Tommy DeVito Is The Rocky Balboa Of The NFL And Now The Fun Begins

Meet Tommy DeVito the rookie quarterback who is taking the city of New York by storm with his visual demonstration made in tribute to his Italian heritage and in the direction of his Italian family and friends cheering him each game. In the Giants Monday Night Football showdown with the Green Bay Packers, DeVito played flawlessly and led the Giants down the field in the final minute for a game winning field goal as the Giants edged out the Packers, 24-22. Throughout the game, DeVito was a model of efficiency, completing 17 of his 21 passes for 158 yards and one touchdown. He didn’t commit any interceptions and he rushed for 71 yards on 10 carries.

This would make a perfect movie script. Young Italian boy grows up in New Jersey, plays football in college but goes undrafted. He gets signed as a rookie free agent by the team that plays minutes away from the home where he grew up. He gets cut by the team but ends up on the taxi squad. He moves back home with his parents and his mom cooks for him every night— and his favorite meal is chicken cutlets. Suddenly the team experiences a rash of injuries and the rookie finds himself starting at quarterback for the team of his dreams and leads them to a 3-1 record since he taking over the starting position when before the team’s record was a disappointing 2-7. Meet Tommy DeVito.

• This season, DeVito has already set lots of records:
• First undrafted rookie QB in NFL history to win three straight starts without an interception and a 100+ passer rating in three straight starts
• Most rushing yards by an undrafted rookie QB in a game (71) since 1970
• First Giants QB to win three straight starts with a 100+ rating and zero INTs since Fran Tarkenton in 1970
• Third rookie QB since 1970 to win three straight starts with a 100+ rating and zero INTs, and the first since Dak Prescott

Now is when the drama really begins. Each game that DeVito plays between now and the end of the season will be closely scrutinized. At 5-8 the Giants have an outside chance of making the playoffs and if they do DeVito’s legend will grow exponentially. Then it will set up a showdown next season with former starting quarterback Daniel Jones who is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Jones was the beneficiary of an off season $160M contract extension. Jones was pegged by Forbes as the 5^th highest paid quarterback in the NFL averaging $47.5 million per year. On the other hand, DeVito makes a measly $466,667 this season, the lowest of any starting quarterback. If you want to read any more about the injustice that this 50 times plus pay differential creates, read my article on Brock Purdy.

While this Hollywood script may have started out as a Rudy type story it is now on track to become Rocky. The reason is that there will be great anticipation for the rest of the season as Giants fans, and even much of the football world, watch and root for the underdog DeVito and hope he can carry the Giants into the playoffs.

And we are set up for a sequel next season. Once Daniel Jones rehabs from his injury, the $47.5 million man will battle Tommy DeVito for the starting quarterback job for the New York Giants. This is the same Tommy Devito that still lives at home with his parents, in the shadow of Met Life Stadium where the Giants play their home games— the same Tommy DeVito whose next year’s contract is locked in for less than $1 million. It will be reminiscent of Rock Balboa versus Apollo Creed when they square off next year for the starting job?

It will be the perfect reality television for our day and age. The story of Rocky is timeless and had been born again, in a different age, sport, and character in Tommy DeVito. Sit back and enjoy the drama as it unfolds.