In correspondence with the Florida A&M Rattlers' Fall Football Training Camp (Aug. 4-Aug. 26), Tallahassee Democrat reporter Gerald Thomas, III will chronicle the team as it prepares for the 2023 season by providing practice reports, player and coach spotlights, and inside looks at the program as they become available. Thomas presents, 'FAMU HARD KNOCKS.'

The saying goes that football games are won in the trenches.

And the Florida A&M Rattlers are aiming to make truth of that statement.

The Dark Cloud Defense's line, known as the 'ROCBOYZ,' currently has 12 players with aspirations of being integral to the pass rush and run-stopping scheme.

They have 18 more days until gameday to make even more strides as the Rattlers have fall training camp.

"The trick is to get a lot of guys to roll in and provide the depth that we need," sixth-year head coach Willie Simmons (54-23 overall, 33-12 at FAMU) said after Wednesday's eleventh fall training camp practice.

"You're not going to replace [former FAMU defensive lineman Isaiah Land] with one guy. He's one of the best pass rushers that we've had in a long time.

"We have a lot of bodies and we're just trying to get that same type of production with depth as opposed to one dominant guy."

The head of the Rattler for the defensive line is Milton Patterson.

He joined Simmons' staff in 2021 as the defensive line coach. Patterson has added co-defensive coordinator to his duties, working under head coach of the defense Ryan Smith.

For his efforts, Patterson was rewarded an opportunity to work with the Tennessee Titans as part of the NFL's Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.

He'll have another year of interning on the NFL level.

"Coach [Mike] Vrabel leads a tremendous organization. It kind of models what we do here at Florida A&M," Patterson said of the Titans' head coach.

"Coach [Terrell] Williams and Clint McMillan did a great job helping me prepare. Those guys poured into me. What you learn is that preparation is key. You want to prepare your guys to be as successful as they can be before they even touch the field.

"The goal is to one day be there, but be great where I'm at."

Patterson is the second coach from Simmons' tenure at FAMU to earn a spot in the NFL as a coaching fellow.

In 2022, former offensive coordinator KJ Black joined the Los Angeles Rams' staff. He's now listed as an offensive assistant on the Rams' website.

"The NFL is the highest level of football. Players and coaches aspire to one day get to that level," Simmons said. "It's always rewarding for me as a head coach to see one of my assistants get that opportunity. Coach Patterson is a great coach and has coached All-Americans and First-Team All Conference defensive ends. It will be great for his career.

"Our production at the D-Line is on par with anybody in America and a lot of that is attributed to the success or the ability for Coach Patterson to get those guys to play at a high level.

"We're thankful for have him and like any great coach, people tried to poach him away from us this offseason, but he loves coaching here and being around these guys. And we're a much better football with him managing those guys on the defensive line."

FAMU assistant coach Milton Patterson continues to learn despite prior experience

Patterson, a four-year letterman linebacker at NCAA Division I Jackson State, has overseen his fair share of defensive line standouts.

In his first year with FAMU, he coached Land to winning the 2021 Buck Buchanan Award, given to the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Land led the nation with 25.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks that year before joining the Dallas Cowboys last April following college.

In 2022, Patterson coached Kamari Stephens, who was a Boxtorow HBCU All-American at FAMU after finishing eighth in the nation with ten sacks. Stephens transferred to Division I-FBS Jacksonville State this offseason with two years of eligibility left.

But despite developing these stars, Patterson continues to learn and is open to enhancing his style of coaching.

"The biggest thing I got was to adjust to the personnel you have because you're getting constant turnover in the NFL," Patterson reflected on his time in Nashville.

"That's one of the biggest lesson that I brought back in addition to effort, violence and fundamentals. That's what we want to consistently display when the ball is snapped."

Patterson's internship caused him to miss the first few days of FAMU's training camp.

So, during his absence, the Rattlers' defensive line veterans took the responsibility of assuring that the unit didn't miss a beat.

Graduate student defensive lineman Stanley Mentor Sr., who's part of the team's leadership committee, said that he and senior Gentle Hunt was very important while Patterson was out.

"Coach Patterson instills discipline in us," Mentor, who has 34 sacks and four sacks with FAMU (2021, 2022), said. "We get ready to work every time he comes out because he's not going to take his foot off the gas so the game can be easy.

"So, with him taking on that fellowship role, me and Gentle had to get together and stay on top of the D-Line because we have a bunch of new guys in the room.

"So, with Coach Pat being gone, we had to step up and fill those gaps."

FAMU assistant Milton Patterson already using learned lessons during training camp

Rattlers sophomore defensive lineman Anthony Dunn Jr. was a player that jumped on the scene during last year's Florida Blue Florida Classic against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats, finishing with six tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Dunn says he wants to follow in the footsteps of Land, but exceed what the current Dallas Cowboy did on the Highest of Seven Hills.

Patterson is a vital piece of turning that into a reality.

"Coach Pat is an excellence coach," Dunn said of his position coach. "He used to play linebacker, but it goes hand-in-hand with defensive end.

"The advice he's given us is really just making me lock in and become more mature. Know how to be with the number one guys, know how to take on the slide, take on the chip.

"Just being a better player overall with a better mindset."

With having a new-look defensive line that includes five transfers, Patterson is already being tasked to enact what he learned while working on the Titans' staff.

But he likes the unit's progression 11 days into practice.

"We have a lot of transfers in, so the main focus is to be able to build the continuity amongst the group," Patterson said of camp thus far. "We have a lot of skillset and talent. It's just how we merge it together and see who plays best together."

Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU Football: Rattlers Co-DC, D-Line coach Patterson using NFL lessons