Kenny Stills – May 31, 2018
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Thursday, May 31, 2018
WR Kenny Stills
(We’ve got to ask … You, WR Jakeem Grant and WR Albert Wilson – who wins in a race?) – “We keep seeing that. You guys (should) ask the head coach because we have these little things that are on our shoulder pads that track the speed for practice. You guys have to ask coach about that.”
(Will we ever see a race?) – “I don’t know; but like I said, we have the trackers on at practice. So we know and the coaches know.”
(So you are saying who practices the fastest is technically the fastest man?) – “Well, I mean they get top speed at practice.”
(How have those results been?) – “I think Malcolm Lewis has the top speed right now out of the receivers. Obviously we don’t all run the same routes. We don’t all get to go downfield. And a race is different too; but it’s all good fun. We’re all on the same team. We know we have a lot of speed and hopefully that puts some fear into some of the defenses we’ll play.”
(How would you assess this receiving corps? A couple of new guys in WR Albert Wilson and WR Danny Amendola. It’s early obviously.) – “Our group has a chance to be special. We come in and work hard. Guys are having a good time. We’re having fun. They’re dedicating themselves to learning the playbook. It’s the offseason so you never really know. We hope that everybody can stay healthy and just continue to come with the right attitude and the right work ethic and then we’ll see what we put on the field.”
(How much of a fan are you of the no-huddle? Apparently you guys are going to run it a lot this year. Do you see all of the ingredients there to make it work here?) – “Yes. I love whatever coach is going to call. I trust and respect in his game plan and everything that the coaches do here, so if they want us to be on the ball then it’s up to us to make sure we get in good shape this offseason and get things going that way. Like I said, I trust in everything that he’s doing and we’ve got the players to go out there and make the plays.”
(Your thoughts on the league’s anthem policy?) – “I mean I feel like you guys know how I feel about the anthem policy. I just want to continue to focus on the work that I’m doing (and) the work that the rest of these guys are doing in our communities to try to make change. I really don’t want to get involved in some back and forth and more divisiveness than we already have going.”
(Did you have a chance to talk to Owner Stephen Ross before the vote or since?) – “I have not. I haven’t had any communication with Mr. Ross about it; but I understand his thoughts on it. We’ve talked plenty of times, obviously, throughout the last couple of years. I know where his stance is on it.”
(Do you have an opinion on the process by which that policy came to be?) – “As far as the voting and players not being involved?”
(Yes.) – “Yes. I mean a couple of the things that I’ve read, basically it just seems like we don’t really know. It’s not very clear what’s happening. So not really.”
(So have you decided personally what you’re going to do?) – “No. We have plenty of time. I think I’m going to continue, like I said, to do the work that I’ve been doing as far as being in the community and trying to lead and do things the right way and try to make change. When the time comes when I have to make a decision, then I’ll make a decision.”
(Do you feel silenced?) – “Do I feel silenced? No. I’m right here talking to you guys right now. Whenever I have a message to get out, I seem to find a way to get my message out. I think all of the people that know me and talk to me and work with me understand what I’m trying to do and what a lot of guys are trying to do. At some point, I think that’s what the policy is trying to do; but at the end of the day, we’re going to continue to get out, get the word done and try to make change like we have been.”
(On this topic, how would you feel about being a free agent right now?) – “(laughter) That’s a good question. Look at what’s happened to the guys that have protested that are free agents. That’s my answer to the question.”
(You said last year that you felt like the mission was being lost based on how people have hijacked what the protest was about and then you reversed course when President Trump came out and said what he said. Do you understand where the owners are coming from in terms of what’s being intended is not being achieved?) – “Yes. I do understand that the message has been changed; but I also understand that with the NFL being the most-watched sport in the United States and one of the most-watched sports in the world, they have an opportunity to kind of set the bar, set the standard to change the narrative and write the narrative however they want it to. I just feel like from the beginning, if the narrative would have been set one way and the league would have had our backs and really put the message out there the right way and tried to educate people on the work that we’re doing and why we’re doing it, we might be in a different place than we are right now.”
(How do you feel about the impact you’ve made beyond the protest? The other parts of this movement that some of the stuff you mentioned and some of the stuff we know you’ve been involved in locally the last couple of years.) – “Honestly, I always feel like I can do more; but this past offseason and this past season, it was a great feeling for me. It was an honor to be recognized and be put out there for Walter Payton Man of the Year. Then the work that I’ve been doing and the road-trip that I went on, I’m just really encouraged, honestly, by all of the work that I’ve seen other people doing across the country. It inspires me to continue to want to do more.”
(How many miles did you put on the VW Bus?) – “So I didn’t end up taking the bus. I took an R.V. with one of my buddies that we rented from a place around the corner from here. I don’t know how many miles it was but we hit a bunch of states here throughout the South and we were able to connect with a lot of young groups and grassroots organizations that are doing some amazing work.”
