Tommy DeVito's family savoring the Giants quarterback's overnight success
Tommy DeVito, you may have heard, still lives at home with his parents. And traffic outside of their residence in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, has picked up in recent weeks after the undrafted rookie quarterback led the Giants to three straight wins, the latest a thriller over the Packers on Monday night that earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Lexy DeVito, Tommy’s mother, said an older lady drove past the house this week and waved.
“She took a picture of me,” Lexy told Newsday. “Then, on Facebook, she messaged me and said, ‘I’m sorry. I drove past your house because I’m curious, and I’m happy your son is on the team.’ She said she cheers for us every week.”
Tom Sr., who runs the family plumbing business, also has become popular.
“Vito from 'The Sopranos' called me,” Tom told Newsday. “He wants to have dinner.”
It’s a safe bet chicken cutlets will be served. DeVito’s favorite dish has earned him the nickname “Tommy Cutlets.”
Lexy also makes his bed. Without apology. She missed him while he was away at college for six years.
The Tommy DeVito story resonates because it is so human. There’s a local-kid-makes-good feel to it.
Tom has always been his son’s biggest fan, and he trained Tommy in earlier years. But even Dad didn’t dream this big.
Tom said he would have been happy with Tommy, 25, playing situationally this season for the Giants. In that scenario, maybe toward the end of the season, Tommy would get time in mop-up duty.
It's been much better than that. On Sunday, DeVito will make his fifth start of the season as the Giants (5-8) look to keep their slim playoff chances alive in New Orleans.
The Tommy DeVito Story is bigger than he and his family — and the Giants and their fans — ever could have imagined.
A Giants fan holds up a sign in support of quarterback Tommy DeVito during the second half of an NFL game against the Packers on Monday at MetLife Stadium. Credit: AP
Amid swirling publicity, DeVito's agent, Sean Stellato, has a voicemail box that is perpetually full, and DeVito family tailgates at MetLife Stadium draw 300 fans. But the person who may be the most grounded in all of this?
That would be Tommy.
Perhaps DeVito’s signature moment of the season came Monday night on a broken play in which he found sprinting receiver Isaiah Hodgins toward the right back corner of the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown. The throw was perfect. The catch, too. With 1:28 to play in the third quarter, the Giants led 21-13.
The chemistry between DeVito and Hodgins had to be pinpoint. And it was.
“I saw him rolling out with me, and I’m instantly thinking, 'Please throw it, please throw it,' ” Hodgins told Newsday. “He sees me running and kind of anticipates too, with what I’m going to do. So that shows his IQ for the game. Right when he sees me running, he knows back pylon. Touchdown. He gave me a chance. Pinpoint accuracy, throwing it on the run, impressive.”
The Giants went on to defeat the Packers, 24-22, after more DeVito heroics. With the Giants trailing 22-21 and 1:33 left, DeVito proceeded to fire four straight completions, the last a 32-yarder to Wan'Dale Robinson to the Packers' 22. Four plays later, Randy Bullock kicked the winning 37-yard field goal.
The Giants' playoff chances, however slim, remain intact after what might have been the best game the Giants have played this season.
With DeVito at quarterback, the Giants had four scoring drives and 367 total yards. The defense remained dominant, with two sacks and two takeaways.
Giants QB Tommy DeVito by the numbers
Age: 25
Games played/started: 6/4
Attempts: 126
Completions: 83
Completion percentage: 65.9
Passing yards: 855
Passing TDs: 8
Interceptions: 3
Rushing attempts: 31
Rushing yards: 154
Rushing TDs: 1
*-stats through Week 14
DeVito’s poise is hard to explain.
“He was at our local pro day [in the spring] and did a great job,” Giants general manager Joe Schoen told Newsday. “Coaches and [other] personnel thought he did a good job. One of the advantages of local days is the entire coaching staff and personnel staff are watching the workout. Those workouts matter, and it paid off for Tommy and the Giants.”
Giants coach Brian Daboll said DeVito caught his eye at the same workout.
“I thought he threw the ball well, ball came out of his hands, he was accurate, had quick feet,” Daboll said. “Then, as we progressed from OTAs to minicamps to training camps, he has a good way about him. [He is a] leader, which I think is important. He can connect with all of his teammates.”
DeVito is proving to be a quick study.
Having taken an untenable 15 sacks combined in the two previous games against the Commanders and Patriots, DeVito was not sacked against the Packers.
“It’s something that was a point of emphasis from the week prior,” DeVito said. “Try to just get the ball out of my hands, use my legs, run, just make decisions a little bit quicker. The offensive line did a great job.”
DeVito did, too.
He said there have been “a lot of situations that I haven't been in before. That was my first two-minute situation at the end of last game. It's really all situational. But taking care of the ball, that's been a big thing. Right now, avoiding the sacks, trying to have those minimized, just keeping the team ahead of the chains.”
DeVito is popular in the locker room. He has impressed Dexter Lawrence.
“He’s just being himself, really,” Lawrence said. “You either got it or you don’t. Right now, he has it. It’s easy to get behind him just because of the person he is. Very confident. He’s got good charisma, good personality. And he’s just got that attitude. You’ve got to respect that. He works hard.”
Giants rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito speaks to the media after practice on Tuesday. Credit: Ed Quinn
Said safety Jason Pinnock: “A lot of teams don’t have a third [quarterback]. Once it gets to that point, it’s over. So to have Tommy, a local guy and his whole story, we’re rooting for him. We’re rooting for him, too.”
Guard Justin Pugh calls the DeVito emergence “unbelievable.”
“Let’s go back to the Jets game, when he didn’t throw a pass,” Pugh said. “And now? He’s the NFC [Offensive] Player of the Week. There should be a movie about it.”
Perhaps in due time, Justin. In due time.
For now, the DeVitos are living a dream.
After the Packers game, Tom Sr. had 800 text messages. Lexy’s phone showed almost as many.
What do the DeVitos make of all of this craziness?
“Thank you,” Tom said.
Added Lexy: “We really appreciate the love and support.”
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
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