Tyreek Hill – December 12, 2024
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Thursday, December 12, 2024
WR Tyreek Hill
(Obviously big stakes game. You guys know you’re pretty much back up against a wall. Lose and playoffs is done. What kind of mentality do you have to go into this game with?) – “Got to be a dawg, dawg. I feel like each and every week, that’s kind of been the mentality. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone our way, but everybody knows what’s at stake and it’s going to be the same mentality that we had on our final few drives against the Jets. Guys have got to approach the game that way. Like we don’t want to end in January and stuff like that, so I’m expecting the best. We’ve put together some great practices this week and I’m just happy, the things that we’re building upon here. Trying to win games late in December, so it’s going to be something special.”
(Do you think, do you see a way that all the adversity you guys have faced, all the things that you guys have gone through will finally come to benefit you?) – “Oh yeah, for sure. For sure. I feel like a lot of guys are using that as fuel, learning from mistakes earlier in the season, just trying to get better. Like whatever it takes to win games, so it’s been the mindset. Guys are in meeting rooms longer, guys are staying after practice longer doing the small things trying to get better. So that’s just the approach you’ve got to have whenever you’re trying to win these kinds of games. Everybody’s tired, everybody’s sore. But what are you going to do to separate yourself and go the extra mile to be different? And we’ve got a lot of guys that have been doing a great job of doing those little things.”
(How much did you like that both you and WR Jaylen Waddle both had big games on the same day? It had been a long time since both of you had really gone off the same game?) – “Tua (Tagovailoa) did a great job of throwing the ball with precision and accuracy and offensive line, those guys did a great job, too, though. It’s been a wild season for us, but me and Jaylen (Waddle), we obviously understand that it’s a team game and the most important thing is to win football games; and however we can help win those games, we want to be a part of it. So it takes a lot for us to get the ball. Offensive line obviously has to do their job, running backs have to help them on that and then obviously Tua is the main part of that. Things were just rolling in our direction on Sunday and we were able to make a few plays.”
(I would imagine at the wide receiver position it’s grueling to play most every snap. You were like 70-72 last week. Is that something that you enjoy – playing that high of volume?) – “Yeah, yeah, I do, man. I feel like I can do it. I train myself the whole entire offseason just for moments like that. I want to be that player that can stay in the game, motion all the way across the field, run all the way down the field and continue to play. That’s kind of how I’ve been my whole career even dating back whenever I was in Kansas City. Not only I’m a fast guy, but I’ve got a lot of endurance that can play a lot of snaps and go in and block and do a whole lot of things, so I kind of enjoy doing stuff like that.”
(You have been a part of an offense where everybody’s got like 65-plus receptions…) – “Oh yeah, I have, I have been. I have been. I can’t think of the year….”
(Kansas City?) – “Yep, I can’t think of the year, but I think we did something similar. It wasn’t just me and (Travis) Kelce. But anyways, it was a lot of guys that had a lot of success that year and I think it’s good whenever you spread the ball out this way because defenses can’t key in on one guy and defensive coordinators, they’ve got to worry about more than just one guy so it’s a beautiful thing to see. Opens up a lot more for Tua to see.”
(When QB Tua Tagovailoa was out, there were a lot of games where the run game got going. Now Tua’s been back and kind of lighting it up through the air, but the run game hasn’t been as effective. What would you think this offense can do once all cylinders are hitting with the run game and pass game?) – “I think when Tua (Tagovailoa) got back, me and ‘J. Dub’ (Jaylen Waddle) just decided not to block no more. (laughter) We were just like, ‘we’ve got to catch the ball now.’ No, we’ve just got to – in this offense schematically, it takes all 10 guys on the field to block, outside of Tua obviously. Everybody has to do their job. Obviously if you want a seven-yard run, offensive line, they’ve got to do the dirty work inside. Now if you want big plays down the field from the run game, the receivers have got to get involved in that – receivers, tight ends and stuff like that, etc. So we’ve just got to continue to battle it out. Last game I believe we had a long run with (De’Von) Achane, but it got called back unfortunately. But we’ve just got to continue to chip away at it. Guys have got to continue to trust their fundamentals, trust their techniques and Achane, Raheem (Mostert), Jaylen (Wright), whoever is back there; those guys have been doing a great job of staying patient and just waiting on their moment.”
(We know that QB Tua Tagovailoa can do a lot of things very well whether it’s accuracy, third downs, getting rid of the ball quickly. What has he done most effectively this season, do you think?) – “For me, ever since I got here, he’s been great at all those things, but for me – I’ve said it – he’s gotten better as far as just being a leader inside the locker room. Obviously the word against him when I first got here was like, ‘nobody likes him’ and stuff like that, but as I began to be around the guys, stuff like that; I can see that every guy on this team, in this building, everybody loves him. Just the way he controls his offense, this year alone really sets him apart from when I first got here and to me, I feel like we’ve gotten a whole lot better. A lot of people may look at the stats and say, ‘You guys were No. 6 [in] 2022, No. 1 last year and you guys are like, No. 15 this year. How are you guys getting better?’ And Tua, by far, he’s gotten better, has taken control of this offense and given us all direction on exactly what he wants from each and every one of us.”
