Falcons rookies hope their football camp helps kids ‘learn to love the game’

FLOWERY BRANCH — Zachariah Branch wanted a celebration. He saw his receiver — one of the nearly 250 kids ages 6-13 in attendance at the Falcons’ youth football camp — spin the ball on the turf after a touchdown catch. Branch raised his arms as if to fire a bow and arrow in return.

Such was life for Branch and the rest of the Falcons’ rookie class Monday afternoon when they spent two hours putting young athletes through drills at Cherokee Bluff High School in Flowery Branch.

The theme of the event? Making memories for the attendees, much like many of the Falcons’ rookies experienced when they were kids.

“I went to a lot of camps when I was younger and I still think about it,” linebacker Kendal Daniels said. “So, I’m just trying to make an impression on the kids so they live with it for the rest of their lives.”

The Falcons’ community relations staff partnered with Kids & Pros, a nonprofit organization founded in 2001 by Buddy Curry and Bobby Butler, both former Falcons players. They’ve put on over 250 camps the past 25 years, spanning 14 states and stretching into Canada.

Along with Curry and Butler, six former NFL players with ties to Atlanta and/or the Falcons — Robert Moore, Mike Haynes, Robert Hicks, Evan Cooper, Marvin Sims and Stacey Bailey — helped run the camp.

The Falcons’ 18-man rookie class split into eight stations, putting participants through drills with cones, blocking bags, footballs and more. The drills, Curry said, aren’t earth-shattering, but the event itself can be a source of inspiration for kids’ future playing careers.

“It can be indelible,” Curry said, “in terms of, ‘Hey, this is a guy that played in NFL, and now these are the rookies, and I’m going to remember their number.’ So, it may get them something to attach to so they can really learn to love the game.”

Kids & Pros says it tries to imprint five principles on its camp attendees: sportsmanship, integrity, excellence, perseverance and teamwork. Holding sessions with NFL players, Curry said, offers another contact to high-character individuals.

Daniels joked he wished there were more one-on-one reps between receivers and corners — he only saw glimpses of Branch evading pass rushers and throwing passes on the other side of the field — but he nonetheless enjoyed the balance of fostering competition in a fun manner.

Some kids, Daniels said, are more outspoken and more competitive than others. When Branch went to camps, he wore bright headbands and wanted to be front of the line so he could stand out. Daniels, meanwhile, was all business — he was quiet and wanted to listen and compete.

The Falcons’ rookies know both sides of it and subsequently tried to invest in everybody the same.

“We’re just trying not to be too hard on them, but trying to get them on the right path,” Daniels said. “Like doing pushups if they’re talking in the line, doing those types of things so when they get into real padded football, they’re not having to do up-downs all day.

“I learned the hard way, playing around in the back of the line. Just being in the front of the line and listening to the coach can get you out of a lot of trouble.”

Branch, who hails from Las Vegas, never went to a camp with NFL players, but he remembers now-Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence participating in one of his events. Those memories, Branch said, stick with kids.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Branch, self-admittedly not the biggest, tallest or strongest individual, hopes to be an inspiration for the next generation and show that if they put their mind to something, they can accomplish it.

“It can be really helpful, because at that young age, you’re finding yourself, growing up and finding the confidence,” Branch said. “One conversation of trying to influence somebody and tell them they can do it can shift their mindset and be like, ‘OK, if he believes in me and he’s at this level, then maybe I can do it.’

“So, it could shift their mindset and work ethic. That’s always a goal when I do these camps.”

Cornerback Avieon Terrell, the Falcons’ second-round pick, coached attendees through defensive back drills, keenly eyeing their footwork and backpedals. Terrell said once his playing career is over, he’d like to return to Westlake High School, where he once played, and be the head coach.

For now, he gets his coaching fix through camps like these, and he stresses similar values as Branch.

“We’re just trying to get their mind right,” Terrell said. “Most of them are just out here having fun, but really just getting that mind right, telling the right things, giving them the right motivation to go out here and do something.”

The Falcons’ rookie class has spent much of the past month-and-a-half together. They lived within the facility’s dorms during rookie minicamp May 8-10 and have done several group trips and community events with each other.

Collectively, Branch said the fraternity of first-year players has grown much stronger, and Monday’s camp served as another opportunity to spend time together before splitting for summer break.