Meet the Atlanta Falcons Rookies: RB Philip Sylvester, FAMU

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA – Early in training camp, Falcons coach Mike Smith singled out the speedy running back Philip Sylvester for praise.

The former Florida A&M Rattler was signed as an undrafted rookie free agent after the lockout was lifted. Here’s bio from FAMU. He sings in the choir at his church so I know the veterans had a good time during his performance.

(I promised one of regular commenters, Marcus, that I’d catch up with Sylvester.)

So here’s are Q&A with him:

Q: How’s camp been going for you?

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Former FAMU Rattlers Sylvester signs with Atlanta Falcons

Marianna, FL - Former Marianna Bulldogs football star Philip Sylvester has signed a contract with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, and will participate in the team’s training camp in hopes of making the final 53-man roster.

Sylvester, who spent the last four seasons playing for the FAMU Rattlers, wasn’t selected in the April NFL Draft, but was offered a free agent contract by the Falcons on Monday, and then left for Atlanta on Tuesday.

Efforts to contact Sylvester were unsuccessful, but the speedy running back’s former high school coach Don Dowling said he couldn’t be happier to see the mild-mannered former Bulldog get his shot.

“It’s a big deal. Someone mentioned to me that he was my first former player to sign an NFL contract, which I thought was pretty cool,” said Dowling, now the head coach at Sneads. “He’s one of those kids who deserve it. He has worked hard his entire career, and he’s a great kid. Back at Marianna, you wouldn’t have even known he was some big-time running back in the hallways. He’s just a regular kid.

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FAMU's Sylvester set to strike

Healthy from injuries, strong RB takes more prominent role.

Just for the record, Florida A&M senior running back Philip Sylvester tried to count how many times he's been injured during the past three seasons. He recollected three, then paused to be sure there was a fourth time. Staying true to his mild-mannered demeanor, Sylvester chalked up the days he couldn't play as just being part of life as a football player.

"You're always going to have ups and downs over the course of a career," he said, "but the thing is overcoming those obstacles; keep fighting back and don't quit." He hasn't. In fact, running back coach Aaron Taylor said that Sylvester was the one who raised the coaching staff's spirits when they were concerned about how he would perform. He'd always take things in stride.



None of his injuries was as bothersome as a case of turf toe that has affected his performance every season. But all that is behind him and Sylvester only wants to look to the future, which seemed to be promising considering that head coach Joe Taylor has tweaked the offense to give his star running back a more prominent role in the Rattlers' offense.

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Day 1 of football practice good for Rattlers

Coach Joe Taylor was all about the basics, down to the Rattlers' activity on the sidelines Friday. "We just need to be a little bit more focused," Taylor said following walk-through practice. "You've got to get better every day. We've got to practice our focus; I just heard too much chatter."
























Sophomore running back Philip Sylvester (#30) re-defined his physique during the summer as he added nine pounds of sculpted muscle to his 5-foot-10 frame, putting him at 192, with 4.39 speed in the 40 yard dash (archive photo).

But Taylor gave all three units of his team high marks overall, saying that his first-line players were ahead of schedule. It was the second day of activity without pads for the Rattlers since they began preparation for the season-opener on Aug. 30 against Alabama State at Bragg Stadium. The humid afternoon was mostly about fundamental and knocking off the rust of being away from the field since spring practice.

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