Tag: Taysom Hill

Studs and Duds from Saints’ disappointing playoffs defeat vs. Vikings

The New Orleans Saints fell to the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs wild-card round. Star talent like Marshon Lattimore didn’t show up.

The New Orleans Saints were stunned by the Minnesota Vikings in Sunday’s wild-card round game, and it’s because their star talent failed to show up. The biggest names on the team — a roster stocked with Pro Bowlers and first-team All-Pro talent — largely didn’t show up, playing small in the most important game of the year. It’s disquieting, because this is pretty much the same squad the Saints will try to bounce back with next season.

But it wasn’t all bad. Some players fought hard and put the team on their back to try and find a spark. Here are the studs and duds from the final Saints game of the 2019-2020 season:

Stud: Taysom Hill, quarterback

Hill became the first player in NFL history to throw for 50 yards, rush for 50 yards, catch 25 or more yards, and record a tackle. There were times in the game when he was the only player on offense making a play, highlighted by his 28-yard run down the sideline late in the fourth quarter. Hill played the best football of his career on Sunday, and it’s a shame that the Saints couldn’t reward him for his efforts.

Dud: Marshon Lattimore, cornerback

Lattimore picked a bad time to have his worst game of the year. He was charged with manning up against Vikings wideout Adam Thielen, who had missed a lot of time with a hamstring injury, and wasn’t up to the task. Lattimore was too often beaten by Thielen’s routes and frequently found himself a step too slow to compete at the catch point, which has been his forte early in his NFL career. Thielen led the Vikings with 129 receiving yards, having caught 7-of-9 targets, largely with Lattimore shadowing him.

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Time for the unlucky Saints to get younger

After a third straight heat-breaking playoff loss the New Orleans Saints need to get younger.

Walk down Bourbon Street in New Orleans and you’ll see all sorts of signs about voodoo. They might as well move those signs a mile or so away to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. After all it seems like the New Orleans Saints are cursed.

At least since they won the Super Bowl 10 years ago and especially the last three years. Sunday’s overtime playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings was just the latest crushing hit to a proud franchise with a rabid fan base. It’s happened in historical fashion.

According to ESPN, the Saints became the first team to have six straight playoff losses by one score and the second team since Green Bay (2013-15) to lose in three straight postseasons on the final play of the game.

Remember the “Minneapolis Miracle’’? Everyone in New Orleans sure does. That was two years ago when Minnesota’s Stefon Diggs caught a walk-off touchdown pass.

Last year was even worse. That was the NFC Championship Game loss to the Los Angeles Rams. In that game, Los Angeles defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman blatantly interfered with New Orleans receiver Tommylee Lewis on a play that could have put the Saints in the Super Bowl.

Sunday’s loss won’t prompt coach Sean Payton to force any rule changes, the way he convinced the league last year to make pass interference and non-calls reviewable. But the loss to the Vikings wasn’t any less painful than last year. The Saints got stabbed twice in overtime. First, there was a 43-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to Adam Thielen that took the Vikings to the 2-yard line. Cousins followed that with a touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Rudolph to win the game.

So where do the Saints go from here?

“It might get worse before it gets better,’’ a scout for another NFC team said. “They have a lot of older players. People have to understand that they have to get younger and that comes with growing pains. With them, it’s not a total rebuild but they have to get younger in some spots.’’

What spots? Let’s take a look at what the scout suggested the Saints should do this offseason.

Get a young cornerback

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

“Janoris Jenkins and Patrick Robinson are old,’’ the scout said. “They need to draft a cornerback.’’

Marshon Lattimore is in his prime and Eli Apple, who missed the game with an injury, still has upside. But the Saints need to add a cornerback early in the draft to keep up with the likes of Julio Jones, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in the NFC South. Adding Janoris Jenkins late in the 2019 season is a stopgap at best.

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Saints’ season comes to abrupt end, Vikings win in overtime 26-20

The New Orleans Saints 2019 season ended abruptly, with a wild-card round playoffs exit after losing to the Minnesota Vikings, 26-20.

Things didn’t go as planned for the New Orleans Saints. They entered the playoffs as a heavy favorite to go the distance and win the Super Bowl, but the Minnesota Vikings hit them in the mouth, took the lead, and didn’t let go, even if the Saints rallied late to force the game to overtime. A touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Kyle Rudolph on third down from the goal-line stunned the Saints defense, and gave Minnesota the 26-20 victory.

