Dolphins' Tyreek Hill on NFL-record pace thanks to ‘fully understanding the game'| Habib
MIAMI GARDENS — He has had good seasons before. Four seasons, in fact, topping 1,000 receiving yards. But six games into his Dolphins career, Tyreek Hill, “Cheetah,” possibly the fastest man in the NFL, has found an altogether different gear.
It’s not that he’s on pace for his best season as a receiver. It’s that he’s on pace to have the best season of any receiver, anytime, anywhere. Detroit’s Calvin Johnson holds the NFL record of 1,964 yards. Hill’s is a small sample size, but six games into this season, he’s on pace for 1,986 despite the Dolphins having to use three quarterbacks in those games.
And he’s making it look easy.
“For me, it’s like going to the store and just buying a Snickers bar and just walking out,” Hill told The Post on Wednesday.
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Hill won a Super Bowl in Kansas City and piled up 1,479 yards one year with the Chiefs, but never has he felt this comfortable on a football field.
“I just feel like this year, I finally had time to just hone in on my career and just focus solely on football," Hill said. "Previous years, I came from a great system, a great quarterback, a great head coach. But this year is the year that I’m fully understanding the game of football and just understanding where to be at on the football field.”
Mike McDaniel, Wes Welker help Tyreek Hill refine his skills
If Hill had been operating largely on natural ability, things began to change shortly after the Dolphins made their blockbuster trade to obtain him in March. Hill credits coach Mike McDaniel and receivers coach Wes Welker for fine-tuning how he caught passes. Hand placement enables him to secure the ball and maximize yards after the catch.
“Wes, he’s a great coach,” Hill said. “I view him as a Hall of Fame player and also as a Hall of Fame coach because of the level of intensity he brings to every practice, no matter who you are, no matter how big the bank account is. He’s always going to hold you accountable.”
Know who else is holding Tyreek Hill accountable? Tyreek Hill.
“I’m trying to reach a milestone for myself,” he said. “I’m trying to reach a milestone for my family. I’m basically trying to build a dynasty of who I am as a player and who my family is because my parents have raised no softy.”
As for the bank account part of the deal, Hill arrived after accepting the Dolphins’ offer of a four-year extension worth $120 million. You might think he's trying to live up to that, but Hill said his performances are fueled by his desire to win, not prove his worth.
“Not at all, man,” he said. “I don’t believe in pressure at all. I’ve been playing football ever since I was a kid. I just look at this as another opportunity to have fun at recess with all my friends. I get a chance to play against some of the greatest athletes in the world and showcase my talents. I’ve got a great quarterback, I’ve got a great head coach and I’m in a great organization.”
Hill could challenge records set by Calvin Johnson, Mark Clayton
Hill leads the NFL with 701 receiving yards on 50 receptions. He’s averaging 116.8 yards per game, trailing Johnson’s record pace of 122.8 set in 2012. There are mitigating factors. Johnson set his record in a 16-game season compared with the 17 Hill has this year. But Johnson also was targeted more — 12.8 times per game compared with 10.8 for Hill.
Also, Hill is well ahead of Mark Clayton’s pace when he set the team record of 1,389 yards during Dan Marino’s legendary 1984 season. In half the games, Hill has had at least 10 catches and 150 yards.
What does this NFL record talk mean? If you ask Hill, he’ll say he doesn’t pay any attention to it even though his family does. But if he does go where no receiver has gone before?
“It’d make me feel real good to do something like that, just the magnitude of it,” Hill said. “For me, being drafted, a fifth-round pick, a lot of people labeling me as a return specialist, not being your traditional wide receiver — so the magnitude of it speaks volumes. If I break it, I’ll be more than humbled.”
That’s how Hill would feel about himself. What about how others feel about him? What about that “return specialist” label that cornerback Jalen Ramsey loved to use to get under his skin? The label makes no sense in 2022 anyway. Hill, who led the league as a punt returner as a rookie, has just two punt returns for negative-4 yards as a Dolphin.
“I really can’t control what another man or another woman says,” Hill said. “So my job is to put good film on tape, do what I’m supposed to do as a player to help this team win. And if a person sees me as a ‘return specialist,’ you know, maybe they need to go get their eyes checked or something.”
Hal Habib covers the Dolphins for The Post. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Tyreek Hill: This year, ‘I'm fully understanding the game'
