Category: Taysom Hill

Remember that time Taysom Hill beat the Falcons twice in three weeks?

Remember that time Taysom Hill beat the Falcons twice in three weeks?

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We won’t know if Taysom Hill has cleared concussion protocol until the New Orleans Saints injury report updates Wednesday afternoon, but that’s not going to stop us from running the hits. It’s Atlanta Falcons Hate Week.

And what better way to ring it in than reminiscing about that time Hill quarterbacked the Saints to two wins over the Falcons for a season sweep — in just two weeks? With Drew Brees out of action, Hill got the starting nod against Atlanta in Week 11 last year to make his first career start in the NFL.

Hill completed 18 of his 23 pass attempts for 233 passing yards, taking three sacks while running 10 times for 49 rushing yards and a pair of critical second-half touchdown carries in the Saints’ 24-9 victory. The Saints defense did their jobs against Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense, but the Atlanta defense didn’t have answers for Hill.

But we were assured things would go differently in the rematch two weeks later. Hill was too limited to run a full playbook or challenge a real NFL defense after they had time to study the tape, Falcons fans claimed. With more time to prepare, we were assured, Hill wouldn’t experience anything close to his prior success.

They were right. When the Saints visited Atlanta in Week 13 they were held to just 21 points, coming up short by a whole field goal against their score in the first meeting. Saints fans drove and flew home to New Orleans laughing about their team’s 21-16 road win, in which Hill went 27-of-37 for 232 passing yards, throwing two touchdown passes. He took two sacks and ran 14 times for 83 rushing yards.

Fumbles were a problem, sure (he also lost one in the first Falcons game), with Hill putting the ball on the turf three times. But the sorry Falcons defense only recovered one of those turnovers. It led to their sole touchdown in the rematch. Looks like they should have spent more time in the film room.

Maybe Hill starts again on Sunday when the dirty birds visit the Caesars Superdome. That won’t even be considered until he’s recovered from a serious brain injury that’s kept him sidelined for most of October. If he is active, it’s more likely he’ll split time under center with Trevor Siemian. But whatever role Hill ends up with, it sure looks like the Falcons won’t be ready for him.

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History suggests Taysom Hill should get first-team reps to open Saints’ preseason

The Saints have gone with Taysom Hill as their next-QB-up every step of the way, and that pattern should hold in their first preseason game. But can he hold off Jameis Winston?

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No clear leader has emerged in the quarterbacks competition at New Orleans Saints training camp. Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill have matched each other’s highs and lows every step of the way so far, each passer getting his two days of work with the first-team offense, and that rotation should continue now that they’re suiting up against other squads in the upcoming preseason games.

If that’s the case, the Saints have set a precedent that puts Hill on top for their first exhibition game with the Baltimore Ravens. Hill has gotten first crack at each opportunity throughout this process. Last season, when Drew Brees missed five games with injuries, Hill was named the starter. When the Saints first gathered for training camp in July, Hill opened up practice with the first-string. It’s subtle, but Winston has been slightly behind him in those situations.

And that should continue on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium. Despite Winston’s stronger resume, Hill’s seniority in the offense (this is fifth year in New Orleans; Winston is just beginning his second season in black and gold) is enough to give him that edge, at least initially. Depending on how he performs against the Ravens’ defensive starters, maybe he holds onto the top spot. Maybe he doesn’t. The way the Saints have conducted business so far suggests that Winston should take over near halftime and be expected to run the first-team offense in their next preseason game with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But we shouldn’t rule out a curve ball from Sean Payton. He kept Hill’s first career start under wraps until the Friday before kickoff. It’s very possible that the Saints have graded Winston’s training camp performance better than Hill’s so far and want to see what he can do in a (somewhat) live game next to the starters. It’s the sort of thing we won’t know for sure until it’s right there in front of us.

What is clear, though, is that this battle is far from over. Winston and Hill have the rest of the month to convince Payton and his staff that they have what it takes to lead this team. We shouldn’t read too deeply into who gets on the field first in this preseason game. But the Saints’ pattern of behavior so far may give us an idea of what the next step in their quarterback competition looks like. Personally, I’m just excited to see how these guys perform against another team that’s allowed to hit and hurry them.

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Taysom Hill closing in on Aaron Brooks’ single-season fumbles record

New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill is closing in on Aaron Brooks’ single-season fumbles record, a mark he probably isn’t excited about.

