Latest / AFR Saints / Taysom Hill's Saints Career Ends: Why New Orleans Made the Right Decision

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Taysom Hill's Saints Career Ends: Why New Orleans Made the Right Decision · AFR Saints

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  Speaker 1: and seven. It is complete for the first count for
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  Speaker 1: tas of Hell is inside the twenty still.
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  Speaker 2: Going the ten to five to the inside for a
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  Speaker 2: Saints touchdown.
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  Speaker 1: It was completely expected, but it is now official. The
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  Speaker 1: end of an era in New Orleans after nine incredible seasons.
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  Speaker 1: Taysom Hill announcing on social media Wednesday night that he
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  Speaker 1: will not be back with the New Orleans Saints something
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  Speaker 1: I think that was a four gone conclusion and and
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  Speaker 1: it's something that if we we've talked about it for
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  Speaker 1: quite literally months now. Taysom. This was after the Jets
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  Speaker 1: game at the end of last season. Last the final
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  Speaker 1: home game of last year. He was asked if it
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  Speaker 1: was his final home game as a Saint.
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  Speaker 3: This is what he said as I was driving the
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  Speaker 3: stadium today. You know, you start to you start to
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  Speaker 3: think about the last nine years and what it's meant
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  Speaker 3: to me and my family and the city and stuff.
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  Speaker 3: So I think for me personally, you just try to
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  Speaker 3: take it all in. You know, we had a great
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  Speaker 3: experience here tonight, and I don't know what the future
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  Speaker 3: holds for me, but it was a It was a
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  Speaker 3: special day for me and the family.
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  Speaker 1: It was very reminiscent of Drew Brees. He's leaving the
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  Speaker 1: field after the playoff game against the Bucks during the
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  Speaker 1: COVID year when they lost, and I still have the
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  Speaker 1: image and grained in my brain with Drew going toward
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  Speaker 1: the locker room looking back at the Dome like one
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  Speaker 1: last time, and everybody knew like that was it. And
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  Speaker 1: so we all knew that was it for Taysom when
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  Speaker 1: he left the Dome against the floor against the Jets
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  Speaker 1: back at the end of last season. And listen, there
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  Speaker 1: was all throughout this offseason, everyone associated with the Saints
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  Speaker 1: was noncommittal. I mean in January in the post season
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  Speaker 1: rap press conference, Mickey Loomis was asked about Taysom Hill's future.
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  Speaker 1: This is what he said in January.
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  Speaker 4: You know, I've given him some space, so we'll touch
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  Speaker 4: the base with him soon. But it's hard to have
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  Speaker 4: these conversations right after the end of the season. You know,
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  Speaker 4: you want that emotion to go out of it, and
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  Speaker 4: you want give guys some time and space, and I
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  Speaker 4: feel like they're pressure to make decisions and we've got time.
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  Speaker 1: And all the way up to June, when Kellen Moore
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  Speaker 1: during Mini camp and OTAs was meeting with the media,
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  Speaker 1: the questions persisted, is there still a possibility to get
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  Speaker 1: something done with Taysum more at this point as that
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  Speaker 1: door closed. We haven't necessarily had any conversations up to
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  Speaker 1: this point, but you never know. The writing was on
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  Speaker 1: the wall. I think we all know it. We could
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  Speaker 1: all see it that that was going to be it
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  Speaker 1: for Taysom Hill. Interestingly, Taysom did not announce his retirement,
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  Speaker 1: just that he is done in New Orleans after nine seasons,
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  Speaker 1: which means there was literally one place where he may
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  Speaker 1: go still and that's the Denver with Sean Payton, who
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  Speaker 1: maybe summarized Taysom Hill's career best. This was a postgame
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  Speaker 1: comment in twenty nineteen when Sean Payton one of Obviously
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  Speaker 1: twenty one was Peyton's last season in New Orleans, but
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  Speaker 1: this was a postgame comment that he made back in
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  Speaker 1: twenty nineteen about Taysom Hill, and this really summarizes Taysom.
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  Speaker 2: Listen just a football player. I mean, I say that
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  Speaker 2: he's neat to coach. He could play a number of
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  Speaker 2: different positions. There aren't many guys like him, the first
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  Speaker 2: one I've ever coached like him. So while he's developing
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  Speaker 2: as a quarterback, I mean, there's a lot of places
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  Speaker 2: he's playing and probably need to keep getting them the ball.
