Idaho native battling to replace future Hall of Fame QB; Boise State alums in NFL action
Battling to replace longtime starting quarterback Drew Brees, Idaho native Taysom Hill led the New Orleans Saints onto the field Saturday for their first preseason game of the year.
Brees called it a career in March after 20 seasons in the NFL — 15 of which he spent as the Saints starting quarterback.
Hill, who grew up in Pocatello and starred at Highland High before going on to start at BYU, opened Saturday’s game at the Baltimore Ravens with the starting offense. He led three drives, resulting in a fumble, an interception and a punt, completing 8-of-12 passes for 81 yards.
“I don’t like when things don’t go well if I’m in a competition or if I’m not in a competition,” Hill told reporters after the game. “At the end of the day, I’m trying to be as good as I possibly can for my teammates.”
He’s competing with former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Jameis Winston, who joined the Saints last season and signed a one-year extension in March.
Winston took over late in the first quarter on Saturday and played the rest of the half, throwing an 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey and completing 7-of-12 passes for 96 yards and an interception. He was replaced in the second half by former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book, who went 9-for-16 for 126 yards and an interception.
In all, the Saints turned the ball over six times in a 17-14 loss. The race to replace the future Hall of Famer Brees is far from over, but Hill is certainly in the thick of it. The Saints will be in action again Aug. 23 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mattison graduates
Former Boise State running back Alexander Mattison didn’t play in the Minnesota Vikings’ preseason opener on Saturday against the Denver Broncos, but he still had a pretty special weekend.
Mattison announced on Twitter on Sunday morning that he graduated from Boise State over the weekend.
The 23-year-old from San Bernardino, California, played at Boise State from 2016 to 2018. He led the Mountain West with 1,415 rushing yards as a junior before the Vikings picked him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He racked up 2,829 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns during his college career.
Locals in the league
Several other former Boise State players and pros with ties to Idaho took the field in preseason action over the weekend. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
WR Cedrick Wilson, Dallas Cowboys: 2 catches, 40 yards vs. Arizona Cardinals (2 catches, 29 yards in Hall of Fame game vs Steelers)
LB Leighton Vander Esch, Dallas Cowboys: 2 tackles vs. Arizona Cardinals
S Darian Thompson, Dallas Cowboys: 1 tackle vs. Arizona Cardinals
LB Tanner Vallejo, Arizona Cardinals: 4 tackles (2 solo) vs. Dallas Cowboys
DT David Moa, New York Giants: 4 tackles (2 solo) vs. New York Jets
DE Curtis Weaver, Cleveland Browns: 2 tackles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
QB Brett Rypien, Denver Broncos: 2-for-7, 24 yards vs. Minnesota Vikings
CB Avery Williams, Atlanta Falcons: 1 tackle, 3 kick returns, 85 yards, 28.3 avg, 2 punt returns, 20 yards vs. Tennessee Titans
TE John Bates, Washington Football Team: 1 catch, 19 yards vs. New England Patriots
RB Jeremy McNichols, Tennessee Titans: 3 carries, 12 yards vs. Atlanta Falcons
University of Idaho
LB Kaden Elliss, New Orleans Saints: team-high 8 tackles (6 solo) vs. Baltimore Ravens
LB Christian Elliss, Minnesota Vikings: 2 tackles vs. Denver Broncos
RB Elijah Penny, New York Giants: 1 carry, 2 yards vs. New York Jets
