Kenny Stills – July 27, 2019
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Saturday, July 27, 2019
WR Kenny Stills
(On getting the pads back on and playing real football today.) – “It’s fun to get out here. We’re trying to change who we are as a team so you see the pads popping. It’s just we’re playing football now.”
(As you guys are building rapport amongst each other – offense and defense – guys trip a little bit. The pads kind of do that.) – “Yeah, it’s football. It’s competitive and (Head) Coach (Brian Flores) likes to talk a little trash so for us to get out there and do the same thing, we’re out here and we don’t want the days to get monotonous so (we are) having fun and talking trash and building the chemistry as a team.”
(What is it like? Last year was an offensive-minded coach and this year it’s a defensive-minded coach. Just a different comparison between the two?) – “It just makes it so when the defense has a good day, the coach is fired up. (laughter) He’s done a good job of just playing the middle; but it’s fun. We know that defense wins championships so we’re building a good D.”
(QB Josh Rosen told us you guys spent some time together in the offseason. Is that correct? You threw a little bit?) – “Yeah, Josh stayed at my house during the offseason a little bit so we spent some time together.”
(First of all, how was that – having a roommate for a minute?) – “It’s nice. I always try to do what I feel like I’d want somebody to do for me when I was on a new team, so (I was) just bringing him in and trying to help him and us learning the offense together, then just having another buddy around to build that chemistry.”
(How would you say QB Josh Rosen’s mindset is entering this camp?) – “Honestly, that’s something you’d have to talk to him about. I think he’s done a good job of preparing himself and getting ready to do everything he can to play good ball for us.”
(There were some throwing sessions too, is that correct?) – “No, I didn’t throw with him this summer.”
(So QB Josh Rosen was staying with you here in South Florida when he first joined?) – “Yeah.”
(And that kind of just helped you and QB Josh Rosen build on your friendship that you started when you first started throwing…) – “Well I had some extra space in my house so like I said, if I were to get traded to another team or picked up by another team, I would hope that somebody on that team would pick me up and let me crash at their place while I get familiar with the city and with the team and everything. So I tried to do that for guys being that I have some extra space at my place.”
(So you didn’t charge QB Josh Rosen for anything? You just let him crash?) – “No, I didn’t charge him for anything. (laughter)”
(Was this like in the spring or more recently?) – “Yeah. It was from the time he got here until when we left (for the summer).”
(There’s two of your receivers that could be big parts of the receiving unit – WR Allen Hurns and WR Albert Wilson. They aren’t doing everything yet in practice. Is there any impatience on the part of the whole group of receivers to kind of see what you look like together because you’ve got some talent?) – “We know that when the time is right, they’ll be out there. We’ve got plenty of time. We’ve got two weeks until a preseason game and then we’ve got four preseason games. As long as guys are healthy and they’re getting reps and they’re prepared for Week 1, we’ll be ready to go.”
(What’s different with this camp and previous practices under Head Coach Brian Flores than previous years here?) – “Training camp is training camp. We’re out here in the heat and we’re out here practicing hard and trying to build chemistry to go out and have a good season. I can’t really tell you the difference between the two. It’s training camp.”
(How are you doing?) – “Great. I’m doing great. I’m just trying to improve on my game and trying to lead the best way that I can and make plays and just do all of the little things. I know that if I lead by example then everybody else will follow. We’ve got so many talented players on our team and in our room and in our group. So for us to get out there and just be consistent every day and make plays and try to lead this team, that’s all we can do.”
(Did you notice a big difference today with the pads on?) – “I mean, yeah. When the pads get on, we get to get a little more physical. You guys got to see the goal-line live period we had today. That was violent. I’m excited to see where this team goes.”
(You talk about the top talent on this team here. Is it far-fetched what national people are saying, with the win total being 3-13 or less than five or less than six wins? Is that kind of far-fetched? What do you guys think about things like that.) – “We talk about the league. We know they want parity and they want 8-8 teams. The disrespect and the 3-13 and that type of stuff, it is what it is. We know that we have talent on this team. We know there are talented guys all across the league. It’s about us preparing and going out there and playing football. We’ll handle that when the season comes.”
(So you see it as disrespect?) – “I mean it is what it is. Everybody has their opinion but we’re all professionals. I would hope that you guys would have a little bit more confidence in us as professionals and our coach in preparing us and getting us ready to play.”
(You’ve obviously spent more time with QB Josh Rosen because you were all out west he noted, throwing some during the offseason. The things you’ve noticed about him, what stands out to you from being his teammate for a couple of months?) – “He’s a good player. The ball, like I told you guys before, when it comes out, it doesn’t look like it’s coming hard but when it gets up on you, it’s got good zip. He seems to be able to anticipate what’s happening out there. He’s just got to keep doing what he’s doing and then prepare himself and show out in the preseason.”
(What’s the biggest difference between QB Josh Rosen’s ball coming at you and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick’s ball? Is there a big difference in how it leaves their hands?) – “There’s always going to be a difference. They’re different quarterbacks. I couldn’t tell you anything major.”
(Did you take a road trip this summer?) – “Road trip? I did my regular road trip as soon as the season ended, but no (not in the summer). I traveled a little bit to Europe and that’s pretty much it.”
(Your activism obviously is very important to you. Is there anything that’s going to change for you this year? The kneeling is what everyone asks about but is that all the same, do you think?) – “Yeah, everything is the same for me. Obviously I’m trying to think of ways that I can continue to build on the things that I’ve done. That’s why I hosted a mental health camp two weeks ago before we started camp. I’m just trying to continue to build on what I’ve done and really focus and hone in on my message and use the position that I have as an athlete to bring people together.”
(You’ve had a pretty strong voice when it comes to equality and treating people the right way. You’ve seen some of the political discords that we’ve had the last couple of months. What does that make you think?) – “Honestly, I just continue to focus on what I’m doing. Every conversation that I have, I try to bring people together. I try to listen more than I talk and I seem to have a good response from people when talking to them, if they’re on my side or on the other side. I just continue to educate myself and listen and learn and try and use my social media to help other people learn. It’s really just about being informed. We’re all going to have opinions. We’re not always going to agree with each other but to be civilized and to agree to disagree sometimes is maybe the best way to go.”
(Do you think things are improving because you see ‘send her back’ and all of that and then you see the work that you do. How do you balance? On a national level, it seems like some things are the worst that we’ve seen.) – “When you think about humans, we’re more than likely going to be attached to the negative things. Those are the headlines that we see. Those are the things that get retweeted and shared on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter. I’d like to believe that things are getting better. The conversations that I have with people in my immediate circle and family and friends are getting a lot easier. People are becoming more informed. That’s all I’m really hoping is that people shut off the TVs and looking at the negative news and just start to focus on the good things, try to do good things for other people on a daily basis, kind of spread that love and then hopefully we can start to knock out all of those other things that are happening.”
