Rizzi praises Hill for not playing like a 34-year-old vox888

vox888 34-year-old Taysam Hill produced a phenomenal performance to lead the New Orleans Saints to a win over the Cleveland Browns, earning praise from the head coach. vox888

New Orleans Saints acting head coach Darren Rizzi praised Taysam Hill for not playing like a 34-year-old after his three-touchdown run in Sunday’s 35-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns, ESPN reported.

Hill carried the ball seven times for 138 yards, with a long of 75 yards and averaged 19.7 yards per rush and three touchdowns. He also caught the ball eight times for 50 yards and was 1-of-2 complete for 18 yards, including a 42-yard kickoff return. Hill’s nickname as the Saints’ “Swiss Army knife” earned him praise from the head coach.

“He looks like an old guy,” Rizzi said of Hill. “He doesn’t look like a 34-year-old. He looks more like a 24-year-old. We’ve got to be smart about how we run and count plays and all that, and we can’t just sweep it under the rug. His age, but I think the reason he’s been successful is because of what he’s done throughout the calendar year, his preparation, his nutrition and all those other things.”

Hill played 32 snaps on offense, including 10 at the slot, eight at quarterback, six at fullback, four at wide receiver and four at wide receiver. He also played 11 snaps on special teams. 

“It’s incredible what he does,” Saints quarterback Derek Carr said of Hill. “He plays fullback, he’s a lead blocker in the zone, then he plays wide receiver, wide receiver and quarterback. Then he catches the ball 50 yards downfield and runs with the quarterback.”

Saints offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak planned to involve Hill more than any previous offensive coordinator, but the 34-year-old suffered an injury early in the season that scuppered the plan. He returned to action and exploded in the latest game.

“We’ve seen other games this year where Taysam has played well and I think overall we feel like, yeah, we need to get the ball to this guy more and be more involved,” Rizzi said.( vox888 )