Tom DeVito Sr. found out about his son’s benching the same way as any other Giants fan watching at home on Christmas.
With the Giants in a 20-3 halftime hole against the Eagles and head coach Brian Daboll looking for a “spark,” Tyrod Taylor took over at quarterback to start the third quarter as DeVito stood next to the injured Daniel Jones on the sideline.
Taylor led two touchdown drives but was intercepted on the final play in a 33-25 loss.
“I thought he was hurt, maybe,” Tom Sr. told The 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.’”
“Yeah, I’m his dad, of course I wanted him to play, but I guess the offense wasn’t doing much so they tried something else. Then you just root for the team and see what happens.”
Images of the celebrating DeVitos in the crowd and hosting Italian-feast tailgates became fixtures during telecasts as Tommy led the Giants to three straight victories.
But the family didn’t travel to Philadelphia, so Tom Sr. was awaiting clarification when his son returned home.
“I was a little perplexed by it. I didn’t see him do anything wrong,” Tom Sr. said. “The obvious thing was you don’t see any interceptions, so you’re like, ‘I guess I’ll find out after film.’ Even the coaches really don’t know during the course of a game because there’s so much going on until they watch film to see, ‘Hey, he missed this, or he missed that, or that WAS his fault or WASN’T his fault.’”
Tommy briefly explained it to his father the way Daboll explained it to him.
“Coach wanted to spark something,” Tom Sr. said, “and that was it.”
The Giants haven’t yet named a starting quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Rams at MetLife Stadium.
If DeVito is benched, it won’t be the first time, as he lost the job at Syracuse before transferring to Illinois.
“That stuff’s out of our control. It’s coach’s decision,” Tom Sr. said. “Obviously it’s my son, of course I want him to play, but … I taught Tommy that a long time ago: Stuff’s not in our control. See what’s best for the team. I guess whatever the coach and management thinks is best for the team, it’s all we can do, you know?”
Tom Sr. will be back in his familiar seat Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Will he be disappointed if his son is on the bench?
“Oh, who wouldn’t be?” he said. “If he was playing awful, I don’t think he’s playing awful. But certainly can play better, that’s for sure.”
But how will Tommy handle it? He started the season behind Jones and Taylor before starting the last six games.
“Like a professional, because that’s what he is,” Tom Sr. “It’s a coach’s decision, and he’s there to be their soldier and be a good teammate under any circumstances. Appreciate the opportunity he’s been given, and we’ll see what happens.”
After winning NFC Offensive Player of the Week for leading a game-winning drive against the Packers, DeVito has a 69.7 quarterback rating with no touchdowns or interceptions over the last two defeats.
“I’m just disappointed that they didn’t win the game,” Tom Sr. said. “It’s two weeks in a row the offense hasn’t been very good. It takes 11 guys and the coaching staff, but most importantly it takes the quarterback — and he just has to get better at whatever they want him to get better at. That’s a conversation between [him] the coaching staff, and sometimes Tommy shares that with me after film.”
The Link LonkDecember 27, 2023 at 02:25AM
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiYWh0dHBzOi8vbnlwb3N0LmNvbS8yMDIzLzEyLzI2L3Nwb3J0cy90b21teS1kZXZpdG9zLWRhZC13YXMtYS1saXR0bGUtcGVycGxleGVkLWJ5LWdpYW50cy1iZW5jaGluZy_SAWVodHRwczovL255cG9zdC5jb20vMjAyMy8xMi8yNi9zcG9ydHMvdG9tbXktZGV2aXRvcy1kYWQtd2FzLWEtbGl0dGxlLXBlcnBsZXhlZC1ieS1naWFudHMtYmVuY2hpbmcvYW1wLw?oc=5
Tommy DeVito's dad was 'a little perplexed' by his son's Giants benching - New York Post
https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment