The distance from Cedar Grove, N.J., to Lincoln Financial Field is 100.2 miles, much less than the distance that separates the Eagles from the Giants.
Now it is Tommy DeVito’s turn to walk into the belly of the beast, and it is safe to conclude that the crazed, bloodthirsty Eagles fans waiting in ambush on Christmas Day won’t be making DeVito feel very much at home.
Tommy Cutlets: Bring it on.
“I heard it’s a pretty hostile environment, I’m looking forward to it,” DeVito said. “I like to thrive in those environments.”
Be careful what you wish for, Cutlets.
The 10-4 Eagles are reeling and desperate to beat the 10-4 Cowboys to the NFC East title and continue their domination of the Giants.
It won’t matter if DeVito decides to wear a Santa outfit on the bus pulling into the Linc on Christmas Day.
“My rookie year I was riding on the bus, and next thing you know I see a white deal coming straight towards my window,” Sterling Shepard told The Post, “and next thing you know, it splattered right where my head was at. I got a video of it.”
Eggsactly.
The Post canvassed a number of DeVito’s teammates to ask what advice they would have for their celebrity rookie quarterback in his Philly debut.
Darius Slayton is certain that the Christmas spirit will not be making its way inside the Linc.
“I would very much expect a lot of Grinch reactions to us being there,” Slayton said.
DeVito, asked what was the most hostile crowd he ever faced, thought about it for a few seconds and said: “A Bergen [Catholic]-Bosco game. You ever seen one of those? Fifteen thousand in the crowd, don’t go well, for your family and all.”
The last time the Giants won in Philly was Justin Pugh’s rookie 2013 season. He considers his worst game in prime time against the Eagles at right tackle in 2014. He grew up an Eagles fan in Holland, Pa.
“When you let them start drinking at 8 a.m. and they have an entire afternoon to drink, it gets pretty crazy in there,” Pugh said.
But this just in: the game is scheduled for 4:30 Tommy Cutlets Time.
“They got some Italians down there too,” Pugh said. “My favorite thing to eat at home is a place called Angelo’s, they’re Italians. It’s my favorite cheesesteak, and probably my favorite pizza. They gotta be cheering for Tommy Cutlets.”
Wishful thinking. Chef’s kisses in the air all over the place.
“Rowdy crowd for sure … a lot of people trying to mock him,” Isaiah Hodgins said.
DeVito has experienced the blessing and curse of celebrity in the past week when there was controversy regarding a division of labor between his contract and marketing representatives.
“Some stuff just slipped through the cracks,” he said.
A lesson learned.
“Everything you do is under a microscope times a hundred, even more now,” DeVito said. “Anything that happens is going to be in some kind of article somewhere, like how this happened. I’m sure if this happened a month ago, it probably wouldn’t or would not have happened how it did, but it did. Got cleaned up but just continue to be yourself though.”
He will call on his resilience following the loss in New Orleans and his teammates are confident he will be able to weather the impending storm.
Slayton: “He’s from the area. He grew up, whatever, an hour-and-a-half from Philly so I’m sure he knows Philly people, he’s familiar with the Philly culture. Of all people as a rookie he would be very equipped.”
Shepard: “If I had any advice to give him, I’d tell him to go out there and play like he always plays. You can’t really think about that type of stuff or let that creep into your head, because sometimes it can affect the way that you play. Do your thing. Go out there and ball like you’ve been balling the last couple of weeks.”
Andrew Thomas: “Have that same confidence that you have any other game.”
Pugh: “He’s a baller.”
He could change his name to Tommy Cheesesteaks for all it matters.
“Ain’t nobody like Eagles fans,” Shepard said.
“Nobody.”
Have a Merry Christmas, Tommy DeVito.
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