New Orleans Saints tight end Josh Hill (89) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Saints coach Sean Payton was in no mood Monday to discuss which of his assistants or players would move forward with his organization after going 7-9 to miss the postseason this year and which would not — but he did make one exception.
And that was second-year tight end Josh Hill, who improbably was tied for No. 2 on the Saints in touchdown receptions with five and topped New Orleans in special-teams tackles with 10 (eight solo).
Hill registered those numbers after he had just six total catches and got in on a lone special-teams tackle in 2013, when he was an undrafted rookie out of Idaho State, a school belonging to the second-tier Football Championship Subdivision. That didn’t just signify growth that Saints who struggled this year would’ve loved to achieve, but it was among a small smattering of positive topics discussed at team headquarters the day after New Orleans beat Tampa Bay (2-14) on the road by a score of 23-20 in the season finale.
“He’s exactly what we’re looking for, because each week you know exactly what you’re going to get,” Payton said. “He’s talented, … (was) consistent, and those are things that allow you to win.”
Hill is far from the most vocal player in the Saints’ locker room, but he took a minute Monday to reflect on the good campaign he personally had during what was an unsuccessful year for the organization of which he’s a part.
He said if he’d been told in his second season as a pro he’d have as many touchdown catches as did Marques Colston, who owns all of New Orleans’ major receiving records and won a Super Bowl title with the franchise in February 2010, he would’ve replied, “(There’s) no way; not a chance.”
“It’s kind of crazy how it worked out — I didn’t have a lot of catches but I had a lot of touchdowns,” said Hill, who had nine receptions this year that didn’t go for scores. “I was just glad I could help this team in any way that I could.”
He was equally proud of his production on special teams. He didn’t often handle those duties in his pre-Saints career, when he was primarily a pass-catching tight end in a spread offense.
“Playing special teams for two years in a row now, … I think the experience (accumulated) helped me a lot,” Hill said. “And (I’m) just understanding my role on this team.”
Hill also said he felt he developed more than he expected occasionally blocking for a Saints rushing attack that finished the season ranked 13th.
Payton called the combination of skills Hill possessed in 2014 “rare.”
“When you get a tight end that potentially is going to be your special-teams player of the year, that’s a good thing,” Payton remarked.