CANTON, N.Y. -- NFL player Brian Leonard said, "You've got soccer camps, baseball camps, but you really don't have a football camp here."

Well, Leonard is changing that. This week, he'll be drilling athletes on a few basic techniques in the game of football. But this camp isn't all fun and games. The coaching team expects the athletes to learn and keep practicing, even when the camp is over.

Leonard said, "You have to take this stuff home with you. You can't just work on it for the week that you are here and go home and never think about it again."

This Gouverneur native remembers when he was five-years-old and stood in awe of the Syracuse football players. He hopes these athletes will take away a similar experience.

"I hope these kids here take what I say and learn from it and go practice. And, if they want to be the best, if they want to be a great football player, work on it and work to be the best," said Leonard.

Kids of all ages came with questions for the local football star. And athletes with serious ambitions and dreams of playing in the NFL came ready to train.

Darren Fuller, a local Gouverneur High School athlete, said, "[Leonard] is an inspiration, it just lets everyone know that it can happen. If you try hard, it is possible."

Now recovered from a shoulder injury, Leonard looks forward to his own training session and a season with a new team, the Cincinnati Bengals.

"I love the team and I think I have a great opportunity there and right now they have me at starting third-down back and I'll be competing for the backup-running back spot," said Leonard.

While in the North Country, Leonard will be teamed up with top-notch coaches and a talent scout, a combination that just might give other local kids a chance to take their game to the next level.