Tommy DeVito's father reveals message he had for Giants quarterback

It appears New York Giants rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito received a pep talk from his dad before DeVito guided the club to a come-from-behind 24-22 home win over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night. 

"I’m gonna tell him, 'You gotta rally your troops,'" Tom DeVito, Tommy's father and a New Jersey plumber, said during a pregame chat with Steve Serby of the New York Post about what he was going to share with his son. "Every week it’s different, you know? This is, 'Rally the troops. It’s Monday night. You guys haven’t played well in prime time and this is your chance for redemption, the whole team.' They haven’t played well on Monday night, or any prime-time game as of late. So enough is enough. If you’re the leader, you gotta motivate them." 

Specifically, Michael Eisen of the Giants' website mentioned that New York had gone 1-16 across its previous 17 regular-season night games before DeVito stepped onto the field with the Packers holding a 22-21 lead with roughly 90 seconds remaining in regulation of Monday's contest. The 25-year-old native of Cedar Grove, N.J., who still lives at home with his parents completed four-of-four pass attempts for 53 yards on that final drive before Randy Bullock converted a walk-off 37-yard field goal to improve the Giants to 5-8. 

Tom DeVito seemingly wasn't surprised with what he saw from the first-year pro who has now won three consecutive starts. 

"He plays with a calm and a poise," he said about the signal-caller who has become a New Jersey sensation. "He’s confident in his skill set. I have to calm myself down. 'You know he’s good, just be confident.' I have to talk myself into, 'Just trust it, trust it, don’t hyperventilate here.' That’s what I have to do to myself. I just trust him. The team plays as a unit, they’re gonna go well. He can definitely pull the trigger, that’s for sure." 

In total, Tommy DeVito completed 17-of-21 passes for 158 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against Green Bay. He also contributed 71 rushing yards on 10 carries. 

As of late Tuesday morning, the ESPN Football Power Index gave the Giants only a 0.4% chance to make the playoffs. Such stats likely mean little to members of the DeVito family who are, if only temporarily, royalty among Big Blue fans.