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  Speaker 2: Even more, he's a real good practice player, and I
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  Speaker 2: think that that coupled with his athleticism and is love
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  Speaker 2: for the game. I don't know that there's anyone that
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  Speaker 2: enjoys playing football more than him. And that's kind of
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  Speaker 2: rubs off, kind of contagious on his teammates. And so
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  Speaker 2: when guys like him make a play, you see the
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  Speaker 2: bench get excited. And that quality that a player has,
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  Speaker 2: that and DearS himself to other teammates, I think is
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  Speaker 2: very strong and important. And he's one of those players.
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  Speaker 1: And he was outstanding during eight of his nine seasons
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  Speaker 1: in New Orleans last year. Objectively he was not, but
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  Speaker 1: that shouldn't take any of the shine off of what
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  Speaker 1: taysomill during his time in New Orleans, because he was
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  Speaker 1: an outstanding player. Now last year, of course, he came
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  Speaker 1: off the injury in twenty twenty four when he had
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  Speaker 1: the gruesome knee and where he played just eight games.
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  Speaker 1: He comes back a season ago. He's thirty four years old,
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  Speaker 1: He's coming off of a devastating knee injury, and Sean Payton,
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  Speaker 1: Pete Carmichael, the offense that had been built that he
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  Speaker 1: was a central figure in for most of the decade
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  Speaker 1: was no longer there. It was now Kellen Moore's offense
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  Speaker 1: and it was going to be run. However, Kellen Moore
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  Speaker 1: wanted to run it. And Kellen Moore isn't the one
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  Speaker 1: that was the brainchild behind the Taysom Hill roll. So
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  Speaker 1: I get asked off and well, who's going to be
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  Speaker 1: the next Taysom Hill, And the answer is nobody. Quite literally,
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  Speaker 1: the answer is nobody. There isn't going to be another
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  Speaker 1: Taysom Hill. There's a reason nobody else in the NFL
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  Speaker 1: has a Taysom Hill because he is a one of
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  Speaker 1: one He was a unique figure, and I mean that
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  Speaker 1: in the most literal way. Unique means one, not rare unique.
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  Speaker 1: There's nobody else in the NFL. There's no other team
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  Speaker 1: that has a player like Tayson that does all of
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  Speaker 1: those things to the effectiveness and to the degree that
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  Speaker 1: Taysom Hill did for all those years, and Kellen Moore
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  Speaker 1: didn't know what to do with it. You had an
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  Speaker 1: aging player coming off of injury and was forced offense
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  Speaker 1: where it didn't fit. And it showed. He ran for
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  Speaker 1: just one hundred and fourteen yards last season as a
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  Speaker 1: pass catcher. Taysom Hill season ago had just ninety one
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  Speaker 1: receiving yards. He was just a shell of what he
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  Speaker 1: was so contractually it was obvious as contract was up
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  Speaker 1: he wasn't going to be back. But I know I
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  Speaker 1: said this at the end of last football season, and
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  Speaker 1: I'm gonna say it again. I believe Taysom Hill will
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  Speaker 1: be a New Orleans Saint Hall of Famer. That's not
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  Speaker 1: even a question. Like Taysom Hill will be in the
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  Speaker 1: New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame and should be. It's
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  Speaker 1: totally justified. But I believe Taysom Hill should also be
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  Speaker 1: in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. No, hold on,
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  Speaker 1: hear me out. Okay, I'm gonna if you remember this
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  Speaker 1: convo when the season ended. I'm going to reiterate my points,
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  Speaker 1: but I want you to hear me out. Taysom Hill
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  Speaker 1: is not a Hall of Fame quarterback. Taysom Hill is
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  Speaker 1: not a Hall of Fame running back. He is not
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  Speaker 1: a Hall of Fame receiver. He is not a Hall
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  Speaker 1: of Fame tight end. He is not a Hall of
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  Speaker 1: Fame specialist team's player. He is none of those things.
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  Speaker 1: But nobody in the history of the NFL has done
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  Speaker 1: all of those things to the degree that Taysom Hill has.
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  Speaker 1: The only comp literally in the history of the NFL
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  Speaker 1: is Frank Gifford. Frank Gifford and Taysom Hill are the
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  Speaker 1: only players in NFL history to rush for at least
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  Speaker 1: twenty five touchdowns, throw for at least ten touchdowns, and
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  Speaker 1: catch at least ten touchdowns. That's it, the only two
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  Speaker 1: in the history of the NFL. Frank Gifford played the
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  Speaker 1: nineteen fifties seventy years ago, and he's in the Hall
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  Speaker 1: of Fame. Now. If I had a vote, Taysom Hill
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  Speaker 1: would not be a Hall of Famer like I would
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  Speaker 1: not have Taysom Hill in my Hall of Fame ballot. However,
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  Speaker 1: the Hall of Fame Selection Committee has set a precedent
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  Speaker 1: whereby specialists do get in. I just mentioned Frank Gifford.
