Tyreek's Time to Really Shine Has Arrived
One of the highlights of Tyreek Hill's media session Monday came when he told reporters, "I just can't wait to score my first touchdown In that aqua."
Chances are, Hill already will have scored a touchdown or two — or five or six — before that happens because logic says the Miami Dolphins won't be wearing their aqua jerseys until the Thursday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 29.
The point was clear, though: Hill is ready to show the Miami Dolphins what he can produce on the field after an offseason where head coach Mike McDaniel has praised Hill for what he's done in terms of leadership.
HILL'S QUICK IMPACT AS A LEADER
Hill's work in that area has been good enough that he's been voted a team captain for the 2022 season, one of three players selected on offense along with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and fellow newcomer Terron Armstead.
In that sense, the trade for Hill already has paid some dividends because he certainly has done his part to help Tagovailoa enter his critical third NFL season feeling more confident than he ever has during his time with the Dolphins.
Part of that confidence is knowing what Hill can do for the offense thanks to his ridiculous speed, which we didn't see often in the preseason considering he played a total of only three snaps but which was so obvious as to leave a lasting impression.
And for that we turn to Philadephia Eagles cornerback Ka'Von Wallace, who was on the wrong end of Hill's 51-yard reception on the first play of the preseason finale at Hard Rock Stadium.
While it's too soon to try to predict exactly what kind of numbers Hill might put up for the Dolphin in 2022, let's just say the possibilities are endless.
HILL NOT PUTTING PRESSURE ON HIMSELF
Hill is well aware of the expectations, but speaks more of terms of "opportunity" as the season approaches as opposed to goals or things he wants to prove to himself.
"I feel like God gifted us with his great game of football, he gifted me with this skill set, so why would I let it go to waste?" Hill said. "I feel like I'm in the best time of my year, I feel great. So each and every opportunity I get to get on the field, I'm going to let my talents be on display. I just don't want to waste this up. So what's the feeling now? I'm ready to finally be welcome into the Hard Rock stadium. Very excited."
While this already was known, Hill confirmed Monday that he's pausing his "It Needed To Be Said" podcast during the 2022 season to focus on football, with whatever free time he has to be devoted to his new store, Soul Runner, in the Aventura Mall in Miami.
Hill said the podcast would be on hold until the Pro Bowl, where Hill figures to be involved (considering he's 6-for-6 for Pro Bowl invitations in his NFL career, unless the Dolphins make it to the Super Bowl.
While talking Super Bowl might be a bit farfetched, particularly if you glean national NFL predictions, it's no longer an absurd notion. And that's thanks in large part to the arrival of Hill.
Hill, though, says whatever success he or the Dolphins offense can achieve in 2022 will be the result of a team effort.
"I mean, football is a team game," he said. "I started playing this game when I was 5 years old. My dad has been my coach, my granddad, he's been my coach ever since I was a kid, and he always told me there was no 'I' in team. 'I don't care how skilled you are. I don't care how good you are, everybody needs somebody to do something for you to be able to make a play.' Obviously, everything starts up front. And it's gonna take Terron and the offensive line ... for instance, without them, I mean, I can get open all day, but without them protecting Tua, you know? I mean, I won't be able to catch the ball or without the running backs picking up linebacker blitzing in the A gap, I can get open all day, you know, and the same thing, vice versa.
"So I just look at myself as another guy on this team. Obviously, I'm a leader of this team, I'm gonna be vocal and do what I got to do to lead these young guys, but I'm just normal Tyreek, man, you know, born in South Georgia, nobody wanted to bring me into college, so I proved everybody wrong, so that's just me. That's my mind-set every day."
HILL'S HISTORY AGAINST NEW ENGLAND
And the fun begins Sunday for Hill and the Dolphins offense against Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots.
And, of course, the next thing to do is examine how Hill has done against the Patriots, and the results suggest some adjustments by Belichick and his defense because Hill put up huge numbers in his first two regular season games against them before they went down in the last two.
Hill's stat line in those first two games showed 7-133-1 and 7-142-3 in 2017 and 2018, and 6-62-0 and 4-64-1 for the last two meetings in 2019 and 2020 — the Chiefs and Patriots didn't face each other in 2021.
"Coach Belichick, obviously he's one of the greatest coaches in this great game that we got and the way that he thinks, it's just next level," Hill said. "I would just be honored to be singled out, but I just feel like when we played them, there are some plays that I do get doubled when I was with the Chiefs, but, who knows? I don't know what to expect going into a new team, different system. Who knows what to expect, but I'm sure Coach Belichick, he has a plan up his sleeve, but I feel like our coach has one of these too, so you never know,"
The Dolphins will be wearing white uniforms against the Patriots on Sunday, so that first "touchdown in that aqua" won't come on this day.
But whether the team is wearing white, aqua or orange — if the Dolphins ever decided to go back to those uniforms — won't matter. Hill will be in the spotlight from the first play of the regular season to the last.
He's the most significant offseason addition the Dolphins have made in many years and certainly among the biggest ever, and the time has come to see what kind of impact he can have on the field.
All eyes will be on Hill, he's ready for that, and it's pretty much the way he likes it.
"I've always been the guy with eyes on,," Hill said. "I've always had eyes on me everywhere I go because I've always been the speed guy, you would say. So everybody expects everything to be done correctly at a certain speed and stuff like that. My dad, man, like, he was really hard on me as a kid coaching me, teaching me things going, like giving it your all and stuff like that. So I'm used to it. And it's the same way that I teach my kids. I get on my son the same way. Like if he's not doing something, I'm always calling on him, and I've got five kids, so he's always felt like, 'Oh, Dad, you're singling me out.' I'm like, 'Dude, like, you're the oldest like, oh, you the leader of the group. So I'm always I'm always gonna single you out.' So, yeah, it doesn't affect me at all."
