Latest update:Goliaths’ genuine QB question isn’t about Tyrod Taylor or Tommy DeVito

Tyrod Taylor or Tommy DeVito? Tommy DeVito or Tyrod Taylor? The “who should start at quarterback for the New York Giants in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Rams?” debate has sucked up a lot of oxygen and Internet bandwidth in recent days.

We know how the Giants answered the question. Brian Daboll announced on Wednesday that Taylor, a 13-year veteran who was always supposed to be the quarterback if something happened to Daniel Jones, would get the start. DeVito, the undrafted rookie who was never supposed to play but was forced into action and — at least for a while — did better than anyone could have imagined and spawned a ‘Tommy Cutlets’ craze, will return to the bench.

The debate has been a distraction. It has been something to talk about, something to get worked up about, as the Giants struggle to the finish line of a disappointing double-digit loss season.

In reality, the debate is also completely unimportant. The real question, the real debate is about who should be the quarterback for the Giants in 2024 and beyond.

Taylor is not going to be that guy. He will be 35 next year and in his 14th NFL season. He has had stops with the Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and now the Giants. He hasn’t been looked as a franchise guy at any of those stops. No matter where he has been, he has been a placeholder or a backup. He started for three seasons with the Bills, but they moved on when they wanted more than mediocrity.

Taylor is a free agent after the season, his two-year, $11 million contract to be Daniel Jones’ backup having run its course. Maybe the Giants bring him back next season. Most likely, though, they don’t. Taylor will continue his NFL tour, which probably has a few years and a few stops remaining, as a backup or a placeholder somewhere else.

DeVito is not going to be that guy. DeVito-mania aside, the young man went undrafted for a reason. He doesn’t have a big arm. He doesn’t have elite size or measurables. He can run a little, but he doesn’t really threaten teams with his legs.

The longer DeVito played, the less effective he was — and by extension the less effective the Giants offense was. During the height of DeVito-mania, I asked several draft and quarterback analysts if DeVito’s rise was sustainable. Matt Waldman’s answer has always stuck in my mind:

“To be clear, most NFL teams wait 4-6 weeks to begin game-planning specifically against a quarterback based on their scouting reports of the passer in the NFL. This is why, year after year, a backup generates excitement early on but his performance deteriorates as opposing defenses begin applying that scouting intel into game plans bit by bit. In a matter of weeks, those bits add up to a “book” on the quarterback. At this point, the quarterback must show he can either grow beyond his conceptual, physical, or technical limitations or that the amount of limitations is small enough that only a few defenses have the personnel and scheme to limit his game.