Transcript: Quarterback Tommy DeVito

Quarterback Tommy DeVito

Q: So, how does it feel?

A: It feels good. Just taking everything one play at a time, one meeting at a time, one day at a time and that's it. Just leaning on my teammates around me.

Q: How different is this week for you?

A: I'll be getting the same reps, more now with the ones instead of doing scout team, but it's the same day in and day out process that I've been doing this whole time.

Q: How much of a difference can that make for you to have the whole week reps with the ones? Obviously, you haven't had that the two times that the two times you've had to step in.

A: A lot. Just to be able to rep the plays that we're going to be running for the week and be able to throw with the guys I'm going to be throwing to. Last week I guess, or a couple times, not really. This is my first time really repping throwing to these receivers, to these guys that I'm going to be throwing to this week so it's only going to help and build everything that we've built up these past two weeks.

Q: Are you going to make it a point seek out (quarterback) Daniel (Jones) and go through the stuff with him or are you going to work with (Offensive Coordinator) Mike (Kafka) or what?

A: With Mike –

Q: You know, going through the plays and things like that. Are you going to use Daniel as a resource?

A: Yeah, I'm going to use Daniel and (quarterback) Tyrod, both of them. They're both still in the meetings, they're very open with giving me little tidbits of knowledge here and there about plays or little small things that go into it. Obviously, I'm going to use them. They're both – DJ's a starting quarterback for a while, Tyrod's been in the league for 12 to 13 years, whatever it was so those are two great resources. Along with (quarterback) Matt Barkley as well, he's been in a league for a long time so you know, lean on all those guys around me that have been in this situation before because this is my first start, really my first time playing in this game so I'm going to lean on them as much as I can.

Q: Did you feel yourself getting a little more comfortable in the second half last week?

A: Yeah, for sure. I think the Jets game was what it was with that weather situation and everything that went on and then getting thrown into it again the second quarter, kind of figured out what they were doing as the game was going on and in the second half everything kind of just calmed down. We got into how we were playing and how we were supposed to be playing, but it was a little bit too late.

Q: How helpful was that and having that under your belt going into this week?

A: It was very helpful. I mean, I played in a game before, right? It wasn't just preseason. Whether it was the Jets – the Jets helped for the last week and this week's going to help for this one coming up. So, just trying to get better every play and every game and just trying to progress and move forward.

Q: (Head Coach Brian Daboll) Dabs talked about you coming in yesterday. Can you talk about some of the things you worked on?

A: Everything. Just watching film, picking their brains, them picking my brain, what I like, what I don't like, and what they see, what I see, just getting on the same page because we haven't necessarily had those meetings to build the game plan around me and the players that are on this team with me in it.

Q: You said all along that your focus when you got here back in the spring was going to be, 'one day, one play,' that kind of thing but have you taken any time over the last 24 hours to kind of take a step back and put your emotions together as far as where you're going to be on Sunday?

A: Yeah, I mean, I'm not really thinking too much about it, honestly. I kind of took it the same day. If anything, it's the outside, you know like the family, the friends, everybody's that's been reaching out, I think that's been kind of the shock of it. But for me, it's football, right? It's another day, it's a game that I've been playing since I was really young, but it will be my first start in the NFL, so I know it's going to be some emotion there. Especially with the great supposed atmosphere in Dallas. I have not been, but I heard it's a really nice stadium so I'm looking forward to it.

Q: With everything – how real you took this situation and you we're realistic with what your expectations were back in the spring, could you every have imagined that you'd be sitting here getting ready to start a game in Dallas, for this team, this quickly?

A: Right? I think it's a shock to everybody. Not to have one quarterback but two quarterbacks go down, I mean it's tough. The quarterback position runs the team, and to have one and two go down like that, you would've never guessed that to happen. But again, it's a physical game, injuries happen, it's part of it, it's the worst part about the game, but it's the next man up mentality and like I said before, I'm going to rely on everyone else around me.

Q: How much did it help that you get first team reps this week?

A: A lot. I mean, I'll be able to run the plays that were going to be running on Sunday and I won't be doing all the scout team things that I would be doing so I'll be more prepared and comfortable in that aspect. But as far the mental, the meetings, everything else that goes into it is going to stay the same.

Q: Do you expect Dallas to bring the house seeing there's a rookie quarterback out there?

A: They might. Yeah, we're going to be ready for everything. We'll see. We'll just have to go out there and see what they do and they're going to have to see what we do. At the same time, we're not going to be on the defensive side, we're going to be on the offensive side.