The Mannings complete another successful camp

Anxious to learn from some of the country’s top college and professional quarterbacks, hundreds of high school athletes flocked to Thibodaux last week.

Those same pro and college stars, in turn, came to pass on their knowledge to tomorrow’s potential greats.

For everyone involved in the14th annual Manning Passing Academy, the four-day event is about a common love – football.

Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning – the event’s organizers – and nearly 130 camp counselors spent time imparting knowledge to more than 800 aspiring football players. The academy hosts athletes ranging from ninth graders to high school seniors.

Compared to previous years, however, the number of participants dropped, something Archie Manning said was expected from the outset of the registration process.

“It’s not just us. All camps are down 25 percent,” he noted. “You’d probably be surprised at the kids we have from long distance. We had nearly 1,000 kids last year. We might have had over 200 kids from Louisiana or Mississippi. We had 45 kids from Massachusetts.

“We expected our numbers to be down a little with the economy and people having to travel that far,” he added. “We’re still real happy with the numbers we had. It’s always a little more manageable.”

One of the best parts of the camp for attendees is the interaction with the counselors. This year, some of the college counselors included Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, Oklahoma State quarterback Zach Robinson, Tulane quarterback Jeremy Williams and Ole Miss quarterback Javon Snead. They all turned from players to coaches for four days.

For Duke Blue Devils quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, the Manning Camp provides an opportunity to teach aspiring football players how to be better.

“I noticed that these kids are coming here willing to learn,” he said. “They are very polite, very respectful – yes sir, no sir. But we’re only a couple years older than them. It’s an opportunity to give back what we learned and give back to the younger guys.”

Bradford agreed, viewing it as a chance to be a mentor.

“It’s just a great thing for them,” he said. “It’s just as fun for us to watch these young athletes want to learn more about the game.”

But for counselors such as former Nicholls quarterback Yale Vannoy, the camp is a chance to briefly return to football.

The former player spends his days working at Zyber Pharmaceuticals in San Antonio, and doesn’t get the chance to participate in the game as often as he would like.

Vannoy, a member of the Colonels’ 2005 Southland Conference championship team, returned as a counselor for his fifth consecutive year and said he’s experienced many of the athletes growing into better football players.

The Texas native said he is always thrilled to be able to return to the city he once called home.

“It’s always great to see old teammates and all the new additions to the stadium and the athletic facility and the university,” he said. “I don’t have to go through the two-a-days and do all the stuff like I used to. I love playing football, and I get to come here for three or four days, get football in and then go back to the real world.”

One of the camp participants, 17-year-old Justin Billiot of Ellender Memorial High School returned for his second stint as a camper.

The Houma teen said he enjoys the Manning Camp because he has a chance to “learn from the best.”

He admitted that the camp last year helped him improve his game, but said he was looking to develop even more this year.

“I wanted to be better at what I do and work on what I need to improve on,” he said. “I’ve been positive through this whole thing. It’s just real exciting.”

For the Mannings, the success of the camp is measured not by the number of athletes who attend, but the number that return year after year.

“One of the more rewarding things we like to see is the kids come here for all four years and see how much they have improved,” Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said. “The thing we felt is we can’t make them a better player over three days, but we give them the drills and technique that they go back to their schools and work on with the receivers and fellow teammates to become a better player.”

“These are the same drills Eli and I were doing when we were that age,” he added.

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning agreed with his older brother about watching the athletes improve.

His philosophy is to start and end with the youngest group of players, so he can really get a feel for how much they learned over the four days.

“I enjoy seeing their improvement from day one to the last day,” he said. “I really like to work with that group first, then I’ll bounce around a little bit then go back with them on the last day to see that same age group and see how they have gotten better. That’s usually the most improved group.”

According to Eli Manning, fundamentals like the three- and five-step drop as well as the shotgun formations are some of the things that the camp focuses on the most, since nearly every football play revolves around those tasks.

“The fundamentals of the game are changing,” Eli Manning said. “There is a lot more spread offense and shotgun. I think we are still learning how to do a five-step drop, how to do a three-step drop. That’s part of the game. I do a lot of shotgun. Peyton does a lot from shotgun. They still have to work on that aspect. All we do is teach kids the fundamentals of football.”

The weekend also served as a family reunion, giving Archie Manning the chance to be with his two sons for four days.

With Peyton Manning playing for the Indianapolis Colts and Eli Manning under center for the New York Giants, family time is hard to come by, so Archie Manning said any time they get to spend together is cherished.

“When (Peyton and Eli) were younger they went to the Bowden Camp,” the elder Manning explained. “Bobby Bowden told me the reason he loved it is because it guaranteed him four or five days with his boys. It’s the same thing to me. We’re all in the same apartment and it’s fun. It’s special to me and I know they enjoy it.”

This camp marked the fifth year it was held in Thibodaux. It moved from Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond five years ago.

The Manning Passing Academy signed an agreement last year to keep the camp in Thibodaux until 2017 last year.

“I can’t say enough about Nicholls State and the people of Thibodaux,” Archie Manning said. “We are so appreciative of the Thibodaux area and all the hospitality that they have shown us and what they do for us. We had a great group of kids this year. And with the improvements on campus with the new dorms, it helps.”

Oklahoma State quarterback Zach Robinson readies to deliver a pass as Colts quarterback Peyton Manning looks on during the Air-It-Out session Saturday in Guidry Stadium. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER