DeVito Is A Local New Jersey Quarterback Starting For The Giants
There are not a lot of good things to say about the 2023 New York Giants. After getting humiliated once again by the Dallas Cowboys yesterday in Texas, the Giants now sit at last place in the NFC East, at 2-8. However, the Giants current quarterback Tommy DeVito is from New Jersey, and his personal journey is a nice story worth telling.
Nobody expected DeVito to step into the situation (thanks to Daniel Jones being out for a year with a torn ACL) and lead the team to the promised land. To be fair, it’s a giant uphill climb to ask any quarterback to perform well behind an offensive line that changes every week and simply does not block well. With the lack of a true threat at wide receiver, opposing teams game-plan on stopping running back Saquon Barkley. It’s almost too easy. In fact, early this morning on live TV (GetUp) ESPN NFL analysts Tedy Bruschi and Rex Ryan referred to the Giants as “stat skewers” and “the Little Giants,” due to their ineptitude this season. However, we will leave the negativity there for now.
Tommy DeVito Is Living The Dream
Calling the shots yesterday, and for the near future, is a 25-year-old athlete from Cedar Grove, New Jersey. For those keeping track, Cedar Grove is nine miles from the Giants practice facility and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. Furthermore, Don Bosco Prep, where DeVito starred as a high school quarterback, is only 16 miles from the stadium (Ramsey). Now, the first NFL start DeVito would make was to quarterback his hometown Giants team, right down the road from where he grew up.
“It takes me 12 minutes to get here,” DeVito told Jordan Ranaan of ESPN. In this feature hyping DeVito’s first NFL start, he explains how he still lives at home with his parents, and the conveniences of doing so. Sure there are a ton of jokes you can make here, but how many people can say they started a professional game for the team they grew up around, while routinely waking up in their hometown. Imagine waking up during the week, seeing a Giants poster on your bedroom wall and then going to work that day as their starting quarterback nine miles down the road.
From New Jersey To New York To Illinois To Back To New Jersey
DeVito started his college career playing for Syracuse University. DeVito started throwing passes for the Orange in 2018, before taking over in 2019. The pandemic circumstances allowed for another year of eligibility. For DeVito’s final college season, he transferred to the University of Illinois, where he would again start at quarterback.
The underdog role does not stop here. DeVito was not drafted last April. He was signed as an undrafted rookie by the Giants just seven months ago. In fact, he was waived by the team at the end of August. After being re-signed to the practice squad, DeVito earned his chance when backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor went on injured reserve.
Sure, football, and the NFL, is a numbers game. Fans care about thrilling performances, touchdowns, and mostly, winning. This story, for the time being, deserves a pause on that for a moment. DeVito, who enters this week as the Giants starting quarterback again, is living every young Giants’ fan dream. That is worth applauding.
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