Tyreek Hill did not have the best of performances during the Miami Dolphins playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this year. He was constantly under pressure from the Chiefs’ defense, not allowing the wide receiver to play his natural game.
The Dolphins head coach, Mike McDaniel, was not happy with Hill’s performance and reportedly called him out after they lost 26-7. During a recent appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast, the 30-year-old highlighted that McDaniel singled him out and criticized him for his lack of cutting-edge in the match.
He [Mike McDaniel] called me out. He's like, 'Reek, you're supposed to be the best player in the league, and you got this guy putting hands all over you like that. We pay you all this money for what? Tyreek Hill said
Instead of arguing with his coach for being one of the seniors on the team, Tyreek Hill opted to remain quiet and accept the feedback. He knew that the performance against the Chiefs was below average.
For me, I love s**t like that, because I'm going to take s**t like that to heart and I'm going to get better from it. That'd never happen again to me in my life. If a moth*rfuc**r can't hold me accountable, I feel like I'm not going to be able to get better. Tyreek Hill said
That’s a winner’s mentality right there.
Tyreek Hill reveals he was called out by Mike McDaniel following his performance vs. Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs: "He called me out, he was like: 'You're supposed to be the best player in the league… we pay you all this money for what?'." (@mworthofgame) #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/Jt8QTwJOw8
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) April 22, 2024
The eight-time Pro Bowler set out to eclipse the 2000 receiving yards record in the 2023 season. He came close but fell short, managing a career-best 1799 yards from 119 catches and 13 touchdowns. However, it was an entirely different story in the playoffs.
The Dolphins had to travel to Arrowhead, where the temperature was close to freezing. Hailing from the south, the players weren’t accustomed to the climate. So they weren’t able to adapt, which paid them dearly.
Hill only recorded 62 yards on five passes and scored Miami’s lone touchdown in the game. He even wrote on social media that his former teammate, L’Jarius Sneed, got the better of him.
Jammed my ahh to Cancun https://t.co/ZQP8i3QWMp
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) January 15, 2024
Hill is glad that Daniel called him out. He appreciated that the coach was willing to blame him rather than stay silent, which would have set a bad example.
If he's not saying nothing, the other guys in the locker room are [going to] look at it as, 'Oh, if 'Reek can do it, I can do it.' And that's not getting the team better. Tyreek Hill added
Well, if he wants to lead by example, then perhaps start by not creating controversy outside of football. Still, his contributions to the development of the next generation of athletes are truly commendable.
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