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There have been some highlights from Taysom Hill’s four-game starting stint with the New Orleans Saints. But nearly every one of those bright moments has been punctuated with a momentum-killing fumble.

And the pace he’s on has to be concerning. Hill has fumbled 10 times in 13 games, and, again: he’s only seen four starts as the full-time quarterback. He hasn’t played often enough to warrant that sort of giveaway rate.

For perspective: Hill is in danger of breaking the team record Aaron Brooks set back in 2003, when he coughed up 14 fumbles in 16 games as the starting quarterback. Brooks fumbled 11 or more times each year from 2001 to 2004.

That isn’t exactly the sort of company Hill would like to join, and he doesn’t have Brooks’ success as a passer to outweigh the fumbles. Both of them pail in comparison to Drew Brees, who has only fumbled 10 times in a single season once, in 2009.

It’s clearly something Hill must clean up. Saints coach Sean Payton can talk him up as his next quarterback for life after Brees, but this is one flaw they can’t afford to live with.

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Taysom Hill reflects on what he’s learned from ‘incredible mentor’ Drew Brees

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill joined the Rich Eisen Show and discussed how Drew Brees prepared him to take over the job.

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What a month it’s been for Taysom Hill, the backup quarterback who’s found himself to be the new face of the New Orleans Saints. But it’s just a temporary arrangement, for now, with Hill filling in for the injured starter Drew Brees. Hill discussed what he’s picked up from a couple of years as Brees’ understudy in the Saints locker room during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show.

When asked to explain what he’s learned in the role, Hill could only smile: “Oh man, that is such a loaded question that I could go on forever. I have learned so much from Drew. One, he is such an incredible mentor and he’s become such a great friend to me.”

The Brees and Hill families have become close in their time together in New Orleans, so much so that they celebrate Thanksgiving together. That familiarity has turned into a productive working relationship, which Hill is very thankful for.

“But I would say the things that I’ve learned most are not the things he’s said to me but what I’ve been able to observe,” Hill continued. “I was so blown away when I first got here to see how he prepares week in and week out. Because I had this expectation that Drew’s been playing so long and he’s been so great and so consistent, that there’s not a defense he hasn’t seen, but I’m telling you he prepares as if it’s his first start every week.

“And so his routine, his schedule, I can tell you that if I was gone for a week, I could tell you exactly what he’s doing and when he would doing it because his routine is so dialed in and he knows what it takes to get prepared for a game.”

Hill hit on a couple of other topics in his interview — areas he wants to improve as a quarterback, how Sean Payton first added him to the team, and whether he prefers to throw a touchdown pass or run it in himself. It’s a great listen, so be sure to check it out.

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WATCH: Taysom Hill completes his first career touchdown pass

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill connected with wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith for the very first touchdown pass of his NFL career.

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Cross it off your bingo board: New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill has thrown his first career touchdown pass, connecting with wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith on a crossing route deep in Atlanta Falcons territory. It was a matchup the Saints had been trying to get going early in Week 13’s matchup, though Smith alligator armed the first try and couldn’t secure the second.

As it turned out, the third shot rang true. The Saints flipped the play and got Smith running across the field, having shed Falcons safety Ricardo Allen in traffic to run wide open into the end zone, where Hill rifled the ball in for six points. Wil Lutz’s extra-point try was good, and New Orleans took an early lead.

But it was set up by another big play from Hill: a 43-yard scramble down the sideline, sprinting a tightrope to stay in bounds. That run wasn’t just the longest play from scrimmage of the year for Hill, but a career-best rushing attempt, too. See it for yourself:

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WATCH: Taysom Hill gets the Saints on the board with 2 TD runs vs. Broncos

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill rumbled in for the first touchdown scored in his Week 12 game with the Denver Broncos.

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The New Orleans Saints put an emphasis on the run game in the first half of their matchup with the Denver Broncos, which is just how Taysom Hill likes it. He quarterbacked the Saints offense to a 13-play, 74-yard scoring drive to put the Saints up 7-0, trimming eight minutes off the game clock and capping it with a 1-yard touchdown run.

