Dan Levy

Like everyone on here (it appears) I was extremely pleased with Taysom Hill's performance last night. And before we even get into the technical aspects, the first thing that always stands out about him when he's on the field is his mental/physical toughness and what a competitor he is. He brings those key intangibles to the table not just as a QB but as a football player.

From a coaching perspective, what I enjoyed seeing was the level of improvement his QB play has undergone since last year.
--He has really improved his pocket presence, his progressions, and his timing and ball placement down the field.
--He managed each drive very well and followed the old adage of 'taking what the defense gave him,' throwing away from the conflict defender and checking down when his progressions dictated.
--His placement on the wheel route to Austin Carr on the TD, for example, showed how he has matured as a passer, as the ball was delivered on time and placed properly vs. a cover 2 shell (he delivered a 2-ball to the hole between the flat defender and deep half player, whereas in the past I think he's still trying to touch that ball over the top to the back pylon in that situation).
--He is standing tall on the balls of his feet with his eyes down the field in his drop backs, and he is going through full-field progressions. And he has a really nice delivery.
--His improved pocket presence means that he is using his legs more as a weapon in his arsenal, rather than his primary method of making plays. This makes him exponentially more dangerous if and when he needs to play as an every down QB rather than a gadget player.

His performance was overwhelmingly positive, but as I think it is an emotional reaction to anoint him as the clear #2 QB over Bridgewater:
--From what I could see, Bridgewater appeared to be trusted with more command of the offense during his snaps than Hill. He was making more checks at the line, using more motions and shifts, and commanding a larger pie of the system.
--For example, I did not see Hill running any quick game or timing/spacing plays. This is a centerpiece of the Saints' offense. Along with the checks, audibles, and formationing (shifts and motions), this is what the Saints use to dictate tempo to a defense, establish a
rhythm, and open up the other aspects of their game.
--Every pass play that Hill ran was either play-action or true drop back. As I said, he performed very well on these plays, made good decisions, and I think only had 2 negative plays (the two sacks).
--But being an NFL QB for 60+ snaps a game requires a lot more. It is hard to quantify in percentages how much of the offense was actually used when Hill was in there (I am not only talking about play variation, but the level of freedom he was given presnap to make decisions and put the offense in the correct position), but it was clearly less than what Bridgewater was given.
--So while it appeared that Bridgewater played less efficiently or made more mistakes, he was asked to essentially run the offense as Brees runs it... as most starting NFL QBs run it. So I think it is a little premature to compare the play of the two QBs, especially once you factor in the nature of preseason football (the level of schematic challenge they are actually receiving from the opposing defense).

Personally speaking--strictly on an aesthetic level (if that phrase can be applied here lol)--I prefer Taysom Hill. I love his physical skills, his toughness, and I do expect more from Bridgewater at this point, given his QB pedigree... and he has a really funky release that I think leads to some bad ball placement. And I want to reiterate that Hill did EXACTLY what he was asked to do last night, and that is all a player can do. Pointing out these aforementioned differences is not a negative review of him, I give him a solid A for his performance last night whereas I would give Bridgewater a B-/C+.

However, as a coach, I can appreciate the fact that Taysom Hill is probably still a gadget player in the mind of the coaches. I am not saying he shouldn't be given the chance to be the heir to Brees... or even that he isn't being considered as such. But watching the 2 halves of the game last night, it was clear who was being asked to command more of the Saints' offense, and that was Bridgewater. And I am sure there is a reason for that.