FRISCO, Texas — If Mike McCarthy composed a list of players he coached over his NFL career who were released from his roster and became prominent with another team, Taysom Hill would be on it -- and maybe at the very top as the one who got away.
“We thought he was a hell of a quarterback,’’ Dallas Cowboys Coach McCarthy said this week as his team prepares to face Hill's New Orleans Saints in Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season.
McCarthy coached Hill during the Green Bay Packers’ training camp in 2017, and believes he performed well enough to earn a roster spot in that audition. But the quarterback from BYU was released in the final cuts against the protests of McCarthy, who lacked contractual control over the 53-man roster.
Then-Packers General Manager Ted Thompson overruled his coach with that call, mistakenly believing that, because Hill was older than most rookies and more runner than passer, the quarterback would clear waivers and could then re-sign to Green Bay’s practice squad.
"He clearly played well," McCarthy recalled this week. "I think he may have led the league -- the whole NFL -- in rushing in the preseason. He played extremely well that year. Frankly, we thought we'd try to slide him on the practice squad. That lasted about two minutes.’’
The Saints, with the imaginative Sean Payton as their head coach at the time, claimed Hill. Ever since, he's been the Micah Parsons of the New Orleans offense thanks to his ability to play different positions, among them quarterback, fullback and tight end.
He does a little bit of everything for the Saints. Which is how he has become the only player in the Super Bowl era with 10 career passing, rushing and receiving touchdowns each to his name.
The Cowboys will host Hill and the Saints for their home opener on Sunday. The last time the franchises met was in 2021 at the Superdome -- in a game McCarthy missed because of a positive COVID test.
Hill started at quarterback in that one, and finished with a most improbable stat line: He threw four interceptions but rushed for 101 yards on 11 carries.
“I think, just like anything, the more value that you can add, obviously your job security will be a little longer,’’ McCarthy said. “He's mastered that. He's a weapon. He is a weapon. He does a lot of things. He's a bigger man than when I had him in training camp. I thought he was a very good young quarterback prospect. Put that down.’’
Don't Stop Me Now
Micah Parsons was shocked when DeMarvion Overshown sprinted past him to sack DeShaun Watson against the Browns in Week 1. A third-round pick in 2023, Overshown made his NFL debut belatedly, having lost what should have been his rookie season last year to an ACL injury in the preseason.
He contributed nine tackles on Sunday, and became the first Dallas player in seven years to record a sack in his first game -- something not even Micah Parsons achieved.
Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer described him to me as unique -- a see-and-hit style linebacker.
This is what Cowboys VP of Player Personnel Will McClay told me after seeing Overshown’s performance in Cleveland: "Covers so much ground and can change directions at high speeds while being under control. Lot of fast players in the league but don’t necessarily like contact. This kid loves high speed collisions which makes him play faster because there is no hesitation in his last 4-5 steps to target.”
New Attitude
Mike McCarthy is admittedly interested to see how Mike Zimmer’s defense performs against the Saints' offense under first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, hired from the 49ers.
The 49ers and Packers both use the Mike Shanahan offense Kubiak employs. The Cowboys have been eliminated from the playoffs by San Francisco or Green Bay in each of the past three postseasons. And the Saints scored a league-high 47 points against the hapless Panthers in Week 1.
In a text exchange, New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen explained his rationale for the change in offensive strategy: "The ability to create issues for the defense with shifts and motions and exotic formations and yet keep it simple for the QB and the offense."
The Saints ranked last in pre-snap motion last season. They used it at the highest rate in the league in Week 1.
Notes, Stats & Quotes
- When the Cowboys have started a season 2-0, they have made the playoffs 79% of the time (21-of-27).
- Dak Prescott remains hopeful tight end Jake Ferguson can play this week following the MCL injury to his left knee. Including the playoffs Prescott has 32 touchdown passes to tight ends in the last three seasons, second in the NFL behind Patrick Mahomes.
- Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is exceptional as a runner on jet sweeps, and his presence in the run game creates dynamic plays that otherwise don’t exist. Asked whether he likes the role, Lamb said, "I don't complain about touching the ball at all -- whether it's a jet sweep, handoff, a toss, a pitch. However we can get it done. I just want to contribute to a win and to helping this offense be as explosive as we can be.’"
- Dak Prescott grew up in Louisiana, but as a Cowboys fan. His friends who are Saints fans have been tormenting him this week. Said Prescott: “I’ve just kind of sent them an emoji and said, 'Go Cowboys.' They fired back with ‘Who Dat?’ I wrote back ‘Who Dak?’ Good playful stuff back and forth." The emoji Dak used? In his words: “The finger.”
- The Cowboys were among four NFL teams to get 200-plus offensive and defensive snaps from rookies this weekend. First-rounder Tyler Guyton played every snap at left tackle, and third-rounder Cooper Beebe played all but one snap at center. Second-round defensive end Marshawn Kneeland played 44 snaps with three tackles, and corner Caelen Carson played 60 snaps with four tackles and two passes defensed. The division rival Giants were the only team to have rookies play more snaps than the Cowboys’ 257 from the rookie class
- The Week 2 matchup between the Saints and Cowboys is interesting from a defensive perspective. The Cowboys limited Deshaun Watson to a 9.3 QBR in Cleveland, while the Saints held Bryce Young to a 10.3 QBR.
- The Cowboys have won 16 consecutive regular-season games at ATT Stadium, and Dak Prescott ranks as the best home quarterback in the NFL. But the historically embarrassing playoff loss against the Packers in their most recent appearance prevents too much gloating. Said DeMarcus Lawrence: “We definitely take a lot of pride in that, and we want to be the best of the best. We're not settling for mediocrity.’’
- The Cowboys have averaged 34.9 PPG at home since 2022 with Prescott as starting QB. The Saints scored 22.3 PPG on the road in 2023
- Saints QB Derek Carr was pressured on just 16 percent of his pass attempts in Week 1. That explains how he completed 86 percent of his passes. But it won’t be the same against the Cowboys, who lead the early NFL season with six sacks and 25 pressures. Individually, Micah Parsons had the most QB hits and pressures by any player in Week 1.
The Big Finish
The Saints have to control the style of play against the Cowboys if they want to pull off an upset in Arlington this weekend.
The number 20 is key in defining their success: They’re 9-1 since 2023 when allowing fewer than 20 points in a game, and 1-7 when they allow 20-plus points.
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