It's not outlandish to say that the New Orleans Saints' quarterback battle is one of the most unique in recent NFL history. That's because the Saints have two of the most unique passers in the league.
In one corner, you have an unproven 30-year-old with 53 games of experience, most as a special teams gunner and wide receiver, though he has four NFL starts under center. Taysom Hill is a bit of an enigma. What is he as a quarterback is hard to pinpoint. His athleticism and versatility make him literally 1-of-1 in the NFL. Heck, some teams are trying to copy what New Orleans has.
In the other corner, you have a true American gunslinger that has to make Brett Farvre proud. A 5,000 yard passer who in 2019 threw 33 touchdowns and 30 interception. Jameis Winston has all the pop and sizzle you want out of a passer, but he's had turnover issues and can combust at at any moment. In an era of the NFL where teams are looking for the next Aaron Rodgers or Pat Mahomes, neither Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston are.
This week the Saints begin piecing its quarterback situation together at its only mandatory minicamp and while New Orleans has a few roster questions, none are bigger than who replaces Drew Brees. Both quarterbacks commented Tuesday how lessons learned from Drew make him feel present even if the hall of famer is retired.
Both quarterbacks also put their unwavering support in each other.
"I'm super supportive of him," said Hill. "And I felt nothing but support from him as well, and that goes back to last year when I was playing. Jameis was super supportive. He and I had a lot of conversations, you know through that process. He was great, through that whole thing so that that has not changed."
"We have the same mentality. Our main focus is to win, and to be our best selves, and I think that's what I respect about Taysom," said Winston. "He has done so many great things for this organization, since he's been here, so just trying to find ways to serve him and work with him is going to make both of us better."
The career numbers and experience back Winston. He's thrown for 19,868 yards and 122 touchdowns in 77 games. His 171 sacks, 50 fumbles and 88 career interceptions have long been his undoing. Before last season Hill got a strong backing from Sean Payton as a quarterback, but in four starts Hill struggled to impress fans. He threw just four touchdowns and despite leading the team to three wins, many came away unsatisfied by the performance.
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