Sean Payton wants to see what Taysom Hill can do (with everyone)

There are many reasons that could be identified for the Saints’ decision to start quarterback Taysom Hill on Sunday in the absence of Drew Brees. It would seem that one of the reasons is good old fashioned curiosity.

Via NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, New Orleans coach Sean Payton has a desire to learn what Hill can do not as a jack of all trades but as a quarterback on time full.

“Sean just wants to know,” said an anonymous source “with a deep understanding of Payton’s thinking,” Rapoport said.

We all want to know. The Saints presumably have an idea, given the $ 16 million in guaranteed cash given to Hill on a two-year contract, and in light of the fact that Hill has been listed all year as the No.2 quarterback. on the depth graph.

It will take more than Hill’s skills to thrive now. He will need to be able to mentally meet the challenge of leading the attack. Rapoport notes that Hill ‘battle[d] nerves at the start of the week ”, and this,“[a]At one point, it seemed like the enormity of the situation might overwhelm him.

The weeklong mystery about who quarterback will play and what might add to Hill’s anxiety. Maybe that’s part of Payton’s genius. By refusing to say who will play, an otherwise routine Week 11 game against the Falcons becomes much more important. Kind of like a playoff game.

And if Hill is New Orleans quarterback, he’ll eventually have to play in a playoff game.