EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants will start Tyrod Taylor at quarterback on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, keeping rookie Tommy DeVito on the bench after six straight starts, coach Brian Daboll announced Wednesday.
DeVito, the undrafted rookie and local hero who quickly became a fan favorite, was benched in favor of Taylor during Monday’s 33-25 loss on Christmas Day against the Philadelphia Eagles. Taylor threw a touchdown pass in the second half of the contest and almost led a game-tying drive in the final seconds.
“I thought [Taylor] did some good things in the second half of Philly, so he earned the right to start this game,” Daboll said. “Getting ready for the Rams. Really have nothing else to add on it. That’s where we’re at.”
The Giants (5-10) chose to stick with DeVito as the starter earlier this month when the veteran Taylor returned from injured reserve, where he was dealing with a rib injury. At the time, Daboll justified the decision by saying that DeVito had earned the right to continue as the starter.
DeVito and the Giants beat the Green Bay Packers that week for their third straight win. They have since dropped two straight, and Daboll benched DeVito trailing 20-3 at halftime on Sunday in Philadelphia.
Taylor went 7-of-16 passing for 133 yards with one touchdown and an interception on a final-second heave to end the contest. The touchdown toss was a perfectly placed deep ball to wide receiver Darius Slayton for a 69-yard score.
“I thought he did some good things. So, he earned the opportunity this week,” Daboll said.
The decision to start Taylor in Week 17 against the Rams is because of the belief that he gives the Giants the best chance to win. It simultaneously reinforces to the rest of the locker room that the priority remains winning, even though the Giants were officially eliminated from playoff contention this week.
DeVito will serve as the backup on Sunday against the Rams. The Giants don’t even have another healthy quarterback on their roster after veteran Matt Barkley was signed off the practice squad Tuesday by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I’ll just say both [Taylor and DeVito] are ready to go, doing their job and when their number is called expect them to be ready to go,” Daboll said.
It was a wild ride with DeVito at quarterback since early November. The six weeks created a craze in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area that some compared to Linsanity, when Jeremy Lin took the NBA and sports world by story playing for the New York Knicks in 2011.
DeVito’s popularity skyrocketed in large part because of his performance (a three-game win streak and seven touchdown passes to just one interception) and relatability to the local fans. He embraced his Italian heritage, celebrating touchdowns by tossing pinched fingers in the air, famously admitted to being comfortable by living with his parents at his childhood home in Cedar Grove, New Jersey. He even affectionately became known as “Tommy Cutlets” by fans and teammates.
“We bang with it,” DeVito said of the nickname several weeks back.
DeVito started the season as the Giants’ practice squad quarterback after going undrafted out of the University of Illinois earlier this year. He returns to being the backup, the role he had when Taylor was originally hurt trying to scramble during an Oct. 29 game against the New York Jets.
This comes just eight days after Daboll said DeVito had earned the right to start and didn’t want to keep going week to week with his quarterbacks. It’s still not out of the question that DeVito gets another start this season.
The Giants host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 18 at MetLife Stadium.
Source : ESPN
