The craziest environment Tommy DeVito’s played in so far was a high school game. Now he’s headed to Philly.
The Giants QB and New Jersey native is prepared for a hostile scene on Christmas Day at the Linc.
Giants rookie quarterback sensation Tommy DeVito is making his first start in Philadelphia on Christmas Day.
In DeVito’s six starts, he has played in a few tough environments, like Dallas and New Orleans, but nothing close to what he’s going to see at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday. The Eagles are desperate to pick up a win and snap their three-game losing streak and are facing one of their most hated rivals. The Christmas spirit will look a bit different.
But DeVito, a New Jersey native, said he’s prepared for the hostility.
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“I heard it’s a pretty hostile environment; I’m looking forward to it. I like to thrive in those environments,” DeVito told reporters Wednesday. “It’s fun. It’s part of the game. I like a hostile crowd.”
DeVito has played in the NFL and at Illinois and Syracuse, but when asked the most hostile environment he’s ever played in, he flashed back to a Catholic school rivalry — Don Bosco Prep vs. Bergen Catholic.
“A Bergen-Bosco game,” DeVito said. “You ever seen one of those? Fifteen thousand in the crowd. It don’t go well for your family and all.”
The NFL is a different ballgame, but as far as high school rivalries go, Don Bosco Prep vs. Bergen Catholic is one of the tensest in the area. The Bergen County rivalry was ranked the fiercest rivalry in New Jersey high school football by NJ.com in 2017. DeVito won a state title with Don Bosco Prep in 2015 and beat Bergen Catholic in the playoffs on the way there.
DeVito is ready to fight back on the field, but in Philadelphia, he’ll be staring down a crowd of 68,000 at the Linc — a lot more than the 15,000 at Bergen Catholic. But in the spirit of the holiday season, he doesn’t expect to get too caught up in the crowd’s reactions.
“Hey, I’ll say ‘Merry Christmas’ right back and that’s that,” DeVito said.
The Eagles host the New York Giants on Monday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and Jeff McLane as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.