The post-Drew Brees era begins soon in New Orleans, with either Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston earning the starting job. Regardless of the winner, their successor believes both will play.
“Both guys have such a love for the game . . . and you can see it in the way they play,” Brees told Mike Tirico or this week’s Football Morning in America. “Taysom has an infectious love for the game. There is not a guy who is more respected for that and for what he brings to the team. Jameis was such a joy to be around. He also loves the game and loves to work at it. You can tell that football consumes his thoughts. He wants to be a great player and continue to improve. Whatever happens, in terms of whoever is the starter, I do think there is a scenario where both of them are playing. If Jameis is the starter I think Taysom is seeing a lot of action at quarterback, maybe even moreso than he did with me.”
Coach Sean Payton undoubtedly finds fascinating the prospect of having both players on the field. And, yes, if Winston starts, the presence of Hill lined up at other positions can make the offense even more dynamic.
As Simms and I have previously discussed on PFT Live, winning and keeping the starting job may hinge in part on the ability to adapt to an ever-changing game plan. Payton always looks for new ideas, and he doesn’t hesitate to incorporate new plays -- sometimes only hours before kickoff. The quarterback who can most quickly adapt to those changes and implement them effectively will have an edge.
However it plays out, the competition surely will be fair and likely will make both players better. Which will make the Saints’ offense better. which will make the entire team better. Which will make Tampa’s return to the Super Bowl anything but automatic.