New Giants starting quarterback and Week 11 hero Tommy DeVito, an undrafted rookie free agent and New Jersey native, huddles with Post columnist Steve Serby for some Q&A:
Q: What is it like being New Jersey’s most eligible bachelor?
A: (Laugh) It’s a dangerous situation. The spotlight comes with the position. But I’m focused right now on football and everything else. After the season I’ll be able to relax, enjoy, get back to my social life.
Q: How would you describe your ideal mate?
A: Someone that challenges me, pushes me. I’m a competitive person, not always in that regard, but someone that’s always gonna keep pushing me to be the best version of myself as I will do them. I’m an energy person, it’s all about the flow and the vibe.
Q: Is this town big enough for you and Aaron Rodgers?
A: (Laugh) It sure is. It feels like it. Yeah, it’s kind of funny how that worked out. I remember my first time hearing that he was moving to the town [Cedar Grove], and I mentioned it to him when I saw him in preseason. It’s awesome to be able to have someone of that status come into such a small town. I’ve yet to see him in town yet. I’m more in this facility more than anything.
Q: Will you invite him over?
A: Yeah, at some point. At some point I’d like to find a way to get him over the house, hot tub, hang out, whatever the deal is. Or maybe I’ll go to his spot. He’s got a pretty nice spot (smile).
Q: What is it like being a folk hero?
A: I don’t know about all that, but I just try to enjoy it. It’s a small town, Cedar Grove, it’s only one other person I know of now that has really made it kind of athletically, David Njoku. It gives all the younger kids some kind of hope and dreams and aspirations. It’s something to look up to, so I just try to be a good role model for them.
Q: How would you describe or define what a “Jersey guy” is?
A: Prideful individual. For me it’s like all about swagger and how you hold yourself.
Q: What kind of car will you be driving from the team hotel to MetLife Stadium on Sunday?
A: A Jeep.
Q: What will be going through your mind on the drive to face Bill Belichick?
A: All smiles, just pure excitement. Every snap, every play is a new opportunity to be able to help this team, help this organization, play for the fans, play for myself, play for my family.
Q: He’s just another coach on the sideline?
A: Yes and no. He’s — if not the — one of the greatest coaches to ever come through this business, if you will, or through this game. So there’s a tremendous amount of respect there in that regard for everything that he’s done, everything that he’ll continue to do for the game. But for me, I don’t play necessarily against him, he’s not on the field. So for me, it’s just playing against the guys on the field, so no, I don’t think too much about it in that regard.
Q: What drives you?
A: Not reaching my full potential. I know I’m not at that point yet. Failure, and everything else that plays into it, I just want to be able to just play at my highest level, whatever that is, and I know I’m striving for that every day. Knowing that that’s there just keeps me going every single day.
Q: Fear of failure is not part of it?
A: I’m not scared to fail at all, I’ve failed in the past. I think that’s what helps you get to that next level. All of a sudden you take a step down to go back up, it’s all part of that process. It’s tough, but you gotta go through it.
Q: What have you learned about yourself as an NFL quarterback?
A: Not everything that I thought I knew about myself already. But just that I’m a tough competitor and I’m resilient and I’m pretty cool, calm, collected throughout. All the moments — whether it’s high, whether it’s low — I think that’s kind of the focal point, important point of the quarterback position is when things are going bad, you have to be able to be that energy and that rock to let everybody lean on, and then when everything’s going good, you have to be that guy that calms everything down so you can stay locked in and stay dialed in ’cause it’s not over till it’s over.
Q: You have no doubt that you belong. Am I right?
A: Yes sir.
Q: Why do you have no doubt that you belong as an NFL quarterback?
A: Because I play the game like everybody else, but I carry myself a certain way, I treat this like a job, like it’s an occupation, not just a game of football. It used to be kind of funny to me at first when I was like telling people like, “Hey, I’m going to work tomorrow.” No, it’s work. It’s an actual job. It’s something Tyrod [Taylor] kind of told me earlier on: The guys that’s last the longest are the guys that take it seriously and treat it like an actual job and not just a game of football. He kind of hit me with that little tidbit, it kind of stuck with me.
Q: Describe your on-field mentality.
A: Just pure winning. There’s nothing worse than not making your play for your teammates, for yourself. I just try to give everything I have on every single play. No matter what the outcome is. Obviously you can’t control every outcome, but you can control your effort and what you do on every play.
Q: How would you describe your leadership style?
A: Definitely different maybe from other guys. I’m pretty relaxed, pretty calm, I’m pretty high-energy at the same time. I’ll sing, I’ll dance and mess around with some guys. I keep it light so not everyone’s too tense. I try to just go out and just enjoy it, and try to bring everybody else around me to enjoy the game, ’cause at the end of the day it is a kid’s game, but you have to be able to really enjoy yourself on that field. Obviously it’s very serious, a lot of things that go into it, but if you’re not having fun, it’s like you don’t really love what you’re doing.
