Brett Favre drops back to pass, looks to his right, then to his left, and for a moment can’t find a receiver. That’s because he’s looking at the backs of Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt, the Minnesota Vikings’ 6-foot-8 tackles.
McKinnie is an eight-year NFL veteran, but Loadholt is learning the ropes. And the Fountain-Fort Carson graduate appears to be a quick study.
Loadholt played at Oklahoma and helped the Sooners win Big 12 titles in each of his two seasons. But that doesn’t mean the transition has been an easy one.
“There is a big difference,” he said. “The guys here are faster. … The game is elevated a lot from the mental aspect. But as far as the competition goes, I can tell week in and week out that I’m playing against the best in the world.”
Longtime fans of the Green Bay Packers, Loadholt and his father, Phil Sr., had to do an immediate about-face when the rival Vikings selected the 343-pound lineman in the second round.
“I’d been a Packers fan since I was a little kid,” said the elder Loadholt, who served in the Army at Fort Carson. “He just kind of followed me on that. But I’ve given up on the Packers. There’s no way I could root for a team my son isn’t playing for. I’ve just got to root for my boy.”
As an NFL rookie, Loadholt has plenty to be happy about. He was drafted by a team that many believed was missing one key piece in making a Super Bowl run. That was added late in training camp when Favre came out of retirement.
With Favre, running back Adrian Peterson and a talented receiving corps, the Vikings have averaged 30 points while compiling a 10-2 record.
“I wouldn’t say there’s any pressure there,” Loadholt said. “I’ve known from the time I was drafted that they have a good team. And then with the addition of Brett, things are going really good for us.”
Loadholt, who is one of four former Sooners on the Minnesota roster, couldn’t have planned a better first season.
“We just wanted him to get the chance to play in the NFL,” his father said. “But I’m glad he wound up with Minnesota. He has such a winning spirit and is very competitive, so it would have been tougher for him to end up with some of the teams that have struggled in the last few years.
“I’m an old, tough dad, but going to that first game and seeing him down on an NFL field brought me to tears. We know he’s a rookie and still has a lot to learn, but he’s off to a great start.”
