Tommy DeVito is three weeks removed from a three-game winning streak that earned him short-lived NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors and brought the rapidly improving Giants back into the playoff picture.
At the time, the Giants were 5-8 after a win over Green Bay at the Meadowlands on Monday night, Dec. 11, and it looked like a game in New Orleans would be a win on their schedule.
However, DeVito and the Giants struggled in a lopsided loss to the Saints, and the rookie quarterback was benched in the next game and also lost against the Eagles.
Now, heading into the Giants' final game of the season against Philadelphia on Sunday, DeVito will soon be starting his first NFL offseason off the bench behind Tyrod Taylor.
“This whole season has been a roller coaster,” DeVito said. “There's a lot of good there, and that's what I'm focusing on.”
On the positive side, he was promoted from practice squad to starter by Week 10.
That included his first appearance against the Jets on Oct. 29, when DeVito was barely allowed to throw the ball, and another rough performance two weeks later in a blowout loss to the Cowboys. .
But DeVito regained his momentum with three straight wins against Washington, New England and Green Bay, which led to comparisons to Tommy Kattletz and Jeremy Lin's Linsanity with the Knicks.
DeVito said he will reflect on everything once the season is over, but still has more important priorities, including turning his attention to preparing for next year.
The Giants will have a lot of questions to answer at the quarterback position. Daniel Jones will be out for at least part of next season with a torn right ACL in November, and Taylor is a free agent who could be a top-five pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Depending on how the final weekend of the regular season goes, there will likely be an expanded lineup at quarterback.
This is clearly an equation DeVito wants to be a part of.
“I don't know what I'm going to do when the season is over,” DeVito said. “We'll think about it more next week and the week after, but we've already talked to some of the seniors about how to deal with it.”
DeVito went undrafted last year and signed with the Giants as a free agent in April after his senior season at Illinois after transferring from Syracuse.
“I spoke with [Jones] And I talked to Tyrod about what the offseason process is,” DeVito said. “Like how long do you rest after you pitch? I used to take time off all the time, but now it's your job. In college, it's more structured. Now, until OTAs, I'm literally going to be on my own. . You have to have a plan and that's something I'm learning from my seniors.”
In the meantime, he's trying to make the most of his roller coaster ride in the wrong direction to finish his first season in the NFL.
“I know I improved a lot from my first game to my last game,” DeVito said. “A lot of that was due to the fact that I was playing a lot, which was a lot different than practice.”
But he added that he is making the most of being on the sideline now that the season is coming to an end.
“I still try to learn as much as I can, both in the film room and at practice. [or on the] The sideline,” DeVito said. “Ty has been in the league for 13 or 14 years, so I pick his brain as much as I can.”
