Donte Deayon, Giants rookie cornerback, hopes to face Tom Brady
New York Giants cornerback Donte Deayon looks on during training camp at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J., on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016. Credit: Brad Penner
Normally when a team gets a chance to avoid facing Tom Brady it’s a good thing. The future Hall of Famer presents unique challenges and threats each time he is on the field. But in a preseason game, a fourth preseason game in particular, it’s more about the kind of opportunity playing against Brady provides.
That’s the way undrafted rookie cornerback Donte Deayon looked at it this week. When asked about the possibility of Brady playing in the game against the Giants, Deayon’s eyes got big and a smile engulfed his face.
“If Brady plays, I’ll be even more excited,” Deayon told Newsday. “That’s a great opportunity to go out there and play against a legend and an all-time great. It’s really a stepping stone.”
According to a report from New England, Deayon will get his wish. Brady, who is facing a four-game suspension that begins next week, is expected to start against the Giants tonight. It will be his last chance to play with the Patriots until he returns in Week 5.
For Giants players such as Deayon, tonight is a chance to not only be on the field with Brady but compete against him. And maybe even win that competition. Deayon said his goal all preseason has been to prove to Giants coaches that he belongs at the NFL level.
What better way to show it than coming off the field with an interception of Brady under his arm?
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
