Tyreek's 2K Target; He's Not Playing Around ... Or Is He?
Tyreek Hill possibly set a goal for 2023, and then criticized himself to the world in a series of tweets that were separated by four minutes.
“2K on my mind,” the Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl receiver wrote, possibly referencing the prospects of becoming a 2,000-yard receiver next season.
It’s possible Hill, who is a video game streamer, was referring to playing a round of NBA2K, a basketball game that’s often streamed to fans.
But four minutes later, Hill, who caught 119 passes and turned them into 1,710 yards and scored eight touchdowns in his first season with the Dolphins, announced that he isn’t in ideal shape, potentially using that disclosure as fuel.
“I’m getting fat,” Hill wrote. “I’m at 11 percent body fat now.”
Hill is referring to his Body Mass Index (BMI), which sports teams and trainers track when scrutinizing someone’s shape and level of fitness.
According to WebMD, for people ages 20 to 39, women should aim for 21-32 percent body fat. Men should have 8-19 percent.
While 11 percent is nothing for us to turn up our noses, maybe Hill is being critical because he usually is in single digits.
Maybe Hill is trying to motivate himself to train harder in the offseason program, which the Dolphins started two weeks ago, holding weight lifting and conditioning sessions, along with instructional periods.
THE 2,000-YARD CHALLENGE FOR A WIDE RECEIVER
To become the first NFL receiver to eclipse the 2,000-yard threshold, it would take a receiver being in phenomenal shape and likely staying healthy for the entire regular season. That journey likely begins in the offseason.
Hill would need to average 117.6 yards per game for 17 games next season to become a 2,000-yard receiver. Last year he averaged 100.6, but it should be pointed out he didn’t play with Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins’ starting quarterback, for five games last season.
It should also be pointed out Hill played through some injuries, as do most players.
Hill actually was on pace for 2,085 yards through the team's first nine games when he already was at 1,104 yards.
Is a 2,000-yard season realistic for a receiver? With the right amount of targets it could be, especially if a team has the right kind of quarterback, play-caller, and weaponry around him.
TYREEK HILL ON A HALL OF FAME TRACK
The biggest thing that stands in his way of Hill reaching the 2,000 yard threshold is opportunity.
Former Detroit Lions legend Calvin Johnson, who was recently elected to the Hall of Fame, sits atop the list of when it comes to the highest single-season yardage output, accounting for 1,964 yards in 2,012.
Behind him is Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp, who produced 1,947 receiving yards in 2021, which was the first season the NFL went to a 17-game regular season schedule.
Four other NFL receivers — Julio Jones, Jerry Rice, Antonio Brown and Justin Jefferson — have passed 1,800 receiving yards in a season.
If Hill gets into the 1,800-receiving-yard community he’ll have accomplished something that will strengthen his Hall of Fame resume, which has him on pace to become a first-ballot selection if he can put together 3-5 more seasons like last year.
Easier said than done, but Hill has a chance to create new benchmarks for NFL players. And it all starts with getting himself in tip-top shape.