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Sean Payton's new toy: A 'Thor-terback' named Taysom Hill



Mike Triplett
ESPN Staff Writer
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METAIRIE, La. -- Drew Brees laughed when he was asked how much fun Sean Payton is having with Taysom Hill this season.

"He loves it. Oh, he loves it," Brees said. "A new toy. That's Sean's new toy."

Can you blame him?

Payton is one of the NFL's all-time great innovators. And he is suddenly getting the chance to add new pages to his playbook because of the New Orleans Saints' do-everything quarterback who has been compared to everyone from Tim Tebow to Kordell Stewart to Michael Vick to Jim Thorpe.

We've seen Hill line up as a read-option quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end, kickoff returner and special-teams coverage specialist. He has converted two fake punts (one passing and one running). And he has run the ball 18 times for 125 yards and a touchdown for a 5-1 team that is gaining steam.

During one practice session, Payton practically looked like he was drawing up a new play in the dirt (or the artificial turf, anyway), moving players around like chess pieces.

"It's kind of a learning process, you know. And I think having this weapon now is really intriguing, because Taysom is so versatile, he can do so many things," said Brees, who is now lining up as a wide receiver a few times a game -- though the ball hasn't been thrown his way yet. So for now, the Saints' starting quarterback has one career TD reception, from LaDainian Tomlinson with the San Diego Chargers in 2003.

But the season is young.

"We're still just kind of scratching the surface," Brees said. "We're still just kind of learning what we can do with all that stuff."

When Payton was asked recently if he has always had all those wrinkles in his mind or if he has been designing them to specifically utilize Hill, Payton joked, "I hadn't given it much thought with Drew, to be honest with you, in 12 years."

Payton isn't alone.

Hill is a rare athlete at 6-foot-2, 221 pounds who reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds at BYU's pro day in 2017. Teammates and coaches marvel at his weight room prowess. Apparently coaches in college told him he wasn't allowed to squat more than 700 pounds. Saints punter Thomas Morstead said when Hill squats 500 pounds, he looks like he's just casually standing up out of a chair.

So when coaches see him, they all think, "What can I do with this guy?"

That's how longtime special-teams coordinator Mike Westhoff felt when he joined the Saints' staff last season and asked to borrow Hill for his own purposes. (Hill finished the year with four special-teams tackles and has three more this season.)

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“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill