As soon as he was finished distributing Thanksgiving meals to the needy on the Giants’ off day, Tommy DeVito’s attention shifted back to how to avoid becoming the next rookie quarterback turned into a turkey by Bill Belichick.
The pride of North Jersey is coming off the 48-hour high of leading the Giants to an upset victory in his second career start.
But the schematic mastermind Belichick is famous for turning dreams into nightmares, especially for quarterbacks unfamiliar with the ever-changing complexities of the Patriots’ defense, which the Giants (3-8) will face Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
“There’s been a lot of support, which I appreciate,” DeVito told The Post on Tuesday morning as he packed boxed vegetables into cars at the Meadowlands YMCA in East Rutherford. “But I’m focusing on football because one week they love you, the next week they hate you. I’m keeping my routine the same.
“I’m out here because it’s Thanksgiving, but I was in the facility before this and I’m going back after this. There is no off day for a quarterback, especially when you are a rookie going up against Bill Belichick.”
Rookie starters — many with richer pedigrees than the undrafted DeVito — are a combined 6-24 with 25 touchdown passes, 44 interceptions and an ugly 64 quarterback rating against Belichick since 2000, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
“I know it’s going to be a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it,” DeVito said. “Our coaches are going to have a good plan for me, and I’m going to try to lead our offense to enough points to win a game. I’m going to study, prepare and expect the unexpected. There’s a million ways to do things, but it’s football: You just have to execute.”
DeVito has transformed from a third-stringer not allowed to throw the ball downfield during his NFL debut on Oct. 29 to the first Giants quarterback to throw three touchdown passes in a game since Dec. 22, 2019, during last Sunday’s 31-19 win against the Commanders.
“I feel like I’ve shown growth from week-to-week, and that’s all I’m trying to do,” DeVito said. “Get better with every snap and cherish the opportunity that I have.”
It might not be as easy for Belichick with this limited version of the Patriots (2-8) to torment DeVito.
Seven defensive players, including top-pass rusher Matthew Judon, are on injured reserve.
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“He’s going to have whatever he wants to have in, relative to changes from week-to-week,” said Giants head coach Brian Daboll, a former longtime Belichick offensive assistant. “That’s the approach that they’ve had there for a long time.”
Though neither team is in the playoff hunt this season, DeVito associates the Giants-Patriots rivalry with big games.
He was a 9-year-old and 13-year-old Steelers fan who adopted the Giants as his rooting interest during the Super Bowl 2008 and Super Bowl 2012 victories over Belichick’s Patriots.
“For me, the ‘Helmet Catch’ is my big memory because I’ve known David Tyree for a long time,” said DeVito, who was raised in Cedar Grove and went through the same nearby Montclair-based youth football program that produced Tyree about two decades earlier. “We’ve always had that [connection], and we keep in touch to this day.”
DeVito, his agent Sean Stellato and other volunteers packed more than 28,000 pounds of food into more than 450 cars at the first of two Tuesday distribution times made possible by donations from the Meadowlands Racetrack and Inserra ShopRite Supermarkets.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to give back, especially in communities that I’m familiar with,” DeVito said. “Having the platform I do being on the Giants and being in the financial situation I’m in, seeing the smile on people’s faces makes it worth it.”
A DeVito family Thanksgiving revolves around the food.
“I’ve been spoiled my whole life by big portions in an Italian family,” he said, “so it’s important to make sure everyone can experience that, especially on the holiday.”
DeVito’s last performance might have restored some faith for Giants fans who were giving up on the season.
But DeVito has always felt the confidence of his teammates.
“It helps a lot when a guy like Saquon [Barkley], who is one of the faces on the team, has your back,” DeVito said. “It gives you a certain level of confidence on top of the confidence I already had — and it allows me to go play free.”
