What the Dolphins have, receiver Tyreek Hill was saying, is a failure to communicate in a way that’s going to tick people off.
Specifically, Hill believes quarterback Tua Tagovailoa needs to step up in leading the Dolphins, even if it means dishing out tough love by calling out players who aren’t doing their job.
Hill spent an hour chatting on this week’s podcast of The Pivot with former NFL players Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor and Ryan Clark. He was asked about his much-talked-about comment shortly after joining the Dolphins that Tagovailoa is the most accurate quarterback he’d ever played with. Problem was, Hill had just come from the Kansas City Chiefs, who have a pretty fair passer themselves in Patrick Mahomes.
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So on the podcast, Hill sought to clarify his feelings on the two passers and in the process described how Tagovailoa needs to offer the Dolphins more as a team captain and tone-setter in the huddle.
Namely, he needs to be more like Mahomes.
Often, Hill says things to be humorous, but this was nothing to laugh off. It’s something that coach Mike McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier should hear as the Dolphins prepare to tie their future to Tagovailoa via negotiations for a long-term, multimillion dollar contract extension.
Tyreek Hill: Patrick Mahomes ‘obviously' is NFL's best QB
First, Hill made it clear who is the top QB in the NFL — and it’s not Tagovailoa.
“Pat, he’s a different dude, bro,” Hill said. “He’s obviously the best quarterback in the league.”
Hill then recalled a situation from their time together when things weren’t clicking for the Chiefs’ offense. Mahomes called every player on offense on a Tuesday, apparently over Zoom. Mahomes let each of them have it in a way that Tagovailoa needs to, Hill said.
What did Mahomes say?
“He cussed all of us the (expletive) out,” Hill said.
Mahomes called out each player individually. That includes Hill, a Pro Bowl receiver, and Travis Kelce, a Pro Bowl tight end.
Turning to Hill, Mahomes said, “‘Reek, you think you’re so (expletive) fast, but you can’t catch the (expletive) ball. You want to be the best receiver in the game?’ ”
Hill’s reaction?
“I’m like, ‘It’s go time now.’ You never want to get called out by the leader of your team.”
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Hill didn’t recall the year in question but said Mahomes successfully lit a fire. He’d earned the right to because of the trust he’d built with teammates.
“We all had a relationship with Pat,” Hill said. “We all do stuff outside of football. And in Miami, we’re still building that. It hasn’t got to that yet. But I’m telling you, this year it’s going to get to that. We’re going to have some battles in there, already, but it ain’t been a battle where it’s like we can have a conversation, then we can come back the next play and be like, ‘Hey, bro, I think you should do that.’ It’s been, ‘(Expletive) you.’ And then I’ll talk to you later. You know what I’m saying? Or next week. And we don’t need that.”
Players need to understand it’s not personal.
“We need to come back and then talk about it, not have grudges against each other,” he said.
Late last season, Tagovailoa addressed his role as a captain and leader on the Dolphins. On Dec. 27, before a loss to the Ravens, he said, “I think what sets this team apart than any other team is the leaders that we have, both offensively and defensively. If I’m doing something wrong, guys are willing to hold others accountable to what they need to do.”
On Jan. 13, after the wild-card loss in Kansas City in which Miami managed only seven points, Tagovailoa was asked why the offense struggled down the stretch.
“We didn’t come together the way we wanted to offensively,” he said. “It showed tonight. As the leader of that offense, it really started with practices. That’s how we should’ve got things going, was in practice, with the communication, knowing where we should be going in this loud environment. Those miscues lead to delay of games. We can’t change the protection because we don’t have enough time, things like that. It was communication errors.”
If it repeats in 2024, Hill hopes Tagovailoa lets everyone know it’s unacceptable.
“When Pat did it, it made me want to kick his ass," Hill said. "But we got better.”
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached athhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.