Q: Give me examples of something you said that kept it light.
A: When there’s a TV timeout, somebody’s telling a joke in the huddle. TV timeouts are usually like our take a breath, take a deep breath, talk about some football things, but then there’s a whole ’nother minute and 30 seconds to be able to just be yourself.
Q: So what do you say?
A: I don’t know if I can say some of those on the record (smile).
Q: What’s an adversity you had to overcome?
A: Injuries … throughout college, I got sacked a lot, especially at Syracuse. So there’s a lot of bumps and bruises, but every play I’ll stand in that pocket, trust the offensive linemen, trust everyone around me to make a play. That’s just part of the quarterback position.
Q: What is the criticism that was most unfair or bothered you the most?
A: Probably going back to Syracuse, but that’s here nor there. It was all part of the journey that got me here today. Not a lot of people were in that building or saw anything that was going on inside that team. They didn’t have any knowledge of that so I don’t blame anyone for it.
Q: From your Instagram: “The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress and grows brave by reflection.”
A: I don’t know, I used to have a lot of quotes in a notes page that were pretty inspirational. At the end of the day you have to look yourself in the mirror, and you can’t lie to anybody, you can’t bulls–t yourself, it’s you versus you, and that’s kind of how I go about my days.
Q: “The world is a jungle. You either fight and dominate or hide and evaporate.”
A: You have to fight to survive, especially in this job space that I’m in. There’s only a certain amount of spots, and there’s always a new class every year of people trying to come in and take somebody’s job and take somebody‘a livelihood. So it’s eat or be eaten.
Q: Was losing your grandmother Maria in 2022 the most heartbroken you’ve ever been?
A: Yeah. She lived close to here while I was growing up. I spent a lot of time with her when I was a child, and growing up throughout my whole life. She was just the best person ever in the world and brought a smile on your face every time you saw her. And she was actually living in my house for a couple of years, so I got to literally spend every day with her especially during COVID — every morning, every day, every night with her.
Q: What do you think she’s thinking up above right now about Tommy DeVito?
A: She’s smiling, she’s enjoying it. She used to love to talk to everybody, to just enjoy every moment. So I think she would be talking to all of her little friends about how football’s going and everything else going there. I know she’s proud, I try to make her proud. I think about her every time before I step on the field.
Q: Three football dinner guests?
A: [Tom] Brady, Rodgers and Joe Namath.
Q: Lombardi’s near you is offering a free DeVito burger, with mozzarella and vodka sauce, to everyone for each TD pass you throw on Sunday.
A: Fun. Anything that gives the community some kind of excitement and looking forward to watching the game, I enjoy it.
Q: What is your highlight of Thanksgiving?
A: Sweet potato casserole. Every time.
Q: Game day breakfast?
A: Omelet and some French toast.
Q: Best NYC Italian restaurant?
A: Carbone.
Q: What is the best piece of advice your father Tom ever gave you?
A: Your goal in life as a father is always to be better than your father was to give your kids something that you never had. His dad was always busy when he was, like, playing sports and everything, he went to some of his sports games, not all of ’em — my dad never missed a single practice of me growing up, let alone a game, from about when I was like 5 years old all the way until college. I owe it all to him.
Q: What do you want to say about your mom Alexandra?
A: She’s the tough one (smile). She’s the one that made sure I was the toughest of the bunch. She was tough on me, but the most loving mother you could ever have. Tough on me in the sense of I remember when I was younger playing baseball, first time playing with kids pitching, I would kind of move away from the plate a little bit ’cause I was afraid to get hit with the ball. She did not like how that looked. She toughened me up and made sure that I was not gonna be afraid of that ball anymore. She was always the one that was gonna be there to push me. It was always tough love, but it was always motherly love at the same time.
Q: What did she do to get you to not be afraid?
A: She would sit me down, talk to me, a whole bunch of things. That’s all I’m gonna say (smile).
Q: If you could have a shootout with any quarterback in NFL history, who would it be?
A: Aaron Rodgers. … Best of all time at throwing the ball. Quarterback-wise, I’d say Tom Brady because of all those Super Bowls, but he’s the most pure thrower that I’ve ever seen throw the ball.
Q: Boyhood idol?
A: Aaron Rodgers.
Q: Was that the first time you met him in preseason?
A: Yeah.
Q: What did you tell him?
A: I was kind of star-struck, honestly. I didn’t think I was gonna be going into it, but I kind of was. He gave me some words of encouragement.
Q: He’s talking about a historic comeback from his torn Achilles.
A: Whatever is best for his health, that’s what I hope for.
Q: I’m proud of myself because …
A: ’Cause my younger self will be happy with where I’m at.