New Orleans Saints are saving the Buccaneers with Taysom Hill
By Rob Leeds
After dominating the Buccaneers over the years, the New Orleans Saints may take a step back if they turn to Taysom Hill down the road.
The New Orleans Saints are at the top of the NFC South and the NFC. After handily beating the Buccaneers both times this season, it’s clear that Tampa Bay is nowhere close to the juggernaut status that the Saints have developed during Sean Payton‘s tenure. Payton is one of the best coaches in the NFL, but the Taysom Hill saga has still been hard to follow.
During this time, it hasn’t matter who lines up at quarterback for either team. The Saints have been substantially better than the Bucs in almost every matchup, even when their backup quarterback is in the game.
The Saints have beaten the Buccaneers with Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, and in some ways, Taysom Hill in at quarterback. Tampa Bay has shifted between Jameis Winston and Tom Brady during the last two seasons, yet they still can’t pull off a win.
Losing to a division rival at a rate like this hurts, especially during a season like this. The expectations were so high for the Buccaneers during both matchups this season, and Tampa Bay fell harder in these games than the rest.
The good news for the Bucs is that Drew Brees is on his way out, which means one of several scenarios will occur.
The worst-case scenario for the Bucs is that the Saints turn to Jameis Winston, and he evolves into a Hall of Famer. Tampa Bay has a horrible history of players leaving to massive success, and polarizing Jameis Winston winning a Super Bowl as the starting quarterback for a division rival would tear the franchise apart.
The second scenario is far better for Tampa Bay and the most likely right now, and it is that the Saints make Taysom Hill their full-time starter. Very few opponents’ moves could help the Buccaneers more than this.