The pigskin prognosticators never saw this one coming: two Italian American quarterbacks, an undrafted rookie and a retired veteran, rising up from…the couch…to dominate NFL headlines.
Of course, we’re talking about none other than the New York Giants’ Tommy DeVito and the Cleveland Browns’ Joe Flacco.
DeVito, who picked up the nickname “Tommy Cutlets” thanks to his mother’s Sunday cooking, has won three straight games, thrown eight touchdowns and notched an incredible 137.7 passer rating against the Washington Commanders in November.
Flacco, 38, a 2013 Super Bowl MVP who won his 100th game against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sunday, up until a few weeks ago, was also spending Sundays with his mother and family.
Neither can believe their luck and both are closely tied to their Italian heritage.
Flacco’s father, Giuseppe L “Joseph” Flacco is Italian. His grandparents emigrated from Isola del Gran Sasso, a province of Teramo, Abruzzo, according to sportskeeda.com.
DeVito, 25 — who played college ball at Syracuse then Illinois — still lives at home with his parents, Tom Sr. and Alexandra, in Cedar Grove, N.J. (just minutes from the Giants’ MetLife Stadium).
Flacco, the oldest of six kids — who grew up 90 miles from DeVito in Audubon, N.J. — also moved back home and lived with his parents during the first two offseasons of his NFL career, in 2008 and 2009.
“January Joe” will face off against the Chicago Bears this Sunday, as the Browns (8-5) look to cement their playoff hopes.
DeVito, with agent Sean Stellato in tow, is headed to New Orleans to square off against the Saints. The Giants (5-8) have roughly a two percent chance of making the playoffs.
No matter how you cut it, this is an Italian American story for the ages.
Now, the highlights:
— Tommy DeVito —
Tommy DeVito juked buddy out of his socks 😂 pic.twitter.com/VGg8WYSvVq
— evin (@KayvonOjulari) December 13, 2023
— Joe Flacco —
Joe Flacco: still #elite.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 10, 2023
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