The New York Giants’ offense is officially in the hands of Tommy DeVito.After leading the team to consecutive wins before a Week 13 bye, head coach Brian Daboll chose the 25-year-old undrafted rookie as the starting quarterback for the foreseeable future ahead of Tyrod Taylor, who is expected to be activated off injured reserve.But while DeVito formally has the starting job, he doesn’t feel any different, nor is he surprised by the decision.
“I’m happy about it,” DeVito said Tuesday. “But at the same time, it’s still a job. You still have to go out there and perform.
“I wasn’t going to be surprised by the decision because, throughout the bye week, I was mentally prepared for it to go either way. It was a tough decision, but at the end of the day, it’s not my decision. The only thing I can decide is going out there and trying my best to help the team win.”DeVito’s teammates reacted similarly because they’ve gotten used to him under center.“Everyone congratulated me,” DeVito said. “But I’ve been starting for the past couple of weeks, so there weren’t any crazy reactions.”
Judging from his play, DeVito certainly made a strong case to be tabbed as the starter. In his past two games against the Commanders and Patriots, he recorded passer ratings of 137.7 and 103.9, respectively, and helped the Giants win both games.Despite his strong play, DeVito continually mentioned that the decision to be the starter was not in his hands. This kind of response isn’t anything new for him, either, as he’s always possessed a mindset that he belongs, which allows him to handle these tough decisions in stride.“That’s always been my mindset, even when I was three,” DeVito said. “It’s like your goal is to be the starter one day, even though others might not believe in you. I’ve always been pushing to be the starter, even if I can’t control what happens.”
DeVito also showed empathy for Taylor, who has been in this situation numerous times throughout his career.“He’s become a brother to me,” DeVito said. “If this decision went the other way, which I’m sure it could’ve, I’d be supporting him the whole way like he has with me. That’s the relationship we’ve built so far, and we’re going to continue to support each other.”How DeVito handled the Giants’ decision shows just how much his team-first mindset has developed once he was thrust into action.That mindset isn’t going to change, either, as he’s already laser-focused on a huge Monday Night Football matchup at home against the Green Bay Packers.
“Everything we want is in front of us, but at the same time, we need to focus on this week and one week at a time,” DeVito said. “I’m trying to get better every day and push everyone around me to be as well.”
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