SALT LAKE CITY — No doubt, Taysom Hill has become one of the most hyped-up, entertaining and effective part-time players in the NFL.
But the New Orleans Saints’ do-it-all athlete might not be receiving enough attention and playing time, if you ask a fellow BYU alumnus and former NFL player.
Hill is even better than Lamar Jackson, according to Brady Poppinga.
Yes, even better than the unanimous NFL MVP and Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson.
Former BYU defensive back Ben Criddle, who hosts a Utah County-based Cougars radio show on ESPN960, tweeted out the controversial quote from Poppinga that sent a shockwave through the NFL community.
Poppinga, a Spanish-speaking NFL sideline reporter for Fox Deportes, shared his no-holds-barred take on the Cougar Sports Show last Friday while postulating that the Saints will reward him handsomely to stick around to be Drew Brees’ heir, perhaps even being transitioned into being the starter. (The controversial quote is at about the 18:20 mark.)
“I literally look at Lamar Jackson as he’s the poor man’s Taysom Hill. It’s not the other way around,” Poppinga told Criddle of the restricted free agent. “That’s what we’ve got with Taysom, and that’s why the Saints are not messing around with the guy. He eventually will get taken care of.”
A Complex.com writer said Poppinga’s claim “could be one of the worst takes in NFL history.” The article showed some reactions around the sports world, including some that Poppinga’s claim is a racist opinion.
That article included this comparison:
Last season, Hill played in 16 games. This led to 27 rushes for 156 yards and one touchdown. Lamar Jackson played in 15 games last season. He accounted for 36 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Jackson also accumulated over 3,100 yards—including 1,206 rushing yards which are the most yard rushed by a quarterback in NFL history. Oh, not to mention that Jackson was named the league’s unanimous MVP and that the only other person to accomplish this feat is Tom Brady.
“I love Taysom Hill, but all this negative talk about Lamar Jackson has to stop,” TheSpun.com’s Saints writer Chris Rosvoglou wrote on Twitter. “How can we say the reigning MVP is a poor man’s version of a QB that hasn’t started in the NFL?”
Criddle’s tweet has been “ratioed,” as the cool kids describe what happens when a post receives more comments (usually negative) than likes. As of Tuesday morning at 8, the post with the quote bomb had 926 likes, 206 retweets and 1,400-plus comments.
In Poppinga’s defense, he’s not the only one who believes the 29-year-old Hill might have some football strengths over Jackson.
A longtime NFL special teams coordinator, Mike Westhoff, who was with New Orleans from 2017-18, rankled some feathers earlier this year when he said the ex-BYU quarterback throws better than Jackson.
“Take a look at Baltimore. It’s the same kind of guy,” Westhoff said in a CBS Sports Radio interview. “Taysom Hill does those same kind of things. I think he throws better.”
As PressBoxOnline.com noted, Westhoff wasn’t trying to be insulting to Jackson. He’s just a big believer in Hill.
“It’s not a shot at Lamar Jackson,” Westhoff told Glenn Clark Radio. “I think he’s an incredible football player. … He made their franchise relevant.”