Taysom Hill’s Greatest Speech as a New Orleans Saint: “Play for the Name on Your Chest and the City on Your Back”
One of the most unforgettable moments in the New Orleans Saints locker room came after a gritty, come-from-behind win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. With Drew Brees retired, the team was under pressure, and the critics were loud. But it was Taysom Hill, the do-it-all quarterback, who stepped up—not just on the field, but with a fiery postgame speech that became legendary in Saints history.
Here’s a recreation of that speech, widely quoted and passed around Saints circles to this day:
“Look around this locker room. This—this right here—is family. We don’t play for stats. We don’t play for headlines. We play for the name on our chest and the city on our back.”
“We’ve been counted out, disrespected, overlooked. They said we couldn’t win without Drew. They said we couldn’t lead. But every time we get knocked down, New Orleans gets back up. And we fight harder.”
“You see that Fleur-de-lis? That’s more than a logo. That’s pain. That’s resilience. That’s Katrina. That’s the Dome. That’s second-line spirit. That’s who we fight for.”
“I’m not the most conventional quarterback. I’m not here to be traditional. I’m here to be relentless. I’ll block, I’ll run, I’ll throw, I’ll tackle—I’ll do whatever it takes. Because that’s what this team needs.”
“Every single man in here has something to prove. And tonight—we proved it. But this is just one game. We ain’t finished. We haven’t written our story yet. So let’s write it with grit, with fire, and with the soul of this city.”
“This city believes in us. Let’s not let them down. Who Dat?!”
That speech was said to ignite a new level of unity in the locker room. Coaches and players later credited it with galvanizing the team through a tough stretch of the season.
To this day, Saints fans replay it on social media clips, and some even call it “the birth of the Taysom Era.” It wasn’t just a speech—it was a statement. And for the city of New Orleans, it was a voice that echoed everything they stood for: toughness, heart, and never backing down.
