Cincinnati Bengals

Hue Jackson says Jeremy Hill should believe the hype

Published Jul. 10, 2015 12:40 p.m. ET

foxsports

Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has taken notice of all the prognosticators expecting bigger things from running back Jeremy Hill in his second season.

Jackson has expectations of his own, and they exceed those that any expert has for Hill

"To me, if a guy wants to be great, he's got to relish that," Jackson told ESPN.com. "He's got to want that and then go exceed it. That would be my challenge to [Hill]. I expect him to exceed whatever the expectation is about him."

Hill, who came alive in the second half last season after backfield mate Giovani Bernard was injured, was quick to throw cold water on the heightened expectations.

"People bring it up to me every now and then but I try not to get distracted with it," Hill said. "You really can't get caught up in all that. You've just got to come in here every day and do your job -- and it's a cliché, maybe -- but you've really got to do it. It's a cliché for a reason."

Hill rushed for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns on 222 carries in his rookie campaign for Cincinnati. The one flaw in his game was five fumbles, something he believes he has already fixed heading into 2015.

h/t: ESPN.com