(Do you think you’re going to continue to do that going forward?) – “The road-trip? Yes, I would love to continue to do the road-trip and get other guys involved. It was kind of done on a last-minute thing this year. I put a message up on Instagram for guys that were interested in getting involved and I had some people hit me up. It would be cool to do something yearly where we get out there, get in an R.V., go out and do some mentoring, do some football camps and really just spread the love and let people know that we’re here for them and that it’s not just the protest that we’re involved in. We’re actually trying to get out there and make some change.”
(Any highlights of the trip?) – “Highlights of the trip … It’s hard to pick one but being able to go to the different museums and learn more about the civil rights movement, that’s probably the thing that I feel the most …”
(Can you name a few of the states you went to?) – “Yes. So we went from here to … We were in Atlanta. We were in South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana. I flew out to California to speak at a conference. I put it all up on my Twitter. Everything is on there.”
(You did the March to Selma right?) – “Yes.”
(What was that experience like for you?) – “Honestly, I’m a pretty emotional person. Just thinking going over the bridge and picturing and visualizing some of the pictures that I’ve actually seen, it just … Like I said, I’m an emotional person so I got there and it was almost like I was there. I continue to read up and freshen up on my history and learn more about the civil rights movement. It’s something that I’m just very appreciative of all of the people that have sacrificed their lives to try and make the world a better place and try to make this country a better place. I feel like that’s all I’m trying to do.”
(You’re still hopeful you have many years to go in this game but once your playing career is over, can you envision yourself doing some sort of work along what you just described in the community?) – “Yes. I think that’s exactly what I want to do. I had people jokingly talk to me about getting into politics but I don’t think that’s something I’d want to be involved in. But yes, just working with nonprofits, mentoring and trying to speak some positivity into young adults’ lives, it’s been great. The way that (Head) Coach (Adam) Gase is bringing in all of these high school teams … High school teams get to come to practice and I get to talk to them on the sideline and just let them know that there are adults in your lives and these coaches in your lives, these teachers, that are trying to lead you in the right direction. So I know you might not like what they’re telling you or you might not really agree with it, but these people have years on you. They have experience. They’re just trying to give you some of that wisdom and knowledge so you don’t make the same mistakes that they’ve made. When I get out there and talk to these kids most of the time, it’s about setting goals and surrounding yourself with the right people and making the right decisions. Sometimes people just need to hear that because you don’t have other people in your life trying to lead you in the right direction. That’s a long answer to your question; but yes, it’s something that I want to do. I feel like you have to get your hands dirty to really make some type of change.”
(You know an awful lot of people say “I’m not going to run. I’m not going to run.” And they wind up running.) – “(laughter) No, I don’t really think it’s for me. I feel like … I don’t really want to get into it but I don’t think it’s for me.”
(What do you think about … I’m not exactly sure how to phrase this but you’ve been celebrated for some of the things that you’ve done. The team has given you the community service award. Like you said, you were the nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. But you’re also like one of the faces of this thing that the league is trying to snuff out.) – “So what’s the question?”
(How do you reconcile that contradiction?) – “All I can do is continue to do the work that I’ve been doing. Like I said, the people here that work for the Miami Dolphins organization see and recognize the work that I’m doing, and know really who I am as a person. That’s all I can really stand and focus on. I understand that they put this policy in place and at the end of the day, it is what it is.”
(A football question for you … I was asking WR Danny Amendola and RB Frank Gore about quarterbacks and how their influence can run all throughout a team, even though they don’t play defense or special teams. You played with a probable Hall of Famer but in general, how does a quarterback’s influence filter all throughout the team? Is it just making plays or do you have to go pat guys on the defense on the helmet? How does a quarterback do that?) – “It differs by guy but I think Ryan (Tannehill) does a great job of not only relating to the guys on the offense – talking to the guys on the offense – but getting over and talking a little trash to the guys on defense. (He’s) not feeling like he’s uncomfortable to go over there and talk some trash and get things going if we need that spark in practice. It differs. It differs by quarterback.”
(You’ve been here with QB Ryan Tannehill for four years. What is the difference you’re seeing in him, if any?) – “Players are always going to grow and get better over time. He’s been the same guy since I’ve shown up here as far as work ethic, attitude and how he carries himself when he comes to work. But at the same time, I think he’s just getting more comfortable with who he is and the player that he is and knowing how hard he works and the fact that we all respect him. You see that. I think when he got hurt a couple of years ago, he was playing the best football that he’s ever played. We’re just hoping that we continue to work together so that we can get back to where he was and get back to where we were as a team.”
(Did it make you gain a greater appreciation for him, the year you spent without him?) – “I already appreciated him a bunch but … He’s our guy. You miss not having him out there. You miss the chemistry that we had. But we have him back now.”
(With the changes in the receiving corps, how excited are you at the possibility of getting more opportunities in the passing game?) – “Obviously I think any receiver would love the opportunity to get more balls but I think the more success we have as a team, the ball is spread around. With the guys we brought in and the guys that we already have, we all have to get out there and start making plays. That way the defense doesn’t know what we’re doing. I’m just excited for us to get out there, have our quarterback back, and get some of these new guys out there and start making plays.”