The Saints just didn’t execute well. Their offensive line, stocked with Pro Bowl and All-Pro talent, was bullied by an admittedly strong Vikings defensive line. Left guard Andrus Peat has been the weak link in that chain for years, and on Sunday, he broke. While Drew Brees didn’t have his sharpest day at quarterback, too often he wasn’t given any time to even read the field before his vision filled with purple jerseys.

And it’s not like Vikings coach Mike Zimmer did anything exotic, groundbreaking, or seriously creative. He moved his best pass rushers inside so that they would have a speed-to-power advantage over the Saints guards. New Orleans’ big men up front never really struggled to mirror their opponents or move around; they simply failed to win one-on-one battles. It was a battle of fundamentals that the Vikings won.

It’s disappointing to see the Saints’ season end this way. After everything they’ve fought through — injuries to everyone from rookie backup linebackers to the franchise quarterback, suspensions before and during the season, tough-to-swallow losses to longtime rivals — they’ve gone out with a whimper. It’s almost anticlimactic. Even on Sunday they rallied around a defense that came through in so many clutch moments and rode a furious spark from do-it-all quarterback Taysom Hill. But it wasn’t enough when the offense couldn’t pick itself up off the floor.

The good news is that they’ll be back. Brees played so well this season that it’s impossible to think he’ll leave the game behind, not with so much unfinished business. The Saints’ core players are all either young or under contract for the foreseeable future. Next year’s schedule compares favorably to the season they just had. They’ll enter the 2020 offseason just as likely to go all the way as they were in this one.

But that disappointment can’t be overlooked. They shouldn’t be going into a long offseason looking to chase that elusive second Super Bowl trophy. They should be defending a championship and hoping to secure a third. Instead, the Saints are back in familiar territory — as underachievers.

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Watch: Taysom Hill gives the Saints another spark, catches 20-yard TD pass

New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill helped rally his team late against the Minnesota Vikings with a huge touchdown catch from QB Drew Brees.

The New Orleans Saints were in a bad way late in the fourth quarter, trailing the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 20-10. But Saints quarterback Drew Brees found some rhythm behind improved blocking from the offensive line, and then he found another Saints quarterback for a 20-yard touchdown pass — Taysom Hill, of course.

Hill emerged as a legitimate receiving threat in the regular season, with six touchdown catches to his credit. So it shouldn’t be a big surprise that he caught another scoring pass in the playoffs. But there’s something to be said for how timely it was, cutting the Vikings’ lead to just three points with more than ten minutes left in the game.

The Saints need to get more big plays like this if they’re going to come from behind and defend the Superdome against Minnesota. Drew Brees and the Saints offense have struggled to make headway against the Vikings defense except for a few chunk plays like this from Hill. Some more of the team’s playmakers must step up.

Watch: Taysom Hill throws 50-yard pass, lead-blocks for rushing TD

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill threw a rare pass, connecting for 50 yards. He then blocked on Alvin Kamara’s touchdown run.

What can’t Taysom Hill do? He’s caught passes (including six touchdown throws), ran with the ball, and blocked all over the field, but his detractors — usually fantasy football nerds — point to the few pass attempts he’s made as evidence that he shouldn’t be labeled a quarterback.

So he quieted them by connecting with rookie wideout Deonte Harris on a 50-yard pass in Sunday’s wild-card round game with the Minnesota Vikings. Harris was named a first-team All-Pro for his efforts returning punts and kickoffs, but Saints coach Sean Payton found a way to get the rookie involved on offense against Minnesota. See it for yourself:

But Hill wasn’t finished just yet. After creating this big play, he remained on the field and blocked for Saints running back Alvin Kamara at the goal-line, paving the way for Kamara to fight his way into the end zone. It was Kamara’s fifth rushing touchdown in his last three games:

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How to Watch Vikings vs. Saints, NFL Playoffs Live Stream, Schedule, TV Channel, Start Time

Watch Vikings vs. Saints Live Online.

The Minnesota Vikings (10-6) travel to The Big Easy for an NFC wild-card battle with the Saints (13-3) on Sunday. These two teams squared-off two years ago in the NFC Divisional Playoff game with the Vikings coming out on top 29-24. 

