We continue our countdown to New Orleans Saints kickoff with a rare occurrence. The Saints kicks off the season in 69 days against the Arizona Cardinals. For the first, and likely last, time, we have two plays of the day.
Kenny Stills had a 69-yard touchdown catch in his rookie year against the Buffalo Bills. It felt so nice he had to do it twice. The following year he had another 69-yard touchdown reception, this time against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It's notable for Stills to have two long receptions of the same distance, but what stamped this as dual plays of the day is the fact he did it with the same route. The out and up was a dangerous combination for Stills.
Stills' first 69-yard touchdown was a bust in coverage. It looked as if the linebacker was confused on his responsibility. However, a linebacker attempting to cover Kenny Stills would have been an advantage for New Orleans too. Against the Steelers, Stills' agility and speed were too much for the cornerback. He was running with Stills until the wide reciever cut upfield.
Both plays resulted in an easy pitch and catch, even though the path was different. With that, Stills earned what is likely the only edition of countdown to kickoff with multiple plays.
Kenny Stills' time with the New Orleans Saints was short-lived
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Drake once said, "I'm here for a good time, not a long time." There might not be a better description of Stills' career with the Saints. Stills is a memorable player, so it doesn't feel like he only spent two years in New Orleans.
The Saints drafted Stills in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft and was an instant impact player. By the beginning of the 2015 season, Stills was already on his second team. This wasn't because he didn't perform, the move was actually questioned at the time. Stills built the value to swing the Saints a good haul.
Before being swapped for Dannell Ellerbe and a third round pick, Stills led the team in receiving yards. His 931 yards in Year 2 was more than Marques Colston, Jimmy Graham and Brandin Cooks. It looked like the Saints had a nice collection of young receiving talent with Stills, Graham and Cooks then New Orleans traded Stills and Graham that offseason.
As a rookie, Stills led the league with 20 yards per reception. One of those receptions was his 69-yard bomb versus the Bills. Let's take Stills' instant impact another step further. His first reception in the league went for 67 yards.
Stills made a return to New Orleans years later, but he wasn't the player he once was at that point. Those first two years, however, were special.
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