The numbers for Tyreek Hill are the worst they have been since his rookie season. The deep balls thrown by Tua Tagovailoa have been almost non-existent all season long. So what's the problem?
Hill spoke with the media ahead of the Jets game and was asked about this problem. Hill didn't mince words; he knows exactly why the deep throws are not being made in the Miami Dolphins offense.
The explanation is quite simple and makes a lot of sense. As Hill stated, opposing teams are using a cover-2 scheme to take away the deep passes to he and Jaylen Waddle. Hill said the defenses don't care about the Dolphins running game or anything else. They just don't want to see those two in the endzone.
"Defenses are truly falling in love with playing Cover 2 defense against us," said Hill. "Don't care about nothing else… they just want to stop 10 and 17."
🎥 Tyreek Hill on the lack of deep balls this season: “Defenses are truly falling in love with playing Cover 2 defense against us. Don’t care about nothing else… they just want to stop 10 and 17.” (@MiamiDolphins) #GoFins pic.twitter.com/6ugxWa14aq
— FinsXtra (@FinsXtra) December 7, 2024
The explanation wasn't necessarily needed as it is pretty clear defenders are taking away that opportunity but the bigger question is why hasn't Mike McDaniel used that to his advantage and forced defensive coordinators to change their system by using Hill in a different way?
Tyreek Hill continues to make an impact without actually getting the ball in the Dolphins system
Hill has mainly served as a decoy threat. A quick first-read look that is checked off almost immediately. Most of Hill's catches seem to come after Tua Tagovailoa has checked off and then come back to Hill. It would make sense for McDaniel to exploit that coverage by using a different playset rather than just a different personnel set.
Miami has put a lot of trust in Jonnu Smith who is having a great season in Miami. They are putting a lot on the legs of the rushing attack as well but if defenses are keeping Hill and Waddle from going deep why not send Malik Washington deep to take that coverage away and then use Hill in a shallow route? It might sound a lot easier to do than to actually do it but it seems there are options being left on the table.