Saints Coach Sean Payton Praises LaVell Edwards, Discusses Taysom Hill In QB Battle

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton praised legendary BYU football coach LaVell Edwards and discussed his team’s upcoming quarterback battle between Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston.

Payton talked about the pair of BYU greats during an interview on the Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday, March 16.

Sean Payton praises legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards

Dan Patrick began the football portion of the interview by asking Payton which coach had been “the most impactful” in college football.

“Who’s the most impactful college coach as far as offense goes that you can remember that he changed college football?” Patrick asked.

“I think I’ve got the winner. LaVell Edwards,” Payton answered. “What he was doing in college… LaVell Edwards by far.”

Edwards served as BYU’s head football coach from 1972 to 2000.

In a time when football was a run-heavy game, Edwards opened the offensive side of the sport with a strong passing approach.

Some of the prominent quarterbacks coached by Edwards include Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer, Jim McMahon, Gifford Nielsen, Steve Sarkisian, Gary Scheide, Marc Wilson, and Steve Young.

In 1984, Edwards led the Cougars to their first and only national title in football.

He led BYU to an overall record of 257-101-3 during his tenure and won 19 conference championships.

BYU’s football stadium was renamed in his honor.

20 years ago #OTD, @BYUfootball's Cougar Stadium was renamed LaVell Edwards Stadium.#BYUFootball #GoCougs #BYU https://t.co/QnDtWg1ev7

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) November 18, 2020

Sean Payton on Taysom Hill vs. Jameis Winston

Later in the interview, Patrick and Payton talked about the retirement of former Saints quarterback and future Hall of Fame honoree Drew Brees.

The topic of Brees ended up leading to which current quarterback on New Orleans’ roster would take over the starting job in 2021.

Sean Payton coming up on the @DPShow ⚜️

Watch on @peacockTV or listen at -> https://t.co/7hoNfIyL0B pic.twitter.com/beszylFJ8J

— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) March 16, 2021

“Are you set at the quarterbacking position?” Patrick asked Payton of Hill and Winston.

“I think we are. I think we are,” Payton voiced. “There will be a few calls we’ll make but our goal coming into the offseason was to obviously re-sign Jameis, Taysom played for us in four games last year, and let those guys go to work and I’m excited about it. I’m excited about those two. Now there are a few things that may still be out there but I see those two competing for this position.”

"There's a few things that may still be out there, but I see those two [Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill] competing for the position." -Sean Payton (@SeanPayton) if the #Saints are set at the QB position. pic.twitter.com/SNpPtufZWV

— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) March 16, 2021

A day before the interview, the Saints reportedly restructured Hill’s contracted and signed Winston to a one-year deal.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Hill’s updated contract is worth $140 million over four years. However, all four years are voidable.

Patrick pushed Payton on which of the two is currently atop the depth chart. The Saints coach didn’t reveal anything other than a future competition.

“I’ve told both of them, ‘Hey, the two are going to be compete for this position.’ And they understand it,” Payton said. “We’ve already had a chance to see both of them.”

Taysom Hill in 2020

Hill played in 17 games for the Saints last season, including four starts at quarterback during the regular season.

As the starting QB, Hill led New Orleans to a 3-1 record.

He threw for 928 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions with a 72.7 completion rate.

Taysom Time ⏰ #LocalsInTheNFL #YACPodcast #Saints #NFL #BYU #GoCougs #BYUFOOTBALL @kslsports pic.twitter.com/46PPMfFWmf

— Kyle Ireland 😷 (@kyleireland) December 14, 2020

In addition to passing, Hill had 87 carries for 457 yards and eight touchdowns.

By comparison, Winston finished the year with 7/11 passing for 75 yards in four games.