Tyreek Thoughts: Tua, Confidence, Hard Work, and the Race
Tyreek Hill was very active in the second Miami Dolphins OTA open to the media Tuesday, just as he was in the first one.
It was particularly noteworthy considering that, as head coach Mike McDaniel alerted the media before the first open OTA, some high-profile (proven) veterans are not taking part in these offseason sessions.
Hill certainly would qualify as a proven veteran when you think about his six Pro Bowl invitations in six NFL seasons, not to mention his hefty contract, the one with the highest annual average for a wide receiver.
But Hill isn't about taking things easy. He wants and welcomes the work.
"That's what I do, man," Hill said after the OTA Tuesday. "When I came here, I signed up to work. I didn't sign up just for the paycheck. I also signed up to be a team leader, and also lead this team and show this team how I do things. How I do things is I work hard. I want the guys behind me to follow that. I just can't be a guy in our locker room who says, 'Hey, you guys should be doing this, doing that.' I've got to be that guy who's willing to come out on the field and work hard, show these young guys how to get the job down, and potentially win a Super Bowl That's what I'm here for."
Even though he didn't have any highlight-type catches at practice Tuesday, Hill's work running down the field was noticeable.
And that was impressive in itself.
It was the sign of being a good teammate.
STICKING UP FOR TUA
And so was his social media tweet showing several deep and accurate passes from Tua Tagovailoa after a clip showed a deep pass where he had to turn around to catch what appeared to be an underthrown pass.
Hill was asked about his decision to "defend" his quarterback.
"I just feel like football is all about confidence," Hill said. "I’m very confident in my quarterback. I just feel like, if I’m able to help him get all the confidence in the world and push other guys to push that confidence into them, the sky’s the limit for the guy. He’s a heck of a talent, has crazy arm strength, arm talent. So, like I said, we’re all excited to watch him sling the ball each and every day."
Hill also said this about Tua and the way the ball gets to him: "It's nothing weird. At first I thought it was going to be something crazy, the ball going all over the place. But Tua actually has probably one of the prettiest balls that I've ever caught in my life. Very catchable. Tua is a very accurate quarterback."
Now, this is the part where we try to point out — for those willing to listen — that teammates complimenting each other, particularly in May, is pretty much a given. Because, let's be honest, what else is a player going to answer when he's asked specifically about his quarterback.
But Hill's comments certainly illustrate his point about confidence.
HILL ALL ABOUT CONFIDENCE
And that applies not just to Tua, but to himself.
"I’ve always been like that," he said. "It’s something my grandparents instilled in me. I just feel like without confidence, you really can’t do anything. Because the mind is going to help you get to where you want to get. I just can’t come out here and feel sorry for myself every day. Just like today, I had a very hard day of running back and to, back and forth. I could easily just say, ‘You know what, I give up. I already got what I wanted.’ But yet, still, my mindset, my confidence, I just want to get better.
"I got too much pride in this game. I was telling somebody that the other day, I got too much pride in this game. I want to get better. I want to learn from Coach McDaniel. I want to learn from the OC. And I want to learn from coach Wes Welker. So, I’m just willing to elevate my game even more dawg.
As he was leaving the podium at the conclusion of his media session, Hill was asked whether a date had been set for that much-discussed race between himself and Jaylen Waddle.
We've already said our piece about the idea — spoiler alert: it doesn't make any sense — and Hill pretty much shut it down.
“I can’t race no more, man.”
