Dolphins Plan to Tease Tyreek Hill for Play That Produced NFL's Fastest Speed
Miami Dolphins' All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill realized he'll be subjected to a week's worth of teasing on a play where he posted the fastest ball carrier speed in the NFL for the 2023 season, so he needed to get ahead of it.
That's why Hill posted a pre-emptive strike after the game, addressing the quick hitch he turned upfield for a 64-yard reception before getting caught by Giants safety Xavier McKinney, who had a good angle on him.
"I'm washed," Hill tweeted out immediately after Miami's 31-16 win over the New York Giants.
Clearly, Hill is trolling considering that play made him the first player of the 2023 to post a 22 mph speed, according to Next General Stats.
His official 22.01 allowed him to move ahead of teammate De'Von Achane, the rookie tailback whose 21.93 time from Week 3 against Denver trumped Hill's previous best, which was 21.66 mph he posted on a 47-yard catch he pulled in during the Week 1 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
"I'm the fastest in the league," Hill told the Miami Dolphins' social media team, right before fellow receiver Braxton Berrios added a "forever."
Dolphins in endless race all season
Last week Hill took issue with Achane claiming the top spot, and the competitor in him made it a goal to redeem the Cheetah's reputation.
Even though Hill posted the top speed of the season, the fact he was caught from behind by a safety got him teased on the sideline the rest of the game.
And the jokes likely won't end there.
"He's going to hear it from all of us this whole week," said Achane, whose 460 rushing yards, which he's produced on 38 carries, puts him second in rushing, behind San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey, who has 510 rushing yards on 99 carries. "It's friendly competition."
Between, Hill, Achane and Raheem Mostert, Dolphins had the six fastest speeds of the 2023 season until Cincinnati's Ja'Marr Chase produced a 21.54 mph speed on a 63-yard touchdown in Sunday's 34-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Now that means the Dolphins only have seven of the top nine speeds of 2023, and nine of the top 20, with Jaylen Waddle bringing up the rear at No. 18 with a 20.99 mph speed he posted in Week 1.
"They don’t necessarily talk about how fast they are, they’re just fast," quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said of his weaponry, which has helped the Dolphins set a new NFL record for most yards gained (2,568) in the first five games of a season. "But then when you bring it up in conversation, then that’ll get those guys boiled up."
Tyreek on pace for 2,000 yards
But as for the washed Cheetah, his 130.2 receiving yards per game average has him on pace to achieve his goal of becoming the first NFL player to produce 2,000 receiving yards in a season, which would set an NFL record.
Former Lions receiver Calvin Johnson, a Hall of Famer, set the record in 2012 with 1,964.
Sunday was the 13th game of Hill’s career with 150+ receiving yards, tying Johnson for third-most in a player’s first eight seasons in NFL history. Only Lance Alworth (17) and Jerry Rice (16) have more.
His 651 receiving yards is second-most by any player since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 through the first five games of a season. The only person with more is his position coach, Wes Welker.
The odds that Welker has done something better than Hill will likely be brought up this week to motivate Hill, considering head coach Mike McDaniel said the easiest way to turn Hill into "the Cheetah," his competitive alter ego, is to bring the competitor out of him by creating a challenge.
That's why McDaniel posts or announces the fastest miles per hour time of practice daily.
"He’s different, man. He is different. When he harnesses a competitive situation, there’s not many like it," McDaniel said of Hill. "I know for a fact that he’s just a prideful individual, prideful of everything he does. [I'm] very glad that we have him on our team because I definitely notice his competitive issues, and I poke and prod them a lot. The guys know that they’re going to get his best effort."
And now that the fastest recorded speed has been reacquired, "Cheetah" is likely onto his next challenge, which is winning a Super Bowl with the Dolphins, which Hill has vowed to do before he retires.
“We’re just having fun, and that just goes to show this team isn’t just a one-man show," said Hill, who has pulled in 36 receptions for 651 yards and scored five touchdowns this season. "You got guys all around the field that can make special plays. I’m excited. I’m very thankful to be on this team, and I just enjoy being the fastest each and every day.”
