A Message to Tyreek Hill: 'Talk is Cheap'

“Talk is cheap!” A phrase that many Dolphins fans might like to say to Tyreek Hill these days. The origin of that phrase is said to be attributed to P.T. Barnum, which seems fitting as the Dolphins organization has often been described as a circus. It’s said that Barnum shortened it to “talk is cheap” from the longer origin of “talk is cheap but whiskey costs money.” Again, many a fan has turned to the bottle after watching Miami on a Sunday afternoon. 

No matter what version you prefer, Tyreek needs to do less talking and more doing.

No one will debate that Tyreek Hill, the player, makes the Miami Dolphins a better team. The issue is Hill needs to get back to being the player and stop with all the off-field shenanigans, which have many fans ready to move on. 

In response to a question posed by David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Hill stated,  “Every day I’m trying to prove myself as one of those guys this team can depend on in crucial moments. . . . It was tough. Emotions were high then. At the end of the day, I’m just looking to move forward from that. Hoping that I can prove myself and prove to my teammates that I’m still one of those ones,” 

That all sounds good on paper. As someone who was at the final game of the year in New York when Hill “quit,” I’m still a little bitter.

This week, Hill has been participating in organized team activities (OTAs), and it’s reported that he’s doing everything he can despite wearing a cast on his wrist. That’s a good first step in winning back teammates and fans. 

“Tyreek has done a great job of being proactive when he got the surgery done and then making sure that he is able to do as much as he can with the team, which has very much included his daily participation in how he attacks all of our strength program,” McDaniel said.

Again, a good sign, albeit early, forgive me if I’m not quite ready to say Tyreek is back. For the sake of the Miami Dolphins, I hope everything Tyreek is saying is true. I hope he “moves forward” from last year and becomes the player we all loved a couple of years ago; until then, I’ll keep my whiskey bottle close by.