Tommy DeVito will be the starting quarterback for the Giants when they face off against the Eagles in their week 16 match up. The Tommy DeVito story has been fun, but he’s more than just a bunch of Italian clichés – after starting 0-2 in his first two starts, he’s compiled a record of 3-1 over the past four games. So what should the Eagles be prepared for against the undrafted rookie free agent?
PASS RUSH
First things first, this is a get right game for the Philadelphia Eagles pass rush. After Averaging 3.3 sacks per game in the first nine weeks, the Birds pass rush has disappeared since, averaging 1.8 sacks per game. Part of that is due to playing three teams in the bottom 10 in terms of pressure + sack rates, but even against the Seahawks, who have the eighth highest pressure + sack rate, they only notched two sacks and had a combined pressure and sack rate that was 12% lower than the Seahawks season average. The Giants lead the league in sack + pressure rate at 58.5% (according to Sports Info Solutions).
Here are the sack totals since DeVito took over the starting role: 6, 5, 9, 6, 7. The Giants offensive line is really, really bad. And I don’t mean bad like Michael Jackson “Bad,” I mean this offensive line is the kind that gets a coach or GM fired. If the Eagles pass rush can’t get going against the Giants, then this season is all but over in my eyes, and Howie Roseman will need to seriously reconsider how this defensive line is built.
CONTAINING DEVITO
I omitted one game when listing DeVito’s sack totals, the matchup with the Packers in which he was sacked zero times. It’s not like he wasn’t pressured, he was on 41% of his drop backs, but he used his feet and underrated pocket presence to escape those pressures. He scrambled six times for 34 yards and displayed an impressive ability to move within the pocket to avoid sacks.
That’s an issue for the Eagles as they have not been doing a very good job with their pass rush integrity this year. I highlighted this in a film room episode following the week four matchup against the Commanders, and it has been an on going issue the entire year. This has really shown up when they have faced quarterbacks that like to scramble, as they allowed the likes of Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Sam Howell to double their season averages in scrambles per game. Dak Prescott’s number above doesn’t include the two point conversion scramble where he stepped out of bounds in week nine. Yes, Brandon Graham had a great hustle play to save the conversion, but he lost contain in the first place and got lucky Dak stepped out of bounds.
Philadelphia’s issues with rush lane integrity have been persistent the entire year and the problems can’t really be pinpointed on any particular person. Whether it’s Haason Reddick or Josh Sweat rushing too far past the QB or trying to take an inside path and losing contain, or it’s Jalen Carter not working back outside after his patented inside club doesn’t work, or Milton Williams getting washed past the drop point of the quarterback, the problems have been wide spread. The worst part is that they’re missing out on sacks because they’re not rushing as a unit. There’s plenty of times where Sweat or Reddick will force the passer to step up into the pocket, and if the interior was playing with good rush lane integrity, they would fall into sacks like we saw with Jalen Carter in week one.
DeVito will run himself into sacks, but if the Eagles pass rush doesn’t play with good rush lane integrity, we’re going to see Sam Howell 3.0.
TAKING AWAY THE FIRST READ
Whether it’s due to DeVito’s inexperience, or the Giants horrible offensive line, many times it appears as if Giants head coach/offensive guru Brian Daboll wants DeVito to scramble if the first read isn’t there. I’m guessing it’s the latter.
Take a look at some scramble rates:
Tyrod Taylor (Giants) – 14.0% (1st)
Lamar Jackson (Ravens) – 11.8% (2nd)
Tommy DeVito (Giants) – 10.1% (3rd)
Daniel Jones (Giants) – 9.1% (4th)
Jalen Hurts (Eagles) – 7.6% (8th)
*Minimum 100 drop backs
The Giants have three of the top four scramble rates in the NFL. I threw in Jalen to give a reference for Eagles fans just how much those guys are scrambling. The Giants OL play has essentially forced any QB they put back there to turn into a one-and-run passer.
If I’m on the Eagles staff, I would be lobbying for minimal man coverage this week. To point out the obvious, when defenders are in man coverage and have their backs turned to the QB, it’s easier for the defense to allow scrambles.
More importantly, man coverage makes the QBs decision making easier. They don’t have to guess if a guy is going to drop into zone coverage inside or outside/overtop or underneath an intended receiver. If the quarterback knows they are getting man coverage, they find the matchup they like or the route that’s best designed to beat man coverage within the play call. Playing zone coverage makes the QB go through their progression, and for an inexperienced passer playing behind a porous offensive line, that’s the exact formula for a sack party.
I know the temptation to play man coverage is easy when looking at the Giants lack of high end talent at receiver, but this is a game where man coverage should be kept to a minimum.
DESIGNED RUN GAME
This will be the first game the Eagles defense plays against an offense that is committed to using designed QB runs. Whether it’s standard zone reads, or the split zone bluff like I highlighted in my review of the offense against the Seahawks, or QB Draws (yes, other teams with running QBs lean on draws as well), the Eagles defense will need to be prepared to stop the designed QB run game.
Personally, I don’t think a defense should rely on any specific technique in a game to stop designed QB runs, rather it should be a mix of techniques. Whether they have the defensive end contain on the backside of zone read to force the hand off, or they use a scrape exchange technique where they crash the defensive end and have a linebacker contain the QB, or they send pressures to the side of the running back, the Eagles need to mix in different looks. In the red zone, if they choose to play man coverage, the post safety needs to be in the mix as a quarterback player as well. It’s a tactic teams have used to essentially negate the zone read in the red zone for the Eagles dating back to last year (and partly the Eagles fault for not adjusting).
PASSING GAME
In regards to the passing game, DeVito is performing about as you expect for a rookie QB with bad pass protection and a lack of weapons to attack downfield. DeVito has actually been fairly accurate. His 77.4 adjust completion percentage ranks eighth among all quarterbacks with a minimum of 100 drop backs. Now to add context, his average throw depth of 6.8 yards ranks 38th out of 43 qualifying QBs, so it’s not like he’s completing a ton of high difficulty throws.
The Giants pass protection doesn’t really allow DeVito the time to push the ball down the field consistently. Daboll does a good job trying to use formations, motions and RPOs to give easy, quick access throws to DeVito. Daboll will also try to use bootleg actions to try to move the pocket as well. I do find it interesting that the Giants rank on the lower end of screen usage considering the state of their offensive line and playing with a young QB.
Still, DeVito has had his fair share of rookie moments. There are times where guys are open and he doesn’t get through his reads quick enough, or he sees guys open and doesn’t pull the trigger. DeVito has been held under 200 yards passing in five of his six starts, I have to imagine the Eagles should be able to make that six out of seven despite their issues.
CONCLUSION
I actually enjoyed watching DeVito on film. He has a place in this league and he’ll be around for a long time. His athleticism fits the mold of the new age QB and that skillset is coveted especially among back up QBs. He will make some errant throws, but overall I wouldn’t say that he’s a highly inaccurate QB, although that’s hard to determine because the Gaints don’t ask him to take a ton of shots downfield (mainly due to bad OL play). There are also times he looks like a young QB as well, missing open guys down field as well. The keys to defeating DeVito include playing with good pass rush integrity and forcing him off of his first read. If the Eagles do that, the defensive line should have time to get home and DeVito will run himself into sacks.
