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The mania surrounding Tommy DeVito already has some thinking the New York Giants may have found the next Tom Brady. Head coach Brian Daboll was on the staff for the New England Patriots when arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history was drafted 199th overall in 2000, but the Giants’ boss isn’t ready to make a comparison with undrafted free agent DeVito.
Daboll gave a simple, seven-word answer when asked about Brady in light of DeVito’s rapid rise, per Talkin’ Giants: “Yeah, I mean, we’re four games in.”
A tepid response to any attempt to compare DeVito with seven-time Super Bowl winner Brady is appropriate. DeVito has gone 3-1 as a starter, but Daboll, who was a defensive assistant in New England when Brady was drafted, knows the weight of expectation has to be managed.
That being said, there are a few comparisons between what DeVito is doing and what Brady did when the latter first stepped into the fray in 2001.
Tommy DeVito and a Young Tom Brady Share a Few Similarities
Brady rose to fame in New England after high-priced starter Drew Bledsoe suffered an injury against the New York Jets in Week 2 of the 2001 season. DeVito got the nod for the Giants after Daniel Jones tore his ACL against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 this year.
Like Bledsoe, Jones also received a bumper payday prior to his injury. The Giants gave their QB1 a four-year, $160-million contract in the offseason, while Bledsoe “signed a 10 year $102.8 million contract extension,” prior to the ’01 season, per Spotrac.com.
Bledsoe’s time on the sidelines cost him as unheralded Brady slowly usurped the more established passer. DeVito might be doing the same with Jones, although the Giants are still tipped to use a prime pick in the 2023 NFL draft to select a quarterback.
Of course, the Giants will no longer own a prime pick if DeVito keeps winning. Just like Brady did in ’01, DeVito is playing efficient football and leaning on a strong defense.
Coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale’s unit has been bingeing on turnovers, per Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.
Making the most of those takeaways isn’t the only similarity DeVito shares with a young Brady.
Tommy DeVito Emulated Tom Brady Speciality vs. Packers
Brady’s legend grew once he led a late, game-winning drive to beat the then-St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl 36. The stakes weren’t as high for DeVito against the Green Bay Packers in Week 14, but his calm, veteran poise on the final drive to set up Randy Bullock’s decisive field goal had shades of Brady.
Does anybody truly believe DeVito is the next Brady? Probably not. Yet, the fact comparisons are even being made shows the level of optimism DeVito has created during what appeared to be a lost season.
If nothing else, the former Illinois and Syracuse star has shown the Giants what’s possible with competent play at football’s most important position. In the process, DeVito’s created a tough dilemma for the Giants about Jones’ future.
They paid No. 8 to be the future, but now it looks increasingly like the Giants would be better served finding a replacement. DeVito faces a tall order to assume that role beyond this season, although anything’s possible if he keeps winning.
Until he wins on the same scale as Brady, any comparison between the two is merely surface deep.
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