Tommy DeVito wants second act with Giants to be all about football, not 'cutlets' and hand gestures

Everyone had a good time with the Tommy DeVito story at this time last year, no one more than DeVito himself.

It was a blast — the mostly unknown, undrafted Italian-American kid from New Jersey who became a cultural phenomenon in an otherwise lost Giants season.

DeVito embraced it, going all-in on his “Tommy Cutlets” persona, complete with a trademark hand gesture when celebrating. Paid appearances ensued.

He even won three of his six starts.

But that was then, this is now. When DeVito retakes the quarterback position on Sunday against the Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium, he wants it to be all about football.

He is 26, no longer a rookie, and he's being given a golden opportunity to prove he is more than a sideshow.

When asked how important it is to him to be known for football and not for the rest of it, he said, simply, “Very.”

“Last year was a good story and all,” he said, but . . .

“The fun and games outside, it was fun. It was last year. I'm kind of over that. I'm sticking to football now. Not that I wasn't before, but really focused on that. The external stuff will be on pause.

“I already had talks with everybody around me, my inner circle. It is going to stay very tight and make sure that everything is about production on Sunday.”

It was no surprise when the Giants demoted Daniel Jones on Monday. (He was released on Friday.) But it was a surprise when coach Brian Daboll said DeVito, not backup Drew Lock, would start next.

Lock did not hide his disappointment at the decision, but it was a popular one among fans, for whom DeVito remains an intriguing figure and a distraction from a second consecutive 2-8 start.

Last season, he proved he could function in the NFL. Now, to figure in the team’s future plans, he must prove he can thrive consistently.

Stranger things have happened. He did throw eight touchdown passes against only three interceptions last year, and Daboll appears to think highly of his skills.

“Daboll told me, ‘Make sure you get your head around pretty fast because the ball's going to be coming,’ ” receiver Malik Nabers said. “So that's my main focus, just getting my head around.

“He's going to throw the ball before I get out of my break. So just having that as a quarterback for anticipation, for him to throw the ball before you get out of your break, that's what we need.”

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said DeVito has come a long way from 2023.

“I think you'll see a lot of growth,” he said. “He's certainly another year in the system, another year in the offense. He's getting better at just the little things, those details.

“I’m talking about protections, demonstrating at the line of scrimmage with his hands, setting the defense, getting guys lined up, talking to guys, communicating, not just on the field but then off the field, on the sideline in between series.”

Daboll hopes to recreate the spark DeVito provided last autumn. He had his moments, including completing 18 of 26 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-19 victory at Washington. That was the start of a three-game winning streak capped by a 24-22 win over the Packers at MetLife Stadium on Monday Night Football. DeVito was 17-for-21 with a TD and added 71 yards on 10 carries. 

But against Tampa Bay (4-6), he will be thrown into the deep end of the pool against coach Todd Bowles’ blitz-happy defense.

Asked if he expects to see more pressure with DeVito at quarterback, Kafka said, “I don't know how much higher of a pressure [Bowles could call]. He has a pretty high percentage of pressure. If he's going to bring more, we've just got to be dialed into it.”

DeVito said he will be ready. Last year he went in cold. This year he has 1,101 regular-season yards on his resume — and the same number of victories as Jones had as a starter after signing a four-year, $160 million contract before last season.

“Just the opportunity I had last year to be able to play in games was all the difference it was to now,” DeVito said. “I have a year under my belt. I've played in preseason games, practice and real games, so it's a little different this time around.”

While DeVito can ask for restraint from his family and friends — even his agent became famous last year — he cannot control everything that surrounds him.

Asked if he has seen the Italian, New Jersey and/or chicken cutlet memes dedicated to him, he said, “I try not to. I think my mom sends me a couple here and there, but I'm really kind of staying off social media and the outside stuff, trying to really hone in on football.”

The Giants are going nowhere this season, but DeVito still could go somewhere, and he hopes to bring the fans along with him. The Giants are 0-5 at MetLife Stadium.

“I think I bring a certain confidence, energy, swag, whatever you call it, to the team, to the people around me,” he said. “I think I've kind of always had that growing up from when I was even younger, so I kind of just bring that energy. It's all about really enjoying it for me.

“I kind of said that last year. It is a children's game. Obviously, there's a lot more money and a lot more stakes into it, but at the same time, if you don't enjoy going out there, you don't play with the same kind of passion that you would if you did. 

"So really just trying to keep everybody's high spirits up, enjoy it and just bring energy when I'm out there.”

By Neil Best

neil.best@newsday.com@sportswatch

Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.