Hill rumbled in at the goal line to give his team an early lead, and pulled the trick off again just before halftime. A botched wildcat snap by the Broncos offense was recovered by Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander and fielded deep into Denver territory to set up the second New Orleans touchdown run of the day. See the back-to-back highlights for yourself:

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WATCH: Taysom Hill’s best plays from his first career start vs. Falcons

Taysom Hill did not disappoint in his first career start for the New Orleans Saints, taking care of business against the Atlanta Falcons.

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Taysom Hill was as effective as fans could hope for in his first start for the New Orleans Saints, leading the team to a victory over the NFC South-rival Atlanta Falcons. Hill showed the growth as a passer that everyone has been hoping for, completing 18 of 23 passes for 233 yards, though his first career touchdown pass eluded him.

However, Hill made up for it with two scoring runs and a team-leading 51 rushing yards on 10 carries. He bullied his smaller Falcons opponents on defense with a combination of size and speed that they struggled to match, especially in the open field, though you’d like to see him secure the ball a little more cleanly. A late fumble at the end of a run deep into Atlanta territory put Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in position to pad his stats in garbage time, though the Saints defense spoiled that effort with a Janoris Jenkins interception.

There’s plenty for Hill to build on moving forwards, and he’ll get some great opportunities to continue developing his craft next week against the Denver Broncos and again in the following week’s rematch with this same sorry Falcons team.

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Sean Payton officially announces Taysom Hill as his starting QB for Week 11

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton formally announced Taysom Hill as his starting quarterback for Week 11’s game with the Atlanta Falcons.

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There’s your confirmation: New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton told ESPN’s Dianna Russini before Sunday’s kickoff with the Atlanta Falcons that Taysom Hill will see his first career start in relief of injured starter Drew Brees. Payton appeared in a sideline interview with Russini on ESPN NFL Live.

“Taysom’s going to start for us at QB,” Payton said as his team warmed up on the field behind him. “He’s had a real good week of preparation. He deserves this opportunity. We’ve had a chance to see him play that position more than anyone else. When the fans have seen him, he’s been in a different role.”

It was reported Friday that Hill would get the starting nod rather than Jameis Winston, the free agent acquisition who stepped in to replace Brees after he suffered serious chest injuries a week ago. When asked why Hill wasn’t his pick at the time, Payton explained that he had spent a week of practice preparing for a different role.

This time around, Hill has gotten every opportunity to get comfortable as a passer. He took the first- and second-team snaps in practice and has a full allotment of weapons; the Saints won’t be running any plays with Brees as a decoy on one side of the formation as seen in the past.

The Saints have been telling anyone who would listen that Hill is their next quarterback for life after Brees. Now that Payton has formally announced him as the starter against Atlanta, Hill has an opportunity to prove it.

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7 reasons the Saints starting Taysom Hill is taking the NFL by storm

The New Orleans Saints are starting Taysom Hill at quarterback against the Atlanta Falcons instead of Jameis Winston in relief of Drew Brees.

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The New Orleans Saints sent spectators into an uproar on Friday when ESPN reported that they were rolling with Taysom Hill to start at quarterback in relief of Drew Brees, rather than the more-experienced Jameis Winston. Hill’s doubters have put together a ton of talking points, ranging from his age to his college performance. But here are seven topics we’ll be keeping in mind as Sunday’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons approaches:

Jameis Winston starts the second half for Saints vs. 49ers

New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Jameis Winston started the second half against the San Francisco 49ers instead of Drew Brees.

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The New Orleans Saints received the opening kickoff of the second half, and they started the possession with a new quarterback under center: Jameis Winston, not Drew Brees. Brees had been limited on the injury report in recent weeks with a right shoulder issue, his throwing shoulder, and he was spotted spending extra time warming it up before the game started.

A big sack by 49ers defensive lineman Kentavius Street appeared to aggravate the issue, and the Saints later announced that Brees is questionable to return with a rib injury..

For his part, Winston stepped in to lead the huddle, though the Saints quickly punted after three plays. Taysom Hill stepped in for a third down run, replacing Winston, but confusion the personnel package forced the Saints to take a timeout and regroup. Hill’s run was stuffed at the line of scrimmage, prompting a punt. Winston completed his lone pass attempt for an 11-yard gain.

When Winston and Hill returned to the bench, they sat apart from Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. while reviewing plays on a Microsoft Surface tablet. Brees was separate a few spots down with his own tablet and wearing a baseball cap, not his helmet.