Tyreek Hill, an eight-time Pro Bowler and one of the fastest players in the NFL, seems to have let that go to his head. His moniker ‘Cheetah’ has given him the confidence to challenge the likes of Usain Bolt and Noah Lyles. And Lyles was even game to settle it once and for all.
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Apparently, we were even going to get a chance to watch the two top athletes fight it out on the track this weekend. But alas, Lyles pulled out due to some “complications, personal reasons.”
Hill entered a track meet on Friday in California and won the 100m in a personal best of 10.15 sec and in true Cheetah fashion, held up a sign saying, “Noah could never.” Well, Noah could, and has. His winning time in the Paris Olympics was a personal best of 9.79. As Udonis Haslem pointed out on the Pat McAfee Show, “Noah Lyles would blow a 10.15 out of the water in a 100.”
While only the most delusional of Tyreek fans would think he would have any kind of chance against the Olympic sprinter in a race, the NBA legend did think Tyreek could potentially overtake Noah if he played his cards right and took advantage of the sprinter’s weaknesses.
“This is where Tyreek has a chance. Tyreek has a chance in the 50 or 60, because Noah Lyles’ weakness is his start. As he starts to pick up in a 100, this is where his strength is. But his weakness is his start. If you watch Noah Lyles, the one thing he works on a lot is his start,” Haslem elaborated.
McAfee, though, was a bit more optimistic about Tyreek’s chances. Highlighting the Cheetah’s football background, the former punter said, “His elite reaction is built in. “The second it goes off, Tyreek’s gonna pop.”
McAfee argues Hill’s “elite reaction” will give him a unique edge, especially over short distances. From years of reading defenses and timing snap counts, McAfee believes Hill has a unique advantage over Lyles, who is trained to respond to the gun with perfect form.
“[Lyles] is gonna wait on the gun, lengthen his stride,” McAfee continued. In contrast, Hill’s training would have him “hit it off in an instant,” giving him the potential to take an early lead before Lyles’ longer stride and top-end speed come into play.
Unfortunately, we aren’t going to find out anytime soon what a race between Hill and Lyles would look like.
