Giants Country

New York Giants QB Tommy DeVito: The Good, The Great, and The Ugly

We look at Tommy DeVito's performance from the Week 11 matchup against the Washington Commanders.

Gene Clemons

Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
Dec 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

The New York Giants dealt with many injuries in 2023 that derailed their season. The most impactful injuries happened at the quarterback position, where Daniel Jones and veteran backup Tyrod Taylor missed time with injuries. 

That thrusted undrafted free agent Tommy Devito into the starting spot. He was a 25-year-old rookie who played at Syracuse and Illinois and was returning to his hometown to earn a shot to play with his childhood team. He stepped in and performed admirably based on the situation he inherited. 

His success on the field led to off-the-field notoriety, a new nickname (Tommy Cutlets), and the Italian pinch-hand gesture that took over the NFL. He started six games and played in nine. He finished the season with over 1,100 yards passing, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions. 

The Giants’ second game against Washington was DeVito’s best game of the season. It was the fourth game he appeared in but his second game as the starter. He completed 69 percent of his passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns. 

That was the moment when “Tommy Cutlets” established that he belonged in the NFL and was worth continued development. So, it was a perfect game to examine the areas where he excelled and the areas that he would need to improve in order to reach his fullest potential. 

While his live arm and willingness to attack a defense deep are great qualities, if ball placement is poor and reads are not made quicker, none of that matters. So, let’s examine the good, the great, and the ugly of Tommy DeVito’s game. 

More "Good, Great and Ugly" Film Reviews

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ILB Bobby Okereke

The Good: Pass Velocity 

The Giants' offense thrives when the short and intermediate passing game is clicking. That relies on the quarterback's ability to deliver quick and accurate passes.

DeVito has a very live arm, and when he throws short or intermediate passes, the ball jumps out of his hand. He does not look like he is putting much effort into it. 

In this Washington game, you can see him deliver passes with a lot of heat to his receivers. This allows them to get the ball before the defender can close on the pass or make the tackle, and the receiver can pick up more yards after the catch. 

DeVito can also hit several receivers who are running out routes in stride. He also can fit the ball into tight spaces or between defenders. When he shows confidence in throwing the ball, he can place the ball anywhere, short or intermediate, quickly and with ease. 

The Great: Willingness to Attack the Third Level

When your offense is predicated on short and intermediate passes, you must be able to threaten the third level, as that keeps the defensive backs from getting too aggressive downhill or sitting on the shorter routes.

DeVito’s willingness to attack downfield is a major reason why he was able to see success. Watching Tyrod Taylor push the ball vertically and have success had to make him feel more comfortable letting it loose. 

This isn’t to say that DeVito is as good of a deep ball thrower as Taylor, but in football, just the willingness to do something can cause a defense to respect it and react accordingly. 

During their game against the Commanders, DeVito threw six deep balls. He completed three of them, and two went for touchdowns. Even though he only completed 50 percent of those passes, he still completed 69 percent because those deep shots made Washington respect his willingness to cut it loose. 

The Ugly: Read Progression

This game against the Commanders was by far DeVito’s best game of his season and probably earned him a couple of extra starts, but the crazy part is that it could have been so much better.

He was sacked nine times in the game, but he was the cause of many of those sacks. There were times when he would get to his pass drop and just hold the football. It's a common mistake that rookie quarterbacks (especially those with athleticism) make when they enter the league. 

Their athleticism gives them a false sense of time and slows down their ability to scan through their read progression. It also does not help them develop their anticipatory throws. In this game, he is often waiting for someone to come open instead of throwing them open or getting off that read and finding the open player.

When he throws it, it is placed poorly. This was very noticeable in this particular game and likely cost him a 400-yard, five-touchdown day. 

Coach’s Counsel

It cannot be forgotten that DeVito was only a rookie last season. He and the organization probably never believed that he would need to start many games as a rookie, given the veterans they had in the group. 

The focus for DeVito this year will be deciphering defenses post-snap. Too often, there were missed reads that, if completed, could have kept the chains moving or even resulted in big gains. 

The ball placement will improve with experience and a better understanding of the “why,” but for now, the focus must be on the “why,” not the how.

Published
Gene Clemons
GENE CLEMONS

Gene "Coach" Clemons has been involved with the game of football for 30 years as a player, coach, evaluator, and journalist.  Clemons has spent time writing for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Bridgton News, Urbana Daily Citizen, Macon Telegraph and footballgameplan.com.  He has a YouTube channel called "Coach Gene Clemons" where you can find his popular "X&O The Joes" series as well as other football related content. 

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