Getty New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll addressed his decision to start Tommy DeVito at quarterback against the Philadelphia Eagles.
New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll is sticking with Tommy DeVito for the Week 16 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. On December 18, he explained why.
“Well, I think he’s earned it,” Daboll reiterated to reporters on Monday afternoon. “Not going to make a week-to-week change. He’s earned it. It’s not always going to be perfect, but he’s earned the opportunity to play.”
Brian Daboll shares his reasoning behind the decision to give Tommy DeVito the start on Christmas:
“He’s earned it. It’s not always going to be perfect, but he’s earned the opportunity to play”
The Giants HC added later that he felt very comfortable with his decision to name DeVito the starter after the loss in New Orleans. He also confirmed that he believes the rookie gives them the best chance to win.
Giants Can Prioritize the Future & Save Money by Sticking With Tommy DeVito Over Tyrod Taylor
It’s debatable whether DeVito or Tyrod Taylor gave the Giants the best chance to win, but now that they’ve finally lost, sticking with the youngster is the only choice that makes sense for Brian Daboll.
One, DeVito is 25 years old and under contract, while Taylor will be 35 next August — and an unrestricted free agent next spring. Why not see what you have in DeVito ahead of a key offseason at quarterback?
It also makes sense for the organization financially. As The Athletic’s Dan Duggan informed on December 11, “the decision to stick with Tommy DeVito will also cost Tyrod [money].”
Tyrod Taylor wants to play because he’s a prideful competitor. But the decision to stick with Tommy DeVito will also cost Tyrod. His contract contains playing time and performance incentives. He’d be in line to earn up to an additional $1M if he started the final five games.…
“His contract contains playing time and performance incentives,” Duggan explained at the time. “He’d be in line to earn up to an additional $1M if he started the final five games.”
That broke down as an extra $250,000 if Taylor played 40-49%, and another $250,000 if he achieved 50-59% of snaps. At the time of the post, the backup QB was at 25.7% of snaps according to Duggan.
The other $500,000 was split between passer rating and completion percentage thresholds with a minimum of 224 attempts through the air. Barring an injury to DeVito, he will fall short of those two incentives as well.
Brian Daboll Says Giants Can Be Better Around Tommy DeVito vs. Eagles
Earlier in the press conference, Daboll noted that DeVito was “sore” on Monday, but not hurt as far as he knew. Meaning no head or leg injury after taking some hard hits against the Saints.
He also gave his view of DeVito’s performance after watching the tape.
“I thought — again, like I said yesterday — I thought there were some things that we could have done around him to be better,” Daboll began.
He did acknowledge that DeVito made some throws that he “wishes he had back.”
To beat the Eagles, the Giants will certainly have to put together a much better all-around effort on offense. From the blocking unit to pass-catchers getting separation on routes, and on and on down the line.
This joint failure turned into a ton of negative plays in Week 15. Something Giants.com contributor Lance Medow pointed out after the loss.
“Last week, my major takeaway from the win over the [Green Bay] Packers was the Giants’ ability to avoid negative plays,” Medow wrote on December 18. “Tommy DeVito wasn’t sacked, and the team faced only one third down of 10 yards or more, so it’s no coincidence the offense produced 24 points and orchestrated a pair of lengthy touchdown drives. Move the calendar forward a few days and the Giants failed to score a touchdown for the fourth time this season.”
It was the opposite result in Week 16 as Medow shared that eight NYG possessions out of nine were “plagued by at least one negative play” versus the Saints. The team analyst added that the lone possession without a negative play resulted in a field goal.
“A sack, penalty or loss of yardage on the ground was a recurring theme,” Medow stated. That’s not winning football.