E-GIANTS
Dave Klein was the Giants' beat writer for The Star-Ledger from 1961 to 1995.
He is the author of 26 books and he was one of only three sportswriters to have covered all the Super Bowls until the past few. Dave has allowed TEAM GIANTS to reprint some of his articles.

WILL GIANTS SECURE ANOTHER QB AND WILL DEVITO BE NO. 2?

By Dave Klein
Don't look now, but the Giants might need another quarterback immediately, and that could elevate fan favorite Tommy DeVito to the backup role behind Daniel Jones.

And as we have learned over the last few years, Jones isn't a guarantee of either playing well or staying healthy.

In the opening preseason game of the summer last Thursday night, a game the Giants won, 14-3 over Detroit, the starter for the evening, the newly-acquired Drew Lock, left the game in the second quarter with what has been diagnosed as a hip bone contusion and strained oblique.

In layman's terms, that means he can't walk well, certainly can't run at full speed, might have trouble dropping back after taking the snap and, in all likelihood, shouldn't play for a while.

So that leaves Jones and DeVito, and while the upcoming game against Houston next Saturday isn't critical, being able to take the snap in the regular season could be affected.

For the time being, it's a wait-and-see situation, but going into the season with just two of them - one who has had more than his share of problems and the other who just doesn't have the experience - is a situation the Giants do not relish.

When he did come in for Lock, DeVito, the kid from Livingston, N.J., who played his high school football at Don Bosco Prep and then tried two different colleges - Syracuse and Illinois - before being reluctantly signed by the Giants as an undrafted free agent last summer.

That's when he began fooling people, like replacing Jones in 2023 and winning three straight NFL games … like being named Player of the Week after leading a stirring victory over Green Bay, 24-22, in which he completed 17 of 21 passes for 158 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions and 712 rushing yards in 10 carries.

He became an overnight hero, the perfect example of "Local Boy Makes Good," but surrendered the starting position to Tyrod Taylor, who now toils in relative anonymity for the team that shares the stadium with them, the J-E-T-S Jets.

And his explanation for his sudden burst of talent and instant popularity?

"I treat every game like it's the Super Bowl," he said, and he said it again after the Thursday night victory. "You go out there and try to play everything {with} your best foot forward."

For now, of course, Jones is the starter, and perhaps head coach Brian Daboll will allow some of the first-teamers at all the other positions to play in Houston (which he didn't do last Thursday), but even after the Giants decide whether or not to acquire another quarterback, it is likely that DeVito will remain the backup.

After all, why not?

The other area that needed attention was at running back, where some kid named Saquon Barkley used to hold meetings. He is with Philadelphia now and the Giants must find a replacement - a good one.

Perhaps they have a few. The veteran they acquired, Devin Singletary, was kept out Thursday night but he'll play next Saturday. The No. 5 draft pick from last season, Eric Gray of Oklahoma, had four carries for 52 yards, including both touchdowns and a 48-yard score that included some fancy footwork that turned a couple of Lions' defenders into embarrassed would-be tacklers who were left grasping at air.

And some kid named Dante "Turbo" Miller, another free agent from the secret resources of GM Joe Schoen, managed 63 yards in 12 carries and dispelled all doubt as to the reason for his nickname.

So, Giant fans, while the competition wasn't at its highest status - remember, the Lions played in the NFC championship game last season - the Giants did show some life and some fire. Let's see how far they can take it.

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Send it over to davesklein@aol.com

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