If Dennis Allen had his way years ago, the Taysom Hill you currently know may have never existed.
What makes Taysom Hill so beloved by New Orleans Saints fans is the fact he can do everything. He’s currently a part-time tight end/fullback who lines up on the line of scrimmage, in the slot, or out wide. And of course he’s started games at quarterback (notching a 7-2 record!). In the latest preseason game, the team gave him a lot of snaps in the backfield as a running back and lead blocker. Basically, name a position on offense and he’s been there.
However, if Sean Payton would have given in to Dennis Allen’s request, Taysom Hill would have been a defensive player. Allen revealed this conversation to Kay Adams when she asked if Mr. Do-It-All could play defense.
“I thought about that,” Allen said. “Early on we thought about making him a Sam linebacker. The head coach at the time wasn’t giving anything up.”
Allen’s plan was to put Hill at strongside linebacker and let him rush the passer half of the time. This is equally as creative as Hill playing all of these offensive positions when you remember he started out as a quarterback for BYU.
If you really want to get crazy, maybe Hill would have become a two-way stud who split time on both sides, but doesn’t play a lot either way. It’s not like the Saints run a lot of three-linebacker sets anyway.
Hill has covered punts and kickoffs on special teams and made plenty of tackles, so he could have been up to the task. But Payton wanted him focusing on offense, and Saints fans have gotten to celebrate plenty of touchdowns because of it.
