A lesson to pass on for Stone
Falcon safety offers a camp for kids
Daren Stone has been in the NFL for only one season, but he’s already learning valuable lessons.
During organized team activities this offseason, Stone has taken some reps with the Atlanta Falcons’ first-team defense and he’s expected to challenge Lawyer Milloy for playing time at strong safety. He’s also learning that decisions off the field could jeopardize his future.
Recently Stone, the former Lockport High School and University of Maine defensive back was arrested in downtown Atlanta and charged with driving under the influence. He was released after posting a $1,591 bond. Falcons officials have expressed disappointment with the incident but when Stone hosts his first Upstate New York Football Camp at Emmet Belknap Middle School in Lockport next month, he will speak to the youngsters about some of the lessons he learned.
“It’s an unfortunate incident, and I’m handling the matter legally,” said Stone in a statement made through his agent, Sunny Shah. “I plan to address the kids who attend my camp on the importance of not drinking and driving.”
The camp is divided into two sessions: ages 6-12 July 1 and ages 13-18 July 2-3.
“This is my chance to give back to the community that I grew up in,” Stone said. “This is a chance to let kids out there know that they can achieve something whether it’s football, basketball or anything.”
Stone, 22, has put together a coaching roster of NFL players which includes Falcons teammates David Irons and Antoine Harris, and David’s brother, Kenny, of the Cincinnati Bengals.
“I didn’t have a camp where someone who grew up in Lockport was running it,” Stone said. “There wasn’t someone who I could look up to, but the kids [in Lockport] can relate to me because they all know me from being around and growing up in the area.”
Stone was lightly recruited out of Lockport in 2003, and his only offers were from Division I-AA Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. He said he wasn’t recruited by the University at Buffalo, at the time coached by Jim Hofher. It was a snub that still stings.
“They started to recruit me and then they backed off,” Stone said. “Since they backed off, I really don’t want to comment on it. There’s a lot of guys who were recruited to Buffalo for football and basketball, unfortunately, I wasn’t one of them.”
Being ignored by his hometown college team motivated Stone, who started three years at Maine including one year at cornerback. He had 173 career tackles (16.5 for losses) and 10 interceptions.
Stone gained notice at the NFL Scouting Combine in February 2007 by recording the longest standing broad jump (11 feet) and fifth-fastest 60-yard shuttle run (11.54 seconds) among all defensive backs. At his pro day, he recorded a 39z-inch vertical leap and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds, considerably faster than his 4.58 time at the combine. The Falcons liked his potential, and drafted Stone in the sixth round.
“I played with a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I had to work hard to achieve my goals.”
He played behind Milloy, the former Buffalo Bill, at strong safety and primarily at special teams. Stone appeared in 12 games and recorded 10 tackles.
“My first year, like most rookies, was on edge,” he said. “Everything was fast, the playbook was like a dictionary and the players are faster, stronger and bigger than in college. It was a great experience learning from a veteran like Lawyer.”
The Falcons drafted California safety Thomas DeCoud, a hybrid player who could see time at strong safety, where competition with Stone to be Milloy’s backup could be fierce. The Falcons have been so impressed with Stone that safety Jimmy Williams, their top pick of the 2006 NFL Draft, became expendable and was recently released.
“I expect my role to change and be thrown into more packages,” Stone said. “Lawyer Milloy is still here and he’s the starter, but I’m working hard to get better.”
