There are a lot of takes on Saints QB/TE/whatever you call him Taysom Hill these days, particularly after his 75-yard rushing performance on national TV in Week 2.
But NFL insider Ross Tucker -- who called the Saints' Week 1 game -- has one of the strongest takes out there.
“I meant everything I said about Taysom Hill," Tucker said on the DA show this week. "Look, he’s one of the best pure, all-around football players of all time. ... He's the modern-day Jim Thorpe of the NFL."
The comparison didn't sit well with host Damon Amendolara.
"I understand what you’re saying in terms of the value and versatility of Taysom Hill on the football field," Amendolara said. "But you cannot in this argument say ‘I’m not talking about the all-time greats,’ and then invoke the name of one of the 10 greatest athletes in global history. Jim Thorpe is the name you brought up, and he is an all-time great. If you want to say Taysom Hill is one of the most versatile football players, but don’t say Jim Thorpe, who played professional baseball, and won a gold medal in the decathlon, along with being one of the greatest football players of all time, because Taysom Hill isn’t anything close to that.”
It's a fair point, though as Tucker points out, modern-day NFL players don't really get the chance to prove their mettle in other sports. It's too big a business for that. Growing up in Idaho, Hill did play basketball and track as well -- where we can all just assume he was pretty good.
But as Tucker explains, there's really no comparison for what Hill is doing in the NFL.
"Can you name anybody else, any other NFL player in our lifetime, who started games at quarterback -- 7-2 as a starting quarterback is his record -- who also returns kicks. Who also is the punt protector, who runs downs on punts and kickoffs and makes tackles, who also gets split out wides as a receiver and they throw him fade balls in the end zone," Tucker said. "He plays tight end. He plays running back. He plays tailback. He blocks. ... I’m talking about, if we're starting a football team, and you could only have one guy and you clone him 11 times. Who else are you taking? I mean, Micah Parsons is up there because he’s such a freak, he could probably play a bunch of positions. My point is in terms of an all-around football player, and everything that a pure football player could be asked to do in a game. I don’t know anybody else like Taysom Hill, dude. He runs with speed — he’s fast as heck. He runs with power. He has a really strong arm. He blocks and he knocks the crap out of people when he blocks. He runs down and makes tackles. What is the Venn diagram of guys that have started games at quarterback in the NFL and also run down on kickoffs and make tackles. … It’s just Taysom Hill. He’s the Venn diagram.”
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Most Saints fans would probably agree. And if Tucker does want to amend the Jim Thorpe comparison, he could probably turn to Frank Gifford. Hill's next receiving touchdown would make him the first NFL player since the former Giants great to have 10 touchdowns throwing, running and passing in an NFL career.
For his career Hill has:
- Passing: 2,273 yards, 10 touchdowns
- Rushing: 1,837 yards, 23 touchdowns
- Receiving: 464 yards, 9 touchdowns
For the time being he'll have to settle for going up to Lambeau Field for a matchup with the Packers in Week 3, the same team that gave him his first shot as a UDFA before he was pilfered by Sean Payton and the Saints.