends in the backyard, and I try to bring that throughout practice."

DeVito, whose touchdown pinch celebration has gone viral, hasn't posted all-world numbers since landing as the Giants starter by default. But he's done a good job with his ball security and his decision-making process, according to head coach Brian Daboll.

"I think he's played two good games in a row, so he's made good decisions with what we asked him to do," Daboll said. " 

"He's made the necessary throws. He's done his job mostly, the way that the quarterback needs to do his job to help us. Obviously, we want to score more points- no question about it. But there are a lot of things that go into that, too. We’ve just all got to keep doing our job and doing it as well as we can."

DeVito is so confident in what he's doing that he doesn't bother throwing to his receivers during warmups.

"At first, when I saw that, I was like, ‘he didn’t throw at warmups, what quarterback doesn’t throw at warmups?’" said receiver Jain Hyatt, who because of DeVito's first 100-yard receiver. "But he goes out there and throws beautiful passes, which shows me how confident he is in himself and his team. So I’m very proud of him.

Not only is DeVito, who now has a chicken cutlet and vodka sauce sandwich named after him by Natoli's in Secaucus, caterers of the Giants media lunch every Friday. the man who drew the loudest applause from the crowd during pre-game introductions has kept his feet on the ground, even as his legend continues to grow.  

"It is a job; it is stressful. You are in all-day meetings and workouts, so when you’re on the field, enjoy it and have fun with it," DeVito said. "Bring your own kind of confidence and swagger. Kind of talk about that a lot, Kaf (offensive coordinator Mike Kafka) talks about that a lot in our offensive meetings. To let your personality show, and I just try to do that every play." 

Published
Patricia Traina
PATRICIA TRAINA

Patricia Traina has covered the New York Giants for 30+ seasons, and her work has appeared in multiple media outlets, including The Athletic, Forbes, Bleacher Report, and the Sports Illustrated media group. As a credentialed New York Giants press corps member, Patricia has also covered five Super Bowls (three featuring the Giants), the annual NFL draft, and the NFL Scouting Combine. She is the author of The Big 50: The Men and Moments that Made the New York Giants. In addition to her work with New York Giants On SI, Patricia hosts the Locked On Giants podcast. Patricia is also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the Football Writers Association of America.

Share on XFollow Patricia_Traina
Home/Game Day