Definitely because it’s 2022 and social media is so big, and maybe because it’s May and there aren’t many significant events happening, and also because it included Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailo, Tireek Hill comments earlier this week they caused a great deal of attention and headlines.
But, as is often the case, presenting comments often lacks context and nuance.
So let’s examine the comments from the perspective of someone - yes, me - who was standing on the side of the podium right next to the training ground at the Baptist Health Training Complex when Hill spoke to the media after the OTA on Tuesday.
Tua, “The most beautiful balls” and the idea of low expectations
All right, let’s start with the correct question and comment.
Q: You mentioned KB Tua Tagovailoa. What do you think about how the ball comes from him now that you’ve experienced it a bit here?
Hill: “I mean, it’s not strange. At first I thought it would be something crazy - the ball goes everywhere, but Tua actually has one of the most beautiful balls I have ever caught in my life. It’s very catchy. That’s a very accurate quarterback. “
OK, let’s decipher this from a few angles.
Let’s start with the suggestion of Pro Football Talk that Hill said that he thought that “it would be something crazy” meant that he had low expectations from coming to Miami.
Not only not.
The tone of the question and Hill’s answer coincided with the idea that the question was about Hill catching passes for the first time in the NFL from leftists after playing with Alex Smith, Patrick Mohammes and Chad Hahn in Kansas City.
Secondly, does it really say that Tua has “probably one of the most beautiful balls” that Hill has ever caught?
First, how many quarterbacks has Hill worked with? So, there are three in Kansas City, whoever Hill catches, he goes to the Pro Bowl, and then his college backs.
So, again, remembering the words “probably” and “one of”, is this really a comment on the front pages that many media outlets would like you to believe?
Does Tua really throw a nice ball?
If we’re going to be picky here, what does throwing a nice ball mean at all?
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The perfect spiral? Accurate? Not too hard, not too soft?
Well, in that regard, yes, Tua really throws a nice ball because he absolutely has precision and his passes are very catchy because of that precision - and also because he won’t overpower the receivers with his speed like someone else (Josh Allen comes to mind) will sometimes do. .
Hill and the idea of trust
During his media session, Hill made the idea of playing with confidence very important, something he said he learned from his grandparents.
That’s what he mentioned when asked about his post on social media showing great Tua highlights after one clip that showed he has to slow down to catch his quarterback’s deep dog.
Hill: “I feel that football is self-confidence and I am very confident in my quarterback. So I feel like if I can help him gain all the confidence in the world and make other guys push that confidence into him, then heaven is the limit for a guy because he’s a hell of a talent, he has a crazy hand of strength, a talent for hands. Like I said, we’re all excited just to watch him throw the ball every day. “
Hill tells us that he wants to help Tui gain all the world’s self-confidence, and that would absolutely include bright compliments at every opportunity.
As proof, Hill did the same thing when asked about reserve Teddy Bridgewater.
Hill: “With Teddy?” Oh, it’s fun. I think the world is Teddy too. Teddy is another veteran who can come in and just throw the ball all over the field, so it feels good to have two defenders who can come in and do the same thing - the ball on time, the ball in the right place - so it feels good. “
We have touched on this before, but it is worth repeating: Comments about players coming from teammates should be taken lightly, because that is what teammates should do.
We don’t suggest, as some on social media have decided, that teammates’ comments should be understood as lies, but they should also not be understood as gospels, like, well, Hill says Tua has “crazy hand power”, so there is, Tua has crazy hand strength. “
Another example is suggestive questions to teammates in the style: “Have you seen signs that Tua has become more and more a leader this year?”
Stop for a moment and ask yourself what the chances are that a teammate either refuses to answer that question or goes so far as to go against the premise. It just doesn’t happen.
Football is the ultimate team game and everyone must be involved in a common goal, and that doesn’t happen if you have players who insult their teammates.
Shall we say that Hill does not like Tagovailou as a quarterback? Absolutely no. What we are saying is that there is no chance he would ever say that publicly.
So, if they ask him, he will throw out compliments. And that will basically apply to every player who asks about a teammate. That’s not the problem there, it’s just the rule.