What a month it’s been for Taysom Hill, the backup quarterback who’s found himself to be the new face of the New Orleans Saints. But it’s just a temporary arrangement, for now, with Hill filling in for the injured starter Drew Brees. Hill discussed what he’s picked up from a couple of years as Brees’ understudy in the Saints locker room during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show.
When asked to explain what he’s learned in the role, Hill could only smile: “Oh man, that is such a loaded question that I could go on forever. I have learned so much from Drew. One, he is such an incredible mentor and he’s become such a great friend to me.”
The Brees and Hill families have become close in their time together in New Orleans, so much so that they celebrate Thanksgiving together. That familiarity has turned into a productive working relationship, which Hill is very thankful for.
“But I would say the things that I’ve learned most are not the things he’s said to me but what I’ve been able to observe,” Hill continued. “I was so blown away when I first got here to see how he prepares week in and week out. Because I had this expectation that Drew’s been playing so long and he’s been so great and so consistent, that there’s not a defense he hasn’t seen, but I’m telling you he prepares as if it’s his first start every week.
“And so his routine, his schedule, I can tell you that if I was gone for a week, I could tell you exactly what he’s doing and when he would doing it because his routine is so dialed in and he knows what it takes to get prepared for a game.”
Hill hit on a couple of other topics in his interview — areas he wants to improve as a quarterback, how Sean Payton first added him to the team, and whether he prefers to throw a touchdown pass or run it in himself. It’s a great listen, so be sure to check it out.