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  Speaker 1: Ray Guy is the lone punter in the Pro Football
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  Speaker 1: Hall of Fame. There are five place kickers in the
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  Speaker 1: Hall of Fame, although a guy like George Blanda was
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  Speaker 1: a two way player not just a place kicker, but
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  Speaker 1: the one that really is the most comparative is Devin Hester.
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  Speaker 1: Devin Hester is not a Hall of Fame wide receiver.
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  Speaker 1: Devin Hester was a very average wide receiver in the NFL.
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  Speaker 1: Devin Hester went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
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  Speaker 1: because for a decade he was the best kick returner
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  Speaker 1: in the game and quite honestly the best kick returner
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  Speaker 1: that has ever played the game. As a receiver, Devin
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  Speaker 1: Hester caught He caught thirty three hundred yards and is
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  Speaker 1: in two hundred and fifty five receptions for three three
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  Speaker 1: hundred and eleven yards. That's it, sixteen touchdown receptions. But
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  Speaker 1: he set the NFL record for return touchdowns. And because
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  Speaker 1: he was a great specialist, he got in the Hall
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  Speaker 1: of Fame. So I look at Taysom through that prism.
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  Speaker 1: If you had a spot for Devin Hester, then there
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  Speaker 1: should be a spot for Taysom Hill, because he did
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  Speaker 1: a thing that quite literally nobody else has done at
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  Speaker 1: the level he's done it, and the only one close
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  Speaker 1: is in the Hall of Fame in Frank Kifford. So
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  Speaker 1: I don't think that's gonna happen for Tasom Hill, but
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  Speaker 1: it is something that should absolutely be considered with Devin
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  Speaker 1: Hester as the as the comparison, as the comp Now,
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  Speaker 1: I also want to say that Taysom Hill, he exhibited
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  Speaker 1: such an incredible amount of humility, because that's a guy
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  Speaker 1: who wanted to play quarterback, who saw himself as a quarterback,
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  Speaker 1: but it was increasingly obvious as his career went on
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  Speaker 1: he was never going to be an NFL quarterback. I
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  Speaker 1: thought that battle with many of you over and over
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  Speaker 1: and over throughout the years, when the Saints kept toying
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  Speaker 1: with the idea of making him a quarterback, which was
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  Speaker 1: obviously never going to happen. But instead of doing what
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  Speaker 1: Tim Tebow did, which is say I'm going to be
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  Speaker 1: a quarterback and that's it, Taysom Hill was willing to
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  Speaker 1: play this role that Sean Payton dreamed, dreamed up for him,
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  Speaker 1: and it turned him into a guy who had a
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  Speaker 1: nine year career in New Orleans and is beloved in
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  Speaker 1: the city and changes. Like you heard him say it,
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  Speaker 1: that humility and willingness to do whatever the team needed
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  Speaker 1: him to do to win is what won over fans
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  Speaker 1: and what helped the Saints be an incredible team during
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  Speaker 1: that run, one of the winningest teams in the NFL
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  Speaker 1: during that stretch in seven twenty seventeen through twenty twenty,
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  Speaker 1: and Tasom Hill was a massive part of that. You know,
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  Speaker 1: I think like Tim Tebow could have been that guy
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  Speaker 1: if he was willing to be a guy that covered
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  Speaker 1: kicks and blocked punts and caught passes and ran the
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  Speaker 1: ball out of the eye formation or as an h back,
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  Speaker 1: would it like he could have been that guy, but
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  Speaker 1: he only ever wanted to be a quarterback and wasn't
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  Speaker 1: going to do anything else. Taysom Hill showed the humility
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  Speaker 1: to say I'll do whatever we need to do to win,
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  Speaker 1: and he did it over and over and over again.
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  Speaker 1: Today that we knew was coming, but it is now official.
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  Speaker 1: Taysom Hill's time in New Orleans is done and for
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  Speaker 1: all of us, he's one of the greatest saints we've
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  Speaker 1: ever seen and there has never been one like him
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  Speaker 1: before and very likely will never be another like him again.
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  Speaker 1: Congrats on an amazing run Taysom Hill. Nine years in
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  Speaker 1: New Orleans, as time as a saint is done.