Giants QB Tommy DeVito Isn't Tom Brady But Is Deserving of NFL Recognition

Just as NFL fans would have expected heading into the season, New York quarterbacks Tommy DeVito and Zach Wilson were named NFC and AFC Offensive Players of the Week, respectively, by the league on Wednesday morning.

Wait, what?

Yes, the Giants' cutlet-eating undrafted rookie and the Jets' formerly benched possible bust have been recognized by the NFL. And for good reason. After being thrust back into a starting role, Wilson threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-6 Jets win over the Texans. Meanwhile, DeVito mounted a fourth-quarter comeback in the G-Men's 24-22 Monday Night Football victory over the Green Bay Packers. The Giants (5-8) have now won three consecutive games and, miraculously, are just one game out of a playoff spot amid a crowded Wild Card race.

With each win, the legend of "Tommy Cutlets" seems to grow. A Player of the Week nod, and Sopranos reference for good measure, only adds to that. But comparisons to Tom Brady are currently where Giants head coach Brian Daboll draws the line.

Daboll was an assistant coach for the New England Patriots in 2001 when a relatively unknown former sixth-round pick took over for an injured Drew Bledsoe and won a Super Bowl. The second-year Giants head coach cut off a question on Tuesday comparing DeVito's emergence to the "GOAT's."

"We're four games in," Daboll said when prompted to tie DeVito's situation to Brady's. "I do appreciate the question ... That's a long time ago. I'd just say every situation is different. I couldn't probably give you the answer that you're looking for."

Daboll clearly didn't want to put Brady-sized pressure on DeVito's rookie shoulders. Though the Italian QB phenomenon has proven he can handle more than what was initially expected—at least from those outside the building. The New Jersey native threw for minus-one yard in his first appearance of the season October 29 after injuries to both Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor.

The former third-string QB has come a long way since.

DeVito completed 17 of his 21 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown against the Packers. He did not commit a turnover, moving his streak to 87 consecutive passes without a pick, and did not take a sack after going down 26 times combined in the previous four games. And after the Giants took over trailing by one with 1:33 remaining in the fourth quarter, the undrafted free agent went four-for-four passing—including a 22-yard strike to Wan'Dale Robinson—on the final drive to set up a game-winning field goal.

That poise is a long way removed from his first NFL snaps against the Jets in late October. Just ask someone who was standing on the opposite sideline.

"The recipe is not too complicated," Jets QB Aaron Rodgers said of DeVito's recent performance on The Pat McAfee Show. "It's be opportunistic. It's make good decisions—take care of the football. I think when you've got a little bit of moxie to go along with that and some charisma, which he obviously does, that helps. You watch the game [Monday night], he was very efficient, he only had a few incompletions, he had no turnovers, they had no sacks ... didn't seem like there were a ton of turnover-worthy plays. That's the key to success."

The Giants' franchise QB going into the season, Jones, wasn't living up to his lucrative contract extension before suffering a season-ending injury.

The fifth-year signal caller threw only two touchdowns compared to six interceptions in his six starts this season (Giants went 1-5). He had career-lows in passing yards per game (151.5), passer rating (70.5) and QBR (38.5) to go along with a career-worst 3.8 interception percentage. Though with the same subpar offensive line and limited receiving corps, DeVito is finding a way to make things work. In the five games since the rookie first took the field in relief, he has completed 68.07 percent of his passes for eight touchdowns and three picks.

DeVito's passer rating (96.5) this season is well above Jones' mark. The rookie seems to be making the best of Daboll's game plan that features plenty of short-to-intermediate throws.

DeVito is the first Giants rookie quarterback to win three consecutive starts since Phil Simms won four in a row in 1979. Since the 1970 merger, he is just the third undrafted rookie QB to win three games in a row.

But can the 25-year-old signal-caller keep it up?

Time will tell. But for now, Daboll and DeVito are staying in the moment rather than crowning the rookie the King of New York.

"I think as a quarterback, you have to stay even keel through it all," DeVito said after beating the Packers. "Because when you are winning like we are right now, everything is high and when you are losing, everything is low. So, as a quarterback, you have to be able to stay even through it all. I take pride in that, it's something that I've grown over, obviously over time, from when I was playing from when I was 5. Throughout high school and college, just continuing to grow that part of my game."