EAST RUTHERFORD - The glare from the television cameras intended to light up the background behind the interview podium blindsided New York Giants wide receiver David Sills as he approached the waiting crowd of reporters.
"Whoa, that's bright," Sills quipped, readjusting his line of sight while preparing to take questions following Thursday's joint practice with the Jets.
The perks of playing your way into the spotlight.
Sills has stepped up his game in recent days after putting together a solid if not spectacular training camp this summer. He garnered praise in the Giants' preseason victory over the Bengals and then followed that up with a strong performance in Thursday's joint practice against the Jets.
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Daniel Jones completed 14-of-15 passes in team periods, with the 6-foot-3, 211-pound Sills catching six of them, several with Jets star rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner in coverage. Sills isn't just making a push for a roster spot, he's putting himself in position as a contributor within this offense.
"He’s an extremely hard-working guy who you can count on to be in the right spot," Jones said of Sills, 26. "He’s a smart football player, he knows how to get open, he’s talented from a route-running standpoint and someone who I have worked with a lot."
The labels have followed Sills throughout his football journey, and to this day, he seems undaunted by the attention. It's not easy to deal with the emotional swings from teenage phenom to quarterback bust to NFL sleeper, but that's what Sills has done, impressing his teammates along the way while earning the trust of the guy throwing him the ball.
Feels so long ago that Sills was the 13-year-old wunderkind quarterback from Delaware given a scholarship offer from Lane Kiffin at USC, and Sills accepted, a seventh-grade prospect welcoming all the football pressure in the world.
Sills never wound up at USC, of course, as Kiffin was fired. He went to West Virginia as a quarterback, but in scrapping for reps at the position, the coaches asked him due to his size and athleticism to play some wide receiver on the scout team. That's when the defensive coaches suggested a position change, and after playing out his quarterback dream in a detour to junior college, Sills embraced life as a receiver.
The numbers suggest it was the right move.
Sills had 125 receptions for 1,966 yards and 33 touchdowns in his final two seasons at West Virginia, but was not drafted. He caught on with the Bills as a free agent and played well in the preseason before being released when teams cut their rosters to the initial 53.
He's been with the Giants ever since, and now his NFL ride comes full circle, impressing coach Brian Daboll and general manager Joe Schoen as he tries to convince them he belongs after they were part of the group that said good-bye three years ago with the Bills by waiving him.
More than a decade later after he was a high school phenom, Sills is again fighting for a roster spot with the Giants.
Asked if he missed playing quarterback, Sills joked: "Not when I’m having this much fun playing receiver."
He was likely on the verge of forcing his way onto the roster two summers ago when exams on his sore foot revealed a fracture that required surgery, ending his season.
He has been on the Giants' practice squad the past three years, playing in four games last season.
Sills seemingly makes the most of every summer and was impactful in the preseason game against the Bengals with receptions of 12, 20 and 14 yards, finishing with five catches for 56 yards. He's done that by earning Jones' trust, training together for two years now.
Last offseason, Sills moved in with his sister and brother-in-law in Charlotte - and, conveniently enough, they lived eight minutes from Jones' home.
"It’s been a combination of putting in a lot of work over a long period of time," Sills said of his connection with Jones. "We’ve had a lot of reps at a lot of different routes in season and off season. So, I think he knows where I’m going to be, I know where he wants me to be. It’s not perfect, but we’re doing some pretty good things and I think we’re going to continue to try to improve it and go out there every day and keep refining our craft."
Sterling Shepard returned to action Wednesday and his status makes things interesting as the Giants sort throughou their depth chart for the 53-man roster with final cuts looming. If healthy, he should be a big piece of this offense. Darius Slayton’s $2.5 million salary cap hit is far too great of a number for a reserve receiver who doesn't play special teams. The Giants would love to get something in return. Daboll went out of his way to praise Sills and Collin Johnson this week.
That's what made Johnson's injury (torn Achilles) during Wednesday's practice so crushing. He's out for the season.
Sills knows from that, which is why he won't be taking anything for granted.
"We’ve had good competition in our room this whole training camp," Sills said. "Hopefully everything will work its way out ... I’m just going to continue do the same thing that I’ve been doing this whole training camp, and try to go out there and make plays."