Giants QB Tommy DeVito’s dad tells his son: ‘Rally the troops!’ (And he does)

Turns out, the NFL overnight star who still lives at home also still obeys his parents.

Tommy DeVito, the Cinderella quarterback — no, make that the Goodfella Quarterback — rallied the Giants to a 24-22 victory over the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium on Monday night in a game that was equal parts Sopranos and The Longest Yard — with a bunch of Italians tailgating in the parking lot, an agent dressed like a made man kissing DeVito’s family like Michael Corleone after every big play, and DeVito starring in a final-second win.

HOW TO BUY TOMMY DeVITO JERSEYS FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS

And in the end, DeVito did what his dad told him in the pregame pep talk.

“I’m going to tell him, ‘You gotta rally your troops,’” Tom DeVito said before the game. “Every week it’s different, you know? This is ‘Rally the troops. It’s Monday night. You guys haven’t played well in prime time and this is your chance for redemption, the whole team.’

“They haven’t played well on Monday night, or any prime-time game as of late. So enough is enough. … If you’re the leader, you gotta motivate them. I saw Saquon’s been firing up the troops … attitude is everything in this game ‘cause everybody’s pretty good.”

Actually, DeVito saved Barkley from being the goat with the game-winning drive. The Giants were on their way to icing the game with 3:34 left, when Barkley sprinted down the sideline, the Giants leading 21-16. But then he tripped himself and fell, and inexplicably fumbled the ball at the end of a 33-yard run, on the Packers’ 19.

Cornerback Carrington Valentine scooped up the ball and returned it 50 yards, to the Giants’ 36 — within striking distance of the go-ahead touchdown, which the Packers scored on a 6-yard pass to Malik Heath — as Barkley sat on the bench in disbelief.

Had he forgotten about the DeVito magic?

With the Packers now leading, 22-21, DeVito drove the Giants 57 yards in eight plays and 1:33 for the game-winning field goal — a 37-yarder by Randy Bullock. The drive’s biggest play was a 32-yard completion to Wan’Dale Robinson that moved the Giants to the Packers’ 22.

BUY GIANTS TICKETS: STUBHUB, VIVID SEATS, TICKETMASTER

When the kick went through the uprights, DeVito and head coach Brian Daboll hugged and danced on the sideline while DeVito’s family and agent, Sean Stellato, dressed like a Goodfella, lost their minds in the stands. Well, what was left of their minds, that is: They already had been smiling and kissing for three hours. Win or lose, they were enjoying the moment — and it was a win.

DeVito, the former Don Bosco Prep star who started the season on the practice squad, rushed for 71 yards in the third straight win for the Giants (5-8). He threw an 8-yard TD pass to Isaiah Hodgins while leading four scoring drives, two of them capped by Barkley runs of 5 and 1 yards. The Giants defense forced three turnovers.

DeVito finished 17 of 21 for 158 yards. He had a 26-yard run that set up Barkley’s 1-yard TD in the third quarter, and Hodgins’ touchdown made it 21-13.

“It’s been a lot of fun getting wins, I’ll tell you that,” Tommy DeVito said. “I know how it goes when you’re winning and when you’re losing. I try to stay even-keeled throughout the whole thing and just enjoy it with my teammates.

“I’ve been playing football since I was 5 years old. I’ve been doing it for a long time. I know it’s a bigger stage with a lot more on the line, but at the end of the day, I try to have fun with it. It’s a kid’s game. You might as well enjoy it.”

Certainly, his friends and family did. Roughly 300 of them gathered in Lot G16 before the game to celebrate the kid’s sudden fame with a tailgating spread that you could’ve predicted — all staged for the local TV stations.

“We’re giving the whole Italian show,” Tom DeVito told the New York Post. “It’s gonna be craziness. We’re gonna give ‘em the Italian theater they’ve been asking for. Three hundred chicken cutlets, got Italian sandwiches, baked ziti, sausage and peppers, rice balls — everything Italian. I’m gonna have my guys setting up sandwiches with Italian headbands on. We got an Italian flag with Tommy’s picture on it. They’ve been begging for it. We’re gonna give it to ‘em.”

Just two weeks ago, during the Giants’ bye week, Tommy DeVito was autographing sandwiches at a local deli. With a prime-time comeback and a three-game winning streak, his stardom has grown too big for Jersey now.

“I always knew he had the talent to play at this level,” Tom DeVito said, “but I never could ever fathom the instant fandom that he has everywhere. … Some people aren’t always happy for somebody, if they win the lottery or if something good happens, but I have to say, just about everybody I’ve come in contact with, it’s so genuine … you hold back tears in your eyes because you see how genuine and happy they are.”

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.