New York Giants UDFA rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito has become quite a story in his home state of New Jersey, having climbed from "nowhere'' - well, New Jersey - to becoming a folk hero as the team's No. 1 QB.
That all came crashing down, at least temporarily, when in Christmas Day in the Giants' 33-25 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles, the kid got benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor.
And Tom DeVito Sr. doesn't get it.
“I thought he was hurt, maybe,” DeVito's father said to the New York Post. “Maybe something happened. He usually in the past would text me from halftime if he’s hurt or something, so I didn’t get any of that. Then I just heard it like you guys did from the sideline reporter, ‘Coach’s decision.’
It seems to not have occurred to Dad that the lowly Giants were in the process of getting crushed by the playoff-bound Eagles before ... well, before the Eagles almost stumbled as Taylor helped the Giants make it a nail-biter.
“I guess the offense wasn’t doing much so they tried something else,'' Dad said ... and yes. That's pretty much the deal.
DeVito completed 9 of 16 pass attempts for 55 yards before being benched. Taylor, meanwhile, totaled 133 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception.
We've always thought it a really, really bad idea for family members to inject themselves into stories like this. Mom, Dad, wife, whomever. This is not to say the playoff-bound Eagles have any room to finger-point about dysfunction (see link below) ... but pro teams generally run more smoothly when Mom, Dad, wife, whomever, puts themselves in charge of bringing the orange slices, not in charge of offering opinions on playing time.
Nevertheless ...
“I was a little perplexed by it,'' Dad said. "I didn’t see him do anything wrong. The obvious thing was you don’t see any interceptions, so you’re like, ‘I guess I’ll find out after film.''
Yes. Tom DeVito Sr. will let us know his evaluation of the situation, we're certain, after Tom DeVito Sr. - who outside of his football expertise moonlights as the owner of New Jersey-based DeVito Plumbing & Heating, "studies the film.''
More must-reads: