MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — You know all that talk from Mike McDaniel about Tua Tagovailoa not being the savior of the Miami Dolphins?
Tyreek Hill doesn’t want to hear it.
“Shhhh,” Hill said. “He can say what he wants to say. But Tua is that guy. He’s that deal, man. You know, he’s a big part of this team, bro. I’m gonna keep saying that every guy in this locker room knows that.
“But obviously, when we go play a game, like it’s next man up, that’s the mentality all day. But Tua is a part of his offense. Can’t nobody stop us, bro. We should go every drive. That’s the way I look at it. That’s the way I look at it, bro. We got too much talent.”
What Did Tyreek Hill Say About Tua Tagovailoa?
Hill was understandably over the moon to have Tagovailoa back at practice Wednesday. And the NFL‘s most dangerous deep threat tandem in 2023 gave their teammates a glimpse of the past and perhaps the future.
“He looked great, man,” Hill said. “Felt like old times. Me and him connected on a few deep shots today, and that kind of got me feeling good today.
“I missed that. I missed him. I told him I gotta take him and his wife for dinner, bro, because I missed him so much. That s— was beautiful, that it almost made me cry.
“Just having him in the lineup, having him call the plays, having him direct the offense, like just hearing his voice. I know that sounds crazy, but he’s a big part of this team, bro. Like you see why these quarterbacks get paid so much money, man. Just the respect I have for him. The respect this whole team has for him. We gonna have his back, no matter.”
Hill stands to benefit more than anyone from Tagovailoa’s return. In the four weeks he missed, Hill had one of the worst stretches of his career, catching just 14 passes for 140 yards and zero touchdowns from the Dolphins’ collection of backups.
That was a good game for Hill in 2023.
And after being targeted twice in the Dolphins’ Week 7 16-10 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Hill seemed to reach his boiling point.
Tyreek Hill on the return of Tua Tagovailoa pic.twitter.com/GJcBLGpEBh
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 23, 2024
Hill on Wednesday downplayed any potential friction between him and McDaniel.
“Football is football,” Hill said. “I feel like I’ve been playing football my whole entire life, you know, you’re gonna have ups, you’re gonna have downs, but I’m going on year nine now. I understand how it goes.
“I’m not gonna dwell on it. I’m not gonna lose my head over football. I’m gonna control what I can control, which is running the right route, being in the right spot, being a good teammate for my teammates, you know.”
Hill’s slump was crushing for many fantasy football managers who drafted him high this summer. But now that Tagovailoa is back?
“We’re back, baby,” Hill said. “Strike up the f—ing band, man. We’re back, baby. Start me this week, baby. Let’s go.”