How do you like your chicken cutlets? Maybe lightly breaded with homemade seasoned breadcrumbs and fried in extra virgin olive oil?
Maybe you prefer them super thin like my father, who used to pound them so much that our family took to calling the dish “hammered chicken.”
If you are a fan of the New York Football Giants, chances are you like your cutlets with a side of touchdown passes mixed with a smidgen of gutsy, elusive scrambling that leads to drippings of wins and maybe even a playoff berth.
That’s because if you are a fan of the Giants, you probably also are a fan of their backup quarterback, Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito, like our 15-year-old grandson Jackson is.
DeVito also used to toss spirals for the Syracuse Orange on the college level, and when Jackson heard that he was returning to the ’Cuse for a meet and-greet at the Pizza and Pasta Festival at the Syracuse Inner Harbor, he just had to go. Check that: Make it HAD to go!!!!!
So we did, Jackson armed with a couple of football cards for Tommy to sign and sporting a T-shirt that read “TOMMY FREAKIN’ CUTLETS” that drew more than a few chuckles and comments from passersby.
Now, if you don’t know the Legend of Tommy Cutlets — or how he got that epicurious nickname — it is, as far as sports lore goes, an enchanting one.
After four years at Syracuse, DeVito transferred to the University of Illinois for his final college season and quarterbacked the Illini to a successful eight-win season that included a victory over South Carolina in the 2023 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. He did not get selected in that year’s NFL draft, but eventually signed as a free agent with the Giants. Not bad for a kid from New Jersey who grew up rooting for them.
As fate would have it, the two quarterbacks ahead of Tommy on the depth chart got hurt that 2023 season, and he was thrust into a starter’s role way ahead of schedule. No Joe Montana or Josh Allen but an accurate thrower and gritty field general, DeVito threw for 1,101 yards in six games, completing 64% of his passes with eight touchdowns. More impressively, he led the Giants to a 3-3 record in those games, including three straight wins over Washington, New England and Green Bay.
Just like that, under the intense media microscope that is the New York metropolitan area, he became not only a fan favorite but something of a shooting star … which, of course, means even more scrutiny.
Because he was not a superstar and had signed as a rookie free agent, he did not have a megacontract like more established NFL players and so was not living the glamorous Manhattan lifestyle. In fact, at the time, he still bunked with his folks in Jersey where he would return after each game for his mom’s home cooking. When asked by a reporter from ESPN about his lifestyle, he said: “I don’t have to worry about laundry, or what I’m eating for dinner … chicken cutlets and all that is waiting for me when I get home.”
Thus was Tommy Cutlets born.
Jackson, of course, knew all that. So did the hundreds of other fans who waited in 95 degree heat at the festival, decked out in Syracuse and Giants garb, to meet the 26-year-old man, myth and legend. And, also, to maybe even grab one of the chicken cutlets that his handlers appropriately were frying up under the tent. (My wife got one and said it was delicious!)
Tommy played in two more games for the team in the 2024 season, but in fact, his future is uncertain as the Giants prepare to open preseason training camp Wednesday in East Rutherford, N.J. The team spent big money this offseason attempting to retool its quarterback position, signing former stars Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, and grabbing possible star-in-the-making Jaxson Dart in the first round of this year’s NFL draft. It’s doubtful they would keep four QBs on their roster, but one could end up on their practice squad. And it’s been reported that head coach Brian Daboll is a fan of DeVito, quoted as saying in a recent story, “He’s smart. He’s aggressive with the football, which I like … he’s progressed since he’s been here to where he is now. He’s made good improvement.”
None of that really mattered on that sweltering Saturday afternoon in the Salt City. And when it was our turn to meet Tommy, he was extremely gracious, flashed a million-dollar smile, signed Jackson’s cards, laughed at his “FREAKIN” shirt and posed for photos and a video. I wished him well in the season ahead, even though there are questions yet to be answered, and he thanked me with what seemed like a sincere fist bump.
Of course, I didn’t tell him I am a Minnesota Vikings fan.
It’s said that experiencing joy through the eyes of others — especially kids — lifts those experiences to another whole level. And if you could have seen Jackson’s eyes get as big as footballs and his own smile, even brighter than Tommy’s if that was possible, when he met his hero, you would be certain of how true that is.
So, no matter how you like your chicken cutlets just remember, there’s always a way to kick them up another notch.
