New York Giants Find Their Cinderella Story in North Jersey’s Italian Suburbs

Is Tommy DeVito football’s version of Linsanity or could he possibly be the franchise quarterback the New York Giants are desperately seeking? That’s what the final four games of their National Football League regular season might tell us.Mr. DeVito, a third-string quarterback when the season began, resurrected the Giants with his dramatic play during a three-game winning streak. There hasn’t been this much hoopla over a surprising superstar in New York since Jeremy Lin had that magical ride 11 years ago with the New York Knicks.Mr. Lin went from unknown to a national phenomenon in a blink after a series of game-winning heroics. The first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, Mr. Lin earned big contracts and bounced around the National Basketball Association for nine years, but his run of Linsanity was never matched.Mr. DeVito is experiencing his version of Linsanity after leading the Giants to a thrilling 24-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers Monday night at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands. Mr. DeVito, an undrafted rookie who lives with his parents about 10 minutes from MetLife stadium, orchestrated a game-winning drive by completing four passes for 53 yards to set up the game-winning 37-yard field goal by Randy Bullock.You can’t make this stuff up. Pick a headline: “Local Kid Makes Good;” “Undrafted rookie becomes a hero;” or “There’s no place like home.” Mr. DeVito has become a cultural and football phenomenon draped in the Italian flag. The legend of Tommy Cutlets is the NFL’s Cinderella story.Mr. DeVito’s parents, Tom and Alexandra, hosted a pre-game tailgate in the parking lot outside MetLife Stadium on Monday night. Aunts, uncles, cousins, old friends, and new friends showed up to splurge on an Italian buffet that included baked ziti, penne vodka, rice balls, sausage and peppers, bread, and, of course, 300 chicken cutlets. The DeVitos along with their son’s agent, Sean Stallato, who was dressed in a black pin-striped suit and black fedora, got more airtime on Monday Night Football than Taylor Swift.A product of Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, Tommy DeVito played at Syracuse before finishing at Illinois and eventually signing with the Giants. Buried on the depth chart when the season began, he is salvaging what seemed to be a lost season after starting quarterback Daniel Jones suffered a severe knee injury in the sixth game against the Las Vegas Raiders and backup Tyrod Taylor went down with a rib injury two games later.Mr. DeVito, 25, ignited a slumping offense with his legs, his arms, and his moxie. The Giants (5-8) somehow remain in playoff contention, something that seemed laughable a few weeks ago. They play Sunday in New Orleans before finishing the regular season against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Los Angeles Rams, and the Eagles again. The Giants will need to win all four games to have a shot at the postseason.“As a quarterback you have to stay even keel through it all,” Mr. DeVito said following the Giants’ first win on Monday Night after nine straight losses. “When you’re winning like we are now everything is high and when you lose everything is low. As a quarterback, you have to stay even keel. I take pride in that.”If Mr. DeVito is staying even keel, everyone else is going nuts, especially Giants fans and New Jersey natives. After the Giants reached the playoffs last year, expectations were high heading into this season. Mr. Jones signed a 4-year $160 million contract in March, star running back Saquon Barkley was healthy, and visions of a potential Super Bowl run weren’t out of the question. Then Mr. Barkley got hurt in the second game, the quarterbacks got hurt, and the Giants turned to Mr. DeVito.He endured a dreadful performance in his first start, a 49-17 loss at Dallas, but threw three touchdown passes to beat the Washington Commanders, 31-19, the following week. He did just enough right to beat the New England Patriots 10-7 before his heroics on Monday Night. Mr. DeVito completed 17 of 21 passes for 158 yards and one touchdown against the Packers. His final four completions highlighted the game-winning drive, including a 32-yard connection to Wan’Dale Robinson. Mr. DeVito also ran 10 times for 71 yards. According to OptaSTATs, he is the first quarterback since 1950 to complete 80 percent of his passes, rush for 70-plus yards, commit no turnovers and take no sacks in a game.“He’s done what we’ve asked him to do,” Giants head coach Brian Daboll said. “He loves the game of football. I don’t think he makes it bigger than it is either. It’s football. Obviously, it’s at the highest level and he’s going to get tested. One week could be up and one week could be down, but we’re going to stay as steady as we can be with his development.”Funny. Some Giants fans openly discussed tanking the season to get a high draft pick and possibly select one of the talented quarterbacks coming out of college. Mr. DeVito could be the answer. Should he somehow lead the Giants into the postseason, it would certainly set up a quarterback controversy heading into training camp when Mr. Jones returns.Tommy DeVito and Tony Racioppi. Photo courtesy of Tony Racioppi.One person who believes Mr. DeVito can be a franchise quarterback is Tony Racioppi, a New Jersey-based quarterback guru who helped Mr. DeVito prepare for the draft. Mr. Racioppi said he knew Mr. Devito was different when the quarterback made a four-hour drive to Miramar, Florida, for his first workout the day after Illinois played in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa. “He was on the field the next day and he never stopped working,” Mr. Racioppi tells the NY Sun.Mr. DeVito worked with Mr. Racioppi for three months in preparation for his pro day and appearance in the East-West Shrine Bowl. They continued to prepare for the NFL draft at Franklin High School in Somerset, New Jersey, and at TEST Football Academy. There were questions about Mr. DeVito’s arm strength and ability to read coverages. Both were stunned when he went undrafted.“I’ve had nine guys drafted that I’ve worked with and I was blown away he was not drafted in the fifth or sixth round,” Mr. Racioppi says. “He’s a smart kid with a very good football mind. He was well-coached in high school and college. He threw pretty well and he can move.”It might have been a blessing. Mr. DeVito got about 10 calls the day after the draft and settled on the Giants not because they are his hometown team. Other teams offered more money, Mr. Racioppi says, but Mr. Taylor was on a one-year deal and there was no third-string quarterback on the roster.“Schematically, he fits what they do well,” Mr. Racioppi says. “He’s accurate with the football. He makes quick decisions and when they do take shots downfield he gets the ball out on time and he can throw it.”Mr. Racioppi, who has worked with more than 40 pro quarterbacks including Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett and former NFL player Robert Griffin III, believes Mr. DeVito has the skills to be a franchise quarterback. “The more he’s able to develop his game the better he’s going to get,” Mr. Racioppi said. “He can make every NFL throw with accuracy. He sees the field and makes good decisions and he can extend plays. He has all three levels. He fits into what a lot of people want to do.”For now, Mr. DeVito is the Giants starter with Mr. Taylor serving as the backup. Is this 15 minutes of fame or the Giants football future? We’ll learn more when the Legend of Tommy Cutlets meets Bourbon Street.

New York Giants Find Their Cinderella Story in North Jersey’s Italian Suburbs

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