On Monday’s Two Beers Deep (picture below) I asked Greg a simple, yet profound sports question….Is Taysom Hill that awesome, or is he just forced into that offense a SHIT ton?
Just for people who may not know, Hill has been electric this season. He finished the season as the only player in NFL history with 50+ passing yards, 50+ rushing yards and 25+ receiving yards in a postseason game, one of the more specific stats of this century. The deep ball to Harris alone was electric.
I wanted to take a realistic look through recent history and name some guys that I believe would be successful in this “Hill” role if they were forced into an offense this much. This isn’t a knock on the QB / WR / RB / OL / ST / GAWD, it’s more just a list of people I think could succeed in NOLA. Some of these guys are obviously successful in their own right, but I think they could play the gadget role well.
I think the key here is a skill player (RB / WR) that can throw the ball. It seems easier to go from that point of view just because Hill doesn’t always get time in the pocket.
Mohamed Sanu
A one-time college Quarterback, Sanu has had a quality career as a wide receiver in the NFL. From the Bengals to the Falcons to now the Pats, Sanu is a name people are familiar with, and in part due to his outstanding (and I believe still perfect) QBR. Sanu is a great athlete with a BANGING deep ball.
Julian Edelman
It’s wildly known that Edelman was a college quarterback at Kent State and has grown to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. The New England Patriots aren’t really much for trick plays every game, but when they do roll the dice Edelman is absolutely their guy….well, was their guy since acquiring Sanu. If not for his amazing ability to be a Brady White Receiver, Edelman could be a Hill player.
Tim Tebow
Say what you’d like about Tebow’s career, but don’t forget that as a Quarterback he defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers AND let the world know who Demaryius Thomas was. The guy was a college legend, basically playing a hybrid role at Florida between QB and RB anyways. Also, Tebow was (and still is) a tremendous athlete, proving this as a two-sport player for Football and Baseball.
Denard Robinson
We may be getting to a point of just flat out hope, but Denard Robinson made a “successful” (meaning he got snaps) change from QB at Michigan to RB for the Jaguars and even started for a short stint. I liked Robinson out of school but was never really sold on the fact that he could be an NFL caliber RB. If forced into a gadget role in the right system though, who knows.
Antwaan Randle-El
This one I LOVE, especially because this basically won the Steelers a Super Bowl. Randle-El is a college quarterback who was pretty good, being the end of some praise from Penn State’s Joe Paterno who said “He is just the whole offense. It is scary to watch him. He is so quick that if you don’t get on him and you wait for him to pitch the ball, he will take off on you. He is just an amazing athlete. I don’t know how you get ready for him.”
So, who did I miss? Have a case for a guy who isn’t on the list? Let me know!
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