NYG Postgame (vs. Packers) Transcripts: QB Tommy DeVito
December 11, 2023
Q: What were your emotions, what were you thinking when you got the ball back after the (running back) Saquon (Barkley) fumble at your 25-yard line? What was going through your head?
A: Just go win the football game. Go execute a drive that we practice every day before practice, which is a two-minute drive. We do it every day, different situations. With all the practice, we have that exact situation or something very similar to it, so just go out, execute the offense and go win the game.
Q: How much do you like being in that situation?
A: I mean you enjoy it when it’s an outcome like this, right? I mean, I enjoy being on the field any play, no matter what play it is, so just try to enjoy it.
Q: Did you say anything to your teammates in the huddle before that drive?
A: Let’s go win the game. It’s on us, on the offense.
Q: Did you know you were going to have a big role this week with your legs? I mean, was that something more at halftime, that they kind of talked about?
A: Yeah, I mean it’s always in every game plan, every week. Just how much we utilize it depends on what the defense is doing, and it just so happen to come up in the second half.
Q: (Wide receiver) Isaiah (Hodgins) said he was impressed the way you stuck your foot in the ground on that long run and got to the one-yard line. Did you like that play a lot?
A: I did, yeah. It’s something I’m comfortable with, I’ve done it a lot in high school, I’ve done it in college, so it’s something I’ve kind of done for a little while now.
Q: Did you hear the fireworks go off for a non-touchdown?
A: I’m not going to lie, that was the first time. I was like, I was on the verge of celebrating, on the verge of not, I was like ‘mmm’ it wasn’t a touchdown, but we got Say (Saquon Barkley) in.
Q: The guy who launched the fireworks thought it was a touchdown.
A: Hey, I appreciate him for that. I appreciate the belief.
Q: What about the touchdown pass to Isaiah in the back corner? What did you see on that play? How did that develop?
A: Yeah, so they played a good defense to it, just a scramble drill. Something that we’ve emphasized a lot honestly this week in practice especially. And he made a great play, great catch, touchdown, that’s it.
Q: What did you say to him, or Saquon say to you after the fumble?
A: That he’s all good. Always. Like, I believe in him. Same thing happens if I turn the ball over, he’s the first one to come up to me, so it’s something when that situation happened the way it did, I was the first one to go up to him and told him, ‘we’re good, flush it, we are going to go win the game.’
Q: That’s kind of a reversal of roles though for basically the face of the franchise and still a rookie quarterback.
A: Yeah, we have a high level of respect for each other, so we don’t think about anything like that, but that’s how it is.
Q: What does it say about this team that you were 2-8 three weeks ago and you’re in the playoff hunt now?
A: Just continuing to fight. I think in every game we’ve played this year that we’ve showed that we never gave up on any snap no matter what the score was. Never looked up at the scoreboard, just kept on fighting each and every play, each and every game and it’s starting to come to fruition with some of these games in the past now and just going to keep trying to go 1-0 each week.
Q: You probably already answered this, what did you think of your defense tonight?
A: They’re unreal. Offensively, we could’ve helped them out more, getting some points with better field position with the turnovers that they were giving us. That’s something we’ve got to clean up, but they’ve done a tremendous job being able to get us the ball back, get stops how they did and hold an offense and a team like that to that many points.
Q: How much was your success running? Was that something that was preplanned or something that just sort of unfolded during the game?
A: It was something that unfolded during the game. It’s kind of in every game plan that we have week in and week out and it kind of depends on what the defense is playing and just so happened to come up in the second half.
Q: What did you see from the defense that made you think that –
A: The D-ends were just trying to go tackle Say in the backfield, so like, alright, well let’s read them now. So, I’m going to do that, and I pulled it, and I’m on the edge.
Q: When Saquon fumbled, was there a ‘oh no’ moment, or what was the reaction?
A: I mean, at first, I didn’t really know what happened. The reaction was, oh this dude is running with the ball, they didn’t blow the whistle, we got to get him down. So, that was the first thing and then after, I mean, stuff happens in games. On to the next play. Whether it’s been me in the past throwing an interception, he’s the first one there to tell me next play, I believe in you, so I was right there doing the same thing with him.
Q: You said the same thing to him, next play?