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Vikings vs. Saints

When: Sunday, January 5

Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

TV: FOX

Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

The Vikings come into the game as the No. 6 seed after finishing second in the NFC North behind the Packers. Minnesota lost 23-10 vs. Green Bay and 21-19 at home to the Bears in its final two regular-season games. Star running back Dalvin Cook amassed 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns this season and his health is key to the Vikings success. He sat out the past two games after getting banged up against the Chargers, but should be ready to go for Sunday. He’ll be joined in the backfield by Alexander Mattison, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 14.  Can Kirk Cousins earn his $84 million dollar contract and make key throws in the passing game? The last thing Minnesota wants is to be one dimensional against a physical Saints defense with the likes of Cam Jordan who has 15.5 sacks this season. Their run game is ranked 6th in the NFL, while their passing attack is 23rd.

For the Saints, they have something to prove. After rattling off three consecutive wins to close out the season and win another NFC South title, they finished as the No. 3 seed. Last weekend, they beat the Panthers 42-10. Drew Brees threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns to continue his record-setting year. Brees’ go-to wide receiver the entire season has been Michael Thomas, who broke Marvin Harrison’s single-season receptions record last weekend and has now caught 145 receptions in the 2019 campaign. It’s no secret their offense relies on the air attack, but give credit to Latavius Murray and Alvin Kamara for establishing the run game. For Murray, it will be a head-to-head matchup against his former team. Can Danielle Hunter and the Viking defensive line put pressure on Brees and force the Saints to win it with the run game? Those questions and more will be answered on Sunday afternoon.

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Vikings need to be aware of Taysom Hill on Sunday

Hill is more than just a gimmick player, and the Vikings will have to keep an eye on him.

The Saints have one of the more innovative offenses in the NFL and a big piece of that is Taysom Hill.

Hill is officially listed as a quarterback, but that’s actually what he does the least of in this offense.

“I mean, Taysom Hill plays quarterback for them,” Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards said Thursday. “He plays receiver for them. He plays tight end for them. He’ll play running back for them. So it just depends on the different packages, what they’re asking him to do, where he lines up and what they’re trying to get accomplished with him.”

On the season, Hill has been on the field for about 20 percent of the Saints’ offense snaps. Hill has rushed 27 times for 156 yards and a touchdown. He’s thrown six times, completing three passes for 55 yards. And he’s also caught 19 passes for 234 yards. A ridiculous six of those 19 catches have gone for touchdowns.

Hill is more than just a gimmick player, and the Vikings will have to keep an eye on him. It takes just one play.

Sean Payton discusses why Josh Hill is so essential to well-oiled Saints offense

Saints coach Sean Payton values nominal backup tight end Josh Hill highly, due as much to his ability to make any block as his versatility.

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Veteran tight end Jared Cook arrived to the New Orleans Saints with much fanfare, but he’s taken a backseat to Josh Hill for much of his first season. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Cook’s production has not suffered for it — his 9 touchdown grabs tie All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas for the team lead. Hill has only gained 226 receiving yards this season, which trails even converted quarterback Taysom Hill (234 receiving yards).

But as Saints coach Sean Payton tells it, Hill’s ability to execute nearly any block in the playbook and experience in a variety of personnel packages explains the discrepancy between Hill’s 649 snaps played (6th-most on the team) on offense against Cook’s 502 (11th-most).

“He’s a guy we use in the run game and pass protection. He does a lot of things well,” Payton said. “He plays on special teams, he plays a lot of snaps each week and he’s done so for quite a while.” In addition to Hill’s extended time when the Saints have the ball, he’s chipped in 182 snaps on special teams (8th-most for the Saints, just ahead of kicker Wil Lutz at 180).

Payton continued, “He’s someone that has real good athleticism and it’s difficult because a lot of different personnel groups might run through him. He might be in the base, he might be in 11 (personnel). Certainly, Jared (Cook) is playing a lot of snaps. The two of them together will play a lot of snaps. He’s one of those guys that does a lot of things well.”

This isn’t the first time Payton has talked up what Hill brings to the team; earlier in the season, he likened Hill’s loss during a game to losing the front door of your home, in that you can get by, but it’s going to be significantly more difficult. Here’s hoping Hill and Cook can each remain healthy and continue to help the team as they push towards Super Bowl LIV.

