Technically, the opinions of Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians on the expected quarterback playing time for the Saints on Sunday against Atlanta isn’t relevant because Tampa Bay wouldn’t face New Orleans again until the 2020 postseason, at the earliest. As a practical matter, the views of another NFL head coach on one of the biggest questions of the week are worth listening to, especially since he coaches a team in the same division as the Saints.
During his Saturday press conference, Arians was asked whether he’s surprised by the decision of the Saints to go with Taysom Hill over Jameis Winston in the absence of Drew Brees.
“No, not really,” Arians said. "[Hill is] a dynamic guy and he throws the ball a lot better than people think. He’s [also] been there longer. I would probably just guess they’ll see both of them.”
That could be a good guess, notwithstanding reports indicating that Hill will be the wire-to-wire starter on Sunday. It’s possible that the Saints deliberately are spreading misinformation regarding the possibility that both Hill and Winston will play, with a still-secret plan to give both quarterbacks snaps.
Ultimately, the bulk of the snaps could go to the guy who does the most with the ones he gets earlier in the game.