Tommy and Tom DeVito used to watch “Monday Night Football.”
Dad had the opportunity to witness his son Tommy, the quarterback for the New York Football Giants, take on the Packers on Monday night while the entire country watched.
Tom DeVito stated to The Post, “I just want them to see that he’s a leader.” “I want people to see he is dependable. And having a leadership position is the most crucial aspect of being a quarterback.
Tom DeVito was at his home in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, at this point, a little after noon. And Tommy DeVito was, too. who resides with his parents, as everyone is aware.
“As of right now, Tommy is at home,” the father declared. “After leaving the [team] hotel, he returns home, plays with his dog, unwinds, and then leaves again.”
The advantages of being a proud father, hehe.
Tom DeVito stated, “He won’t read anybody’s texts 24 hours before the game.” “I’ll have to see him, and all I do is say one or two quick words to him. That’s all.” I’m no longer his coach; I’m just his dad and a huge fan now.
What exactly was Tom DeVito going to tell Tommy DeVito, then?
“I’m gonna tell him, ‘You gotta rally your troops,’ ” he said. “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. I saw Saquon’s been firing up the troops … attitude is everything in this game ’cause everybody’s pretty good.”
Tom DeVito was busy rallying his own troops, approximately 300 family and friends, at Lot G16 in the MetLife parking lot with national and local television networks eating it all up in the hours before his son would be trying to rally his.
Danny DeVito, cousin, age 34, makes chicken cutlet sandwiches at the New York Giants Tommy DeVito tailgate.
Lexy Devito, mother of New York Giants Tommy DeVito, holds a football at a tailgate before a game against the Green Bay Packers.
Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“We’re giving the whole Italian show,” Tom DeVito said. “It’s gonna be craziness. We’re gonna give ’em the Italian theater they’ve been asking for. Three hundred chicken cutlets, got Italian sandwiches, baked ziti, sausage and peppers, rice balls — everything Italian. I’m gonna have my guys setting up sandwiches with Italian headbands on. We got an Italian flag with Tommy’s picture on it. They’ve been begging for it. We’re gonna give it to ’em.”
What a whirlwind this has been since Jersey Guy Tommy DeVito became the talk of all the towns in and around Cedar Grove.
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Cutlet mania taking over local delis as Tommy DeVito gets set for primetime
“I always knew he had the talent to play at this level,” Tom DeVito said, “but I never could ever fathom the instant fandom that he has everywhere. … Some people aren’t always happy for somebody, if they win the lottery or if something good happens, but I have to say, just about everybody I’ve come in contact with, it’s so genuine … you hold back tears in your eyes because you see how genuine and happy they are.”
Everyone loves an underdog story, and especially a fearless, humble, undrafted underdog who has embraced the biggest moments of his young football career.
“He plays with a calm and a poise,” Tom DeVito said. “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.’ (Chuckle) 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.”
The boy always could.
“It started in flag football, but I’d say it was fourth-grade year,” the proud father said, “about 8 years old. He threw a couple of touchdown passes and they got that little Mayor’s Trophy ’cause we played our rivals.”
That was for the Cedar Grove Junior Panthers. Seventeen years later, this would be the New York Football Giants. And that was Tom DeVito and his wife Alexandra in the stands watching a fairy tale continue.
“She’s so nervous for him,” Tom DeVito said, “so as parents, no one wants their kids to feel pressure, we want to help them. But we can’t help him out there. So we’re just rooting hard and hopefully he doesn’t let the fans down or the team down and that’s our main concern. She’s a little bit more worried about his health — dads aren’t so worried about their sons.”
The boy’s dedication and commitment to quarterback was eye-opening from the beginning.
“You have no idea the work that this kid put in,” Tom DeVito said. “He gave up baseball 11 years old — he was a terrific pitcher — because two different mechanics. He would train three days a week year round for quarterback.”
For Tommy DeVito, it was one step at a time: win a state championship for Don Bosco Prep, play Division I football (Syracuse, Illinois) next.
Friends and family of New York Giants Tommy DeVito tailgate before a game against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium.
“He just had a naturally strong arm since he was 5 years old,” Tom DeVito said. “I’ll never forget, it was flag football, and they had him play actually running back, and he had a halfback option pass and he threw the ball, and one of the other coaches was ‘Who threw that?!’ Tommy’s talent was so evident that he quickly became a quarterback.”
