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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, June 2, 2009

NFL: Sizing up: Vikings OT McKinnie ready to guide rookie Loadholt


By DAVE CAMPBELL
AP Sports Writer

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. � Being big has obvious rewards. There are millions of dollars Bryant McKinnie never would have made, had he stopped filling out, oh, 100 pounds ago.

But size isn�t always an advantageous matter.
That�s one reason why McKinnie, Minnesota�s hulking left tackle, was delighted when the Vikings drafted Phil Loadholt in the second round. Finally, the 6-foot-8, 335-pound McKinnie has someone who can relate to the experience of playing in such a large body.
Loadholt has the same height, and he�s listed even heavier at 343 pounds.
�There�s just some things that we can�t do, that everybody else can do,� McKinnie said.
Take blocking, for example, particularly on field goal attempts. Coaches have criticized McKinnie�s technique, some of which he claims is beyond his control and simply part of being so big.
�Sometimes they tell you to bend � �Oh, bend your knees� � but you have somebody that�s four inches shorter than you next to you,� McKinnie said. �They make you feel like you�re not bending, but you are.�
The standard NFL line is that starting spots, especially for rookies, are never guaranteed. Loadholt, however, is the clear front-runner at right tackle following a 2008 season in which Ryan Cook regressed from the year before and Artis Hicks was often hurt.
The draft was deep at his position, so Loadholt�s landing in the second round was attributable to concerns about his footwork and conditioning. He brings, however, plenty of upside.
�You can have a huge guy on your offensive line and, depending on how his play is, it can make a difference or it can�t,� running back Adrian Peterson said over the weekend during the team�s mandatory minicamp at Winter Park. �But him being from Oklahoma and me knowing his background, I will definitely be excited if he gets on the field.�
On draft day, Peterson offered this: �You think about him and Big Mack, with their size, and it�s a dream for a running back.�
Loadholt has much to learn, beginning with the playbook. He had a false start penalty during the full-team scrimmage portion Saturday, evidence of the overwhelming nature of those first few practices with a new team.
McKinnie, though, is eager to advise.
�That�ll make him a better player even faster,� said McKinnie, a first-round draft pick in 2002 who has had his share of ups and downs but was deemed valuable enough by the Vikings three years ago to get a contract extension through the 2013 season.
Like McKinnie, Loadholt is reserved and quiet around reporters, a soft-spoken demeanor that seemingly contradicts the players� size. They both went to junior college before transferring to big-time � no pun intended � schools.
�He�s been successful in this league for a long time,� Loadholt said. �He�s a guