For the New York Giants, the final two games of the season are simply for finding out all the information they can to take with them into the next season. With nothing to play for other than pride and for fighting for individual jobs, the Giants still opted to sit Tommy DeVito for the matchup.
The 5-10 Giants will host the 8-7 Los Angeles Rams on Sunday and will do so without having DeVito under center. The story that had a beloved New Jersey kid who embodied an area and lived out a dream playing for his childhood team has come to an end, with Tyrod Taylor expected to start the upcoming game.
Tommy DeVito Heading to the Bench
When the Giants line up against the Rams on Sunday, it will no longer be Tommy “Cutlets” under center for them, but Taylor.
When starting quarterback Daniel Jones went down with his knee injury, the next man up was supposed to be Taylor, but that was short-lived due to the injury he suffered not long after.
Taylor’s injury gave life to the DeVito phenomenon we have been in for the last month and has birthed another NFL personality in the process. However, while it has been fun to watch, and the Giants have found ways to be competitive during that time, the Giants decided in Week 16 to sit DeVito after some first-half struggles.
With Taylor showing life against the Philadelphia Eagles, they opted to keep him in for the new week, which has essentially ended the Tommy Cutlet show — for now.
Another Opportunity for Tyrod Taylor
This isn’t Taylor’s first rodeo. The NFL veteran is no stranger to being a backup QB and stepping in when his number is called. One could wonder just what could have been of this Giants team over the back half of the season if Taylor had not gotten hurt and had been able to play all these games that DeVito has.
Taylor was able to come in and add a spark to the Giants’ offense last week, and for that reason, head coach Brian Daboll believes he has earned the right to start in Week 17.
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“I thought Ty did some good things in the second half of Philly, so he earned the right to start this game,” Daboll told the media Wednesday morning. “Let’s get ready for the Rams; really have nothing else to add to it. That’s where we’re at.”
It is not an opportunity that Taylor takes for granted, and he looks forward to leading the offense once again.
“It means everything to me,” the veteran said about being named the starter again. “I mean, obviously, the work that you put in week in and week out. I’ve been playing this game for a long time, and anytime I get a chance to lace up the cleats and go out and compete means the world to me.
“That’s where I’m the happiest, and it’s what I love to do, to be able to go out and not only show your peers but prove to yourself what you could do.”
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