Tommy DeVito could be to the Giants what Jeremy Lin was to the Knicks. While “Linsanity” was shortlived, could DeVito’s fate be different? We’ll know soon, perhaps as early as the Giants’ next game (Monday Night, December 11) at home vs. the Packers.
After entering this season of dreams, which could have been a nice postseason run for both New York NFL teams, the Giants and Jets played themselves out of the postseason by performing terribly.
The Giants never got it going and got blown out by the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, and then they lost quarterback Daniel Jones for the season with an ACL injury. The Jets season went to hell as soon as quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down after four snaps against the Buffalo Bills on the first Monday Night Football of the season. The team survived at least for a while (4-3) but then lost three in a row as the offense struggled to score points. QB Zach Wilson was benched in the Jets’ 32-6 hideous loss to the Bills, and Tim Boyle stepped in and had his version of hideousness against the Dolphins on Black Friday. That said, Boyle will start again on Sunday against the Falcons.
With a month to go, metro New Yorkers have been searching for a reason to be invested in the NFL. Have we found it? Enter Tommy DeVito, the third-string Giants quarterback who’s starting now that Jones and Tyrod Taylor (rib) are out with injuries. Taylor will be eligible to return to active duty after the bye week, and he may start, but DeVito has led the Giants to two wins in a row. So it’s hard to believe he won’t be starting against the Green Bay Packers after the Giants’ bye week–even if Giants head coach Brian Daboll has been noncommittal.
It’s crazy to say that DeVito, the Cedar Grove product, is the fulcrum of hope for his hometown team, but we can always dream. It doesn’t hurt to dream. That’s why we will watch to see what else he can do. In three games, he has demonstrated impressive savvy and self-control under center. He takes plenty of hits (he was sacked six times in the Giants’ 10-7 victory against the New England Patriots on Sunday), yet he displays toughness by hanging in there and keeping his team in the game. He does not turn the ball over. He helps his team sustain drives by extending plays when he has to.
There’s another thing: DeVito has a calming effect that says everything will be okay with him under center. He takes charge of the huddle and displays arm strength, too. Results follow. He threw three touchdowns on the road against the Washington Commanders for his first NFL win and then tossed the Giants’ lone touchdown to Isaiah Hodgins against the Patriots. Overall, this undrafted rookie has thrown six touchdowns and just one interception as the starter.
DeVito certainly has Giants fans wondering if he can keep this going. This is why we watch sports. We want to see it for ourselves.
His success reminds New York sports fans of Jeremy Lin’s two-week amazing run in the Knicks’ 2012 season. He was hitting game-winning shots and scoring at will in the fourth quarter for the Knicks. Linsanity was fun! Knicks fans hadn’t had that much fun in a long time. It was a blast while it lasted. Eventually, things fell apart when Carmelo Anthony returned from the injury list, and the Knicks’ insecure superstar made it clear that he had no interest in playing with Lin.
I don’t know if DeVito can keep it going. Just look at what has happened in Minneapolis. Josh Dobbs replaced the injured Kirk Cousins and lit up the Twin Cities…at least at the beginning. But after throwing four INTs against the Bears on Monday night (yes, the Bears), it looks like the Vikings just experienced their own version of Linsanity. Dobbs is showing why he is a backup and has gone from team to team.
Eventually, defenses figure out backup quarterbacks and make necessary adjustments. You can bet the Packers are watching a film of the Giants’ folk hero in anticipation of that matchup two weeks from now. How DeVito responds will not only be interesting, but it could be impactful. If DeVito sustains his performance, he’ll give Daboll and GM Joe Schoen something to consider.
The big question then would be whether the Giants’ brain trust will allow DeVito to compete with Jones for the starting quarterback job. There’s no doubt the organization has invested in their starting quarterback – after all, they gave him a four-year, $160 million contract this offseason. But it doesn’t hurt if Jones has to earn his job. Competition can be good, and Jones and DeVito going up against each other may improve each other.
We all love a good sports story, especially when a guy comes out of nowhere to be a star for his team by making something of his own.
