Football is a game where some competitors thrive on trash talk. It’s like verbal sparring adds the extra motivation needed to complete the task at hand. Usually, we see these exchanges between offensive and defensive players in some form. But sometimes, we get players within the same positional group on opposite sides throwing jabs back and forth with their words. That’s the situation Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill and his counterpart for the Seattle Seahawks, DK Metcalf, find themselves in currently.
This topic came up following Metcalf’s 73-yard touchdown reception against the Dallas Cowboys, where he set the mark for fastest ball-carrier speed topping out at 23.23 mph. The former Pro Bowl wideout also owns the second-fastest tackle speed this season, hitting 22.64 mph running down a defensive back after a turnover against Arizona. Watching Metcalf hit top speed almost feels like Madden’s create-a-player mode, seeing a guy at 6-foot-4 and nearly 240 pounds move across the field that way.
As for the “beef” between these two gifted athletes, Hill doesn’t sound too concerned, as he’s focused on winning games and making a deep postseason run in Miami. Despite some shade thrown in the past, it sounds like Hill is up for the challenge of racing Metcalf in the offseason. DK called out Tyreek back in May on Undisputed, saying his people reached out and could not come to an agreement.
At some point, these dudes have got to get on the track so all the talk can cease. Obviously, these are two of the faster players the NFL has to offer on the field. Metcalf competed in the USATF Golden Games (2021), finishing last in his 100m heat, clocking a time of 10.37 seconds. That isn’t a shabby time, but it wasn’t good enough against some of the fastest in the world. Earlier this year, Hill competed in the USATF Masters Indoor Championships in the 60m, running a 6.70. This was Hill’s first meet since 2014, and while his time was impressive, it ranked him outside the top 200.
That saying about track speed and football speed being two different things has never rung truer. While Metcalf and Hill might be among the fastest in their profession, going up against guys who train for this year-round is a whole other ball game. Kudos to both for taking on those challenges, but seeing them out there against guys who live it daily, it’s easy to see there are levels to this like anything else.
Hopefully, the two sides can get together to set up a race during the offseason. Sometime in April would likely be perfect, as it’s far enough removed from the regular season and still a few months out from NFL training camps. Metcalf’s 26th birthday is a few days away, while Hill turns 30 next March. It’d be best for these guys to get together soon after the season and make this happen if they are serious about settling this debate.