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Sean Payton pleased with Taysom Hill’s progress, even if ‘he runs like Barney Rubble’

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton credited Taysom Hill for integrating the Saints passing attack, even if he doesn’t look pretty doing it

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Don’t look now, but New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill has turned into a real weapon in Sean Payton’s passing game. Hill finished the 2019 season tied with wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith in receiving yards (234) and one more touchdown catch (6, against Smith’s 5). He and Smith were tied for the sixth-most receiving yards on the team, while Hill’s receiving touchdowns placed third-best (wide receiver Michael Thomas and tight end Jared Cook tied for first, with 9 scoring grabs).

As Payton explains it, Hill’s growth into a legitimate receiving threat wasn’t really part of the plan. It was just a natural evolution from his success on special teams and bit-part on offense.

Payton said, “Yeah, I think it’s just continued to expand. I think that we’ve seen him in special teams. We’ve seen him block on offense. We’ve seen him run down the field vertically and each week it’s just expanded relative to his role. I think he’s handled it well. He has a lot of hats.”

When asked how the other receivers react to Hill’s continued development, all Payton could do was chuckle.

“We give them a hard time because sometimes he runs like Barney Rubble, but he runs fast,” Payton joked, referencing the caveman from old “The Flintstones” cartoons. Hill may be athletic, but he’s rarely aesthetic. His rumbling, tumbling style of running doesn’t look as pretty as the smooth track-and-field speed Smith or Ted Ginn Jr. may enjoy, but there’s no questioning his effectiveness. Payton continued, “I think he has real good sense and awareness of coverage. He’s smart, he understands how to set up routes and I think he had a big play yesterday but, but I think he has real good football intelligence.”

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Saints snap-count analysis vs. Panthers: Rest played factor in distribution

The New Orleans Saints rested starters late in their blowout win over the Carolina Panthers, allowing backups like Janoris Jenkins to shine.

The New Orleans went into Week 17 against the Carolina Panthers with offense playing at full strength, while the defense remained banged up, especially in the secondary. That was still too much for a leaderless Panthers team to handle, and key starters were pulled by the Saints in the fourth quarter, which significantly skews their snap counts. The upside to that is the second- and third-string players got extended experience, which will only help them develop further.

Offensive backfield

  • QB Drew Brees, 56 (81%)
  • RB Latavius Murray, 37 (54%)
  • QB Taysom Hill, 34 (49%)
  • RB Alvin Kamara, 28 (41%)
  • FB Ricky Ortiz, 17 (25%)
  • QB Teddy Bridgewater, 11 (16%)
  • RB Dwayne Washington, 5 (7%)

Kamara’s share was down from Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans, when he saw over 63% of the offensive snaps. However, the running back was able to produce two touchdowns against the Panthers, and his reduced workload was likely caused by head coach Sean Payton wanting to give his starter rest ahead of the the playoffs.

Skill positions

  • TE Josh Hill, 55 (80%)
  • WR Michael Thomas, 46 (67%)
  • WR Tre’Quan Smith, 43 (62%)
  • TE Jared Cook, 26 (38%)
  • WR Ted Ginn Jr., 18 (26%)
  • WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, 12 (17%)
  • WR Deonte Harris, 8 (12%)

Once again Hill outpaced Cook for their share of snaps played, which is not unusual considering he plays a larger part in the run-blocking game than Cook. Furthermore, Hill’s presence allows Cook more opportunities in the passing game. Thomas’ snap count share was below-average this week, as was his production. There is not much to be worried about on that front considering he was rested in the fourth quarter.

Offensive line

  • T Ryan Ramczyk, 69 (100%)
  • G Larry Warford, 69 (100%)
  • C Erik McCoy, 69 (100%)
  • T Terron Armstead, 54 (78%)
  • G Andrus Peat, 49 (71%)
  • C Nick Easton, 20 (29%)
  • C Will Clapp, 18 (26%)

The offensive line returned to near full-health against Carolina with the return of Peat and Warford, though Peat was in and out of the game depending on various situations. it seems the Saints wanted to ease him back into action after he broke his arm. While Easton had done an admirable job in standing in during that time, the offensive line looked much better at protecting Brees, while also opening up the run game. A strong push into the playoffs will be much more attainable, with the entire unit near full health.

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