There have been plenty of normal offseason practices this year for the King’s Fork High School football team.

Saturday’s was not one of them.

Saturday’s practice featured visits by the players and coaches from the NFL, including Mike Tomlin and Michael Vick.

Tomlin, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coach, and Vick, a veteran NFL quarterback, were on hand to watch some of the Bulldogs’ practice on Saturday.

It was part of the 19th annual Hampton Roads Youth Foundation football camp, which is infused with some NFL talent that helps create a rich experience for campers.

Of Tomlin and Vick, KFHS coach Joe Jones said, “They didn’t just walk around and look — they took part in it. They coached kids up.”

Some of the camp’s special guests had local ties, like Tomlin, who went to Denbigh High School and the College of William & Mary, Vick, who went to Warwick High School and Virginia Tech, and Elton Brown, who went to Hampton High School and the University of Virginia.

“Most of them took part in this camp themselves when it was available,” Jones said. To return and help run the camp, “it’s kind of neat for them. It’s a way for them to kind of give back.”

Carl Francis, director of communications for the NFL Players Association, noted the HRYF football camp is different from others like the Rivals Camp Series.

“Kids look at this camp as a reward, and some coaches look at it as a reward for their players,” he said. “This camp is more community-built and -based,” and because it’s been around for 19 years, “you know what you’re going to get every year.”

High school coaches like Jones help run the camp. Jones worked with the players who play tight end, which was his primary position when he was an NFL player.

“It’s a nice event,” he said. “I’ve worked it several times and hope to be able to work it each year.”

Francis said the focus of this camp is not on recruitment and physical ability but on encouraging good character in the nation’s youth.

“We always tell the kids sports is a carrot,” Francis said. “We’re not looking to get an NFL player out of this camp or we’re not looking to find out who runs the fastest 40 or we’re not trying to find out who lifts the most weights. We’re looking to find out who has the best character, who listens, who competes.”

Aside from going through drills, campers were taught about academic requirements of NCAA schools at the Division I, II and III levels and about nutrition.

At the end of the day, current and NFL coaches and players took some time to speak to the campers.

“Coach Tomlin loves to start out talking about discipline, commitment, what he looks for in a young man even when he’s looking at prospective players for his team,” Francis said.

Jones brought nine of his players to the camp, and they got some key things out of the experience.

“It was a great experience getting to meet Michael Vick and then Mike Tomlin,” King’s Fork rising senior quarterback Ryan Kluck said. “I think the best part about camp all day was actually getting to work with Michael Vick. He stood there, showed me the mechanics he went through and then how he grew from high school, college and then now the NFL, so it was awesome. It was a real humbling experience.”

Bulldogs rising senior linebacker Notorious Brown said he talked with Tomlin, “and he taught me some mechanics that I can work on to get better and everything else. And just being out there was just great.”