Tommy DeVito Rises to the Occasion in Familiar Atmosphere

DeVito entered the game early and led the Giants to a 14-3 preseason victory over the Detroit Lions.

Scott Salomon | Aug 9, 2024

New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito (15) gets ready to throw the ball during the fourth quarter, Thursday, August 8, 2024, in East Rutherford. / Kevin R. Wexler / NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

The scenario for New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Detroit Lions felt all too familiar.

DeVito, the Cedar Grove, New Jersey native, was scheduled to play the second half of the Giants preseason opener. However, an injury to Drew Lock, the starter (Daniel Jones was given the night off), meant that DeVito had to enter the game sooner than anticipated.

DeVito rose to the occasion, leading the Giants on two scoring drives en route to a 14-3 Big Blue win.

DeVito stepped in for an injured Tyrod Taylor last year during his rookie season. The undrafted rookie free agent, who wasn’t even supposed to see the field, went on to lead the Giants to three straight wins to keep their slim postseason hopes alive before the pixie dust wore off and DeVito ended up being benched on Christmas Day in favor of Taylor, who had been activated off injured reserve.

Before that happened, DeVito, who many thought was simply camp fodder when the Giants signed him after the 2023 draft, made his point that he belonged in the NFL.

"I think I've always been pretty confident. That's kind of always how I've carried myself," DeVito said after Thursday’s win on a soggy MetLife Stadium field. “It certainly helps when you've been in a situation, won a couple of games, and played in a real game atmosphere, that definitely helps."

DeVito admitted that he was more nervous last season but that the butterflies have disappeared.

"My thoughts going into preseason are a little different now. Last year was a little bit of nerves. First NFL game, so there was a lot of excitement that went into it," he said.

"But now, I kind of get the gist of it. I played in some actual games that are a little different than preseason. But treat every game like it's the Super Bowl. So, you go out there, try to play everything, and put your best foot forward."

Head coach Brian Daboll praised DeVito for working to perfect his craft.

“He's getting better. I think he's got firm control of the offense. The guys have a lot of confidence in him. I have confidence in him. He's really come a long way since he's been here,” Daboll said.

“It's good for him to play as much as he did. So, keep on developing him. Quarterbacks are hard to find in this league. Undrafted free agent won three games and played in some games last year for us. Still knows he has a long way to go, but smart, accurate, and makes good decisions. Good young player to work with.

DeVito is far from being a finished product and knows it. He has worked hard on his game to and continues to work to eliminate mistakes, protect the ball, and avoid negative plays.

Of his performance against the Lions, he would love to have a couple of plays back.

"One was a sack. The other one was sliding on third down. I got down early. That was pretty bad," DeVito said.

But he would make up for his gaffe.

"I told (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Dabs to give me the rock so I could make it right. So I ended up converting on that fourth and one. Really, just trying to eliminate a lot of the negatives and keep the offense on pace moving forward and score points," DeVito added.

DeVito said the blocking and support up front he received were outstanding. He credited the line for the ground game and the pass protection that he received. DeVito did not throw an interception Thursday night and was barely touched by the Lions pass rush.

“O-Line did a great job. Running backs did a good job in protection, and did a good job getting out. They were playing a lot of prevent, they only played a couple of coverages," DeVito said.

"A lot of it was trying to take away deeper passes. The running backs did a good job of checking the protection and getting out with it. So, it's a big step up from last year. It's been a big emphasis. I felt very comfortable.”

DeVito also said he felt more comfortable on offense with Daboll calling the plays. He remembered the time he spent with Daboll last season while he was on the practice squad. They would spend hours talking and game planning as if he was going to play that week. It helped him become a better quarterback. When he was promoted, the meetings stopped.

"It was very good. We used to have those meetings once a week when I was on the practice squad, and then as time went up, we stopped meeting," DeVito said.

"So our communication from then to now has built up. So when he calls a play, I know what he's thinking. It's very good, clean communication between me and directly with the head coach and whoever's calling the play. So, everything was really good tonight, and we’ll continue to build off it."

Published Aug 9, 2024

SCOTT SALOMON