FOXBOROUGH - Before new Patriots quarterback Tommy DeVito said hello to New England, the New Jersey-native had to say goodbye to his "people" in the tri-state area, doing so with a post via Instagram.
"My journey with the New York Giants was more than football — it was about family, community, and a dream come true for a Jersey kid," wrote DeVito, with Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" as the video's soundtrack. "I'll forever be grateful to the organization and fans who welcomed me with open arms. New York will always be home. Excited for this next chapter in New England!"
DeVito became a cult hero for the Giants, winning three of his eight starts, including an exciting 24-22 comeback on Monday Night Football over the Green Bay Packers. When you consider that the G-Men have only won nine games over the past two seasons, the undrafted DeVito might be just a shade below Eli Manning in their all-time quarterback rankings (I'm kidding, but the fans really did appreciate him).
Now in Foxborough, the 27-year-old was on the practice field Thursday, and while the rest of the team has been given the weekend off, you can bet DeVito won't stray too far from his new home as he must absorb the Josh McDaniels playbook.
"We had a little bit of a conversation today, but it's not too drastic from where I came from," Devito told us. "Coach (Brian) Daboll was with the Patriots in the past. Things have changed a little bit, but it's not as far off as I thought it might have been. So, really looking forward to getting in and just starting from the ground up, and learning everything and being able to get going."
DeVito put on a show against the Patriots' reserves in the preseason finale last week, completing 17-of-20 passes, including three touchdowns.
"Every time you go out in the field, you perform for all 31 others," he said. "But especially when you just have some feelings about something. So, for that last one, listen: everything's an audition, but this one's an in-person audition. So I want to make it count. I did, and here we are with the Patriots."
Giants GM Joe Schoen said they would have loved to retain the former Syracuse University product, but with Russell Wilson, Jaxson Dart, and Jameis Winston, they didn't feel like they could carry four on the active roster. The Patriots, meanwhile, were the only team to put in a claim for DeVito, and the quarterback was informed by his agent, Sean Stellato, a Salem native.
"I'm sure all of you have probably met my agent at some point," DeVito smiled (Stellato had a moment when DeVito had his). "If not, (you) probably will. But he was like, 'TD, you're not gonna believe it. You're coming to Boston.' And he was ecstatic. It was something that I had a feeling was gonna happen, something I was hoping was gonna happen, especially where they were ranked in the claims order. So very excited to get here.
"I've had a lot of prior coaches who have been a part of this organization before, know a lot of the coaches and people in the business, so had a lot of good insight with that, and was really ready to get it."
DeVito, also known by the nickname "Tommy Cutlets" (given because he lived at home and had an affinity for his mom's veal and chicken parmesan cutlets), was asked by an intrepid reporter if Mama DeVito would be making the trip with him.
"My mother will not be coming to live with me, so I will be alone again," he said. "So we'll do that. But I hear there's a lot of good Italian food, so I'm looking forward to trying it out, and, you know, embracing all the culture around here."
He should have no problem finding it in the North End section of downtown Boston or in Providence's Federal Hill. Hey, even when he's got a whole playbook to digest, a man's gotta eat real food, too.