As New York Giant Tommy DeVito makes another start at quarterback on Monday in relief of the injured Daniel Jones. It’s time to revisit New York Giant backup quarterbacks who have made good.
DeVito, an undrafted player, played his senior year at Illinois where he passed for 2,650 yards, 15 touchdowns. He also had six rushing touchdowns. DeVito, an undrafted prospect, was coveted in the off-season by several other teams, including the New England Patriots. DeVito, chose the New York Giants over all the other invitations even though the Giants already had a backup quarterback under contract.
Tommy DeVito
Part of his decision to play for the Giants was the opportunity to live home with this family. A certain fascination and respect for DeVito has ensued over his values. Going into Sunday night’s game against the Green Bay Packers, DeVito has compiled a very respectable touchdown to interception ratio of 7-3 with a completion percentage of 62.9%
Jeff Hostetler
The last previous New York Giant backup quarterback who made good is Jeff Hostetler. Hostetler was chosen by the Giants in the third round of the 1984 draft and was the backup quarterback on two winning Super Bowl teams, in 1986 and 1990. Hostetler is known for filling in for Phil Simms, the starting quarterback during the 1990 season for multiple games. The season culminated and with the Giants victorious over the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl. 20-19 win. The game is remembered for the Scott Norcross field goal attempt that went wide at the end of the game.
Hostetler was able to parlay his success into a free agent contract during the 1993 offseason with the Oakland Raiders. Oakland would make the playoffs that season. Hostetler’s career reached its pinnacle when he made the Pro Bowl playing with the Raiders the following year. He would finish his career in Washington.
The most illustrious backup New York Giant quarterback is one that didn’t really play as a backup for the team is Earl Morrall, a one-time Most Valuable Player in the National Football League (NFL).
Earl Morral played for the Baltimore Colts in 1968, earning MVL honors as the team went 13-1 during the regular season, passing for a NFL-high 26 touchdown passes. These feats are not remembered by many, as the Colts, heavy favorites in the Super Bowl, lost to the New York Jets 16-7. Two years later, Morrall, filling in for the injured Johnny Unitas met success, as the franchise won Super Bowl V 16-13 on a last moment Jim O’Brien field goal.
Giants miss out in the Draft
Prior to playing in Baltimore, Earl Morrall had been the starting quarterback for the New York Giants. He had been acquired from the Detroit Lions as part of a three-team transaction that included the Cleveland Browns. The Giants, in their rebuilding phase, had drafted Tucker Frederickson with the top pick in the entire draft that year. While Frederickson would go on to enjoy some success, one can always wonder about some of the players drafted later in the first round: Dick Butkus (3rd overall by the Chicago Bears) and Gale Sayers, fourth overall (Chicago Bears) were both drafted in 1965.
Sayers was also selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the American Football League (AFL). Joe Namath was also part of the 1965 draft, selected 12th by the St. Louis Cardinals. Namath was also selected 1st by the New York Jets of the AFL. One can only wonder about Namath, who received the largest professional contract of the time, and who helped bring the AFL to prominence, and ultimately resulted in the NFL-AFL merger, had been drafted by the New York Giants.
Earl Morrall’s Giant season
Morrall threw for 2,446 yards and 22 touchdowns in the Giants’ rebuilding season. The next season he broke his wrist, and via a trade, the Fran Tarkenton phase would begin. Morrall, who played in the NFL for 21 years, would resurface with the Miami Dolphins. Don Shula, who had been a coach with the Baltimore Colts, and knew Morrall well, brough him to Florida. Morrall is known by many as having filled in for the injured Bob Griese as the Dolphins competed a perfect season in winning Super Bowl VII.
Hostetler, who played for 12 seasons, and Morrall, who played for 21 seasons as quarterbacks, Both were frequently back-ups in long successful careers and serve as role models to DeVito as he plays for his future over the next several games.
Barry Schustermann
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