Gary Stills looks at the fingers of several teammates with envy.
Their Super Bowl rings are reminders of what has eluded him during his Pro Bowl career.
The defensive end/linebacker and special teams standout believes he can get a ring in Baltimore.
“I?m trying to help this defense win a Super Bowl again, and I?m going to carry that special teams [unit] too,” said Stills, who is 6-foot-2, 250 pounds.
Stills played all seven of his previous NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, earning a special team?s Pro Bowl selection in 2003. Primarily, however, he played defensive end from 2001-04. The Chiefs released him this past off-season due to salary cap issues, something that Stills came to welcome.
“It?s like I came into a world I really didn?t expect and it?s like bliss. I feel like I am home,” Stills said.
Stills will turn 32 during the season, and said the fact the Ravens offered a three-year contract showed they had faith in him.
“I?m 32 and I can still run as fast as I could when I was 25 years old. I can honestly say that. I?ve had no season-ending injuries and the last time I missed a game was in 2001,” Stills said.
Stills sounds very much like a player who would like to finish his career in Baltimore.
“I want to come here and establish myself as a player they can depend on every game,” Stills said.
When the Ravens signed Stills in March, Ozzie Newsome referred to him as a player that would “fit right in with the Ravens? way.” Stills has 148 career total special teams tackles, including 34 in 2002.
Still said the Ravens lookfor a specific type of player.
“That outside linebacker that?s diverse, that can play defensive end, can rush at a two-point, you can drop back into coverage. It?s all those things in one player,” Stills said.
The Stills File
Hometown: Valley Forge, Pa.
High School: Valley Forge Military Academy
Did You Know? Stills is one of the all-time sack leaders at West Virginia University with 26 in just 30 career games. During his three-year career, Stills registered 159 total tackles, 109 of which were solos and 18 of which were for lost yardage.
