Michael Myers, an 11-year NFL veteran and former college star at Alabama, is bringing his “Defensive Minds” football camp to Vicksburg High School Friday and Saturday.

The camp will feature several former and current NFL players and give campers an inside look on how to advance their football careers.

“The big thing we’re looking to teach is the importance of technique,” Myers said Monday from his home in the Dallas area. “Our football camps emphasize technique. When you have good technique, it just adds to what else you can bring as a football player.”

Myers knows all about being technically sound. After finishing his prep career with the Gators, he spent two seasons under coach Gene Murphy at Hinds Community College.

It was there where former Alabama coach and current Millsaps College coach Mike Dubose saw Myers and began recruiting him for the Crimson Tide.

“Not only was he a great linemen, he was versatile. He could play either the two or three gap as a down tackle, and not too many linemen can do that,” Dubose said.

Myers starred for one season at Alabama, recording 13 sacks to rank fourth all-time in Tide history in a single season. He declared for the draft after one season and was taken by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round as the 100th overall pick.

Myers spent better part of five seasons with the Cowboys, starting all 16 games for Dallas in 2001 and 2002.  He was traded to the Cleveland Browns early in the 2003 season. He started 16 games for the Browns in 2004 but was traded again in the offseason to the Denver Broncos for running back Reuben Droughns.

He started in 15 games on the Broncos’ 2005 team that finished 13-3 and advanced to the AFC Championship game.  He came back in 2006 and started all 16 games for the Broncos but was then traded again to the Cincinnati Bengals. In his final season, he had his only career interception for the Bengals in a Monday night game to seal a win over the Baltimore Ravens.  In his NFL career, Myers played in 138 games, started in 66, made 259 tackles, including 15 1/2 sacks.

Myers made his off-season home in the Dallas area and became interested in promoting football camps throughout the central Texas area.

“What we try to do is bring in another of current and former NFL players for all positions. All the positions are covered and it’s someone who either played or still playing in the NFL,” Myers said.

*

Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com