A: Yeah.
Q: Were you seeing the rush lanes well? It seemed like every time there was pressure you were escaping and scrambling very well, avoiding those sacks.
A: Yeah, the o-line did a really good job. I mean, that’s all it really was. They did a great job. Lanes opened up, and I took advantage of them when they were there, but testament to those guys holding that d-line tonight.
Q: I know it’s been a focus of you avoiding sacks, avoiding the negative plays, do you think you did a better job of that today? Obviously, no sacks.
A: I was going to say, yeah, I’d say it went pretty well today with no sacks, right? I wish we could do that every week and we strive to do that every week, but I know that’s not the reality always, but yeah just trying together better on some little things each and every week, try to clean up things during the week in practice, watching film and I look forward to seeing what this game has for me to work on.
Q: Does a quarterback, especially a guy like you who is a rookie, does a fourth quarter comeback late, you need things on your resume, things that you do. First win, first snap, first this, does first fourth quarter comeback mean something to you?
A: I guess. It’s just something, I don’t know. Not really to me honestly, it’s just football, try to go score every drive, but especially in that situation. Like I said before, it’s something that we practice day in and day out, so to be able to execute that in game, it was positive.
Q: What was your reaction right after the field goal?
A: Oh, I was standing next to Dabs (head coach Brian Daboll). I don’t know if he wants me saying this, but at first, he wasn’t going to look. And then he was like, I’m going to look, and I was like alright. So, we stood right next to each other, and it was just, as soon as we saw it go in, just pure excitement. I grabbed him, hugged him, told him I loved him, and celebrated with my teammates.
Q: He came to you in the locker room and had a few words for you, what did he tell you then?
A: Just to continue to stay the course, continue to try to get better each and every day, same stuff he tells me week in and week out, even when I was on practice squad, through OTAs and camp. Just telling me, just to keep trying to strive each and every day, pick something new out to get better at and that’s how you’re going to make it.
Q: How much different did it feel entering the huddle there? On that last final drive.
A: Not crazy. Just knew it was on us and the offense, you know a lot of times in these past couple weeks and these past couple games, a lot of it has been on the defense to end the game and this time it was the offense’s turn. And it was the same, like I said the same routine we do in practice.
Q: What did you see on that throw to (wide receiver) Wan’Dale (Robinson) for a big 32 yards there?
A: Yeah, we had the same play call earlier in the first quarter, I missed him on it. A little bit of a different defense, but similar kind of play call. But they played man, Wan’Dale one-on-one, I like that matchup a lot. He ran a great route, offensive line gave me a perfect pocket, gave him a chance, he made a play.
Q: You’ve always said that you felt like you belonged here in this league, to do this three weeks in a row and the way you’ve done it as a starter, do you have any moments where you take a step back and truly appreciate what you are accomplishing now individually?
A: I think I will probably later on. When I get home after this, I’ll go see my family, everybody else, like when all that kind of dies down and I’m just kind of alone and with my parents and my brother, that’s when I kind of reflect on everything.
Q: Is that also part of your confidence, you don’t allow that to take center stage?
A: Yeah, of course. I think as a quarterback you have to stay even keel through it all. You know, because when you are winning like we are right now, everything is high and when you are losing, everything is low. So, as a quarterback you have to be able to stay even through it all. So, I take pride in that, it’s something that I’ve grown over, obviously over time, from when I was playing from when I was five. Throughout high school and college, just continuing to grow that part of my game.
Q: Did you happen to see that clip at all, I think it was after your touchdown pass, of Sean, your dad and your brother?
A: I did not.
Q: They were celebrating, they gave each other kisses on the cheek.
A: Oh God. I’ll have to go find that one after this. I’m sure it was pure comedy.
Q: They are going to be famous now.
A: It’s good for business.
Q: When you look at the standings, I don’t know if you have or haven’t, you guys are one game out of a playoff spot. Is that something that strikes a chord in this team?
A: It does. I mean Say said it the other day, I mean everything we want is in front of us, but at the end of the day it’s 1-0 each week. Obviously that sounds like a very coach’s thing to say, like 1-0, only focus on the week, but that’s truly what it is because if you look too far ahead, you’ll get got and we’re just continuing day in and day out staying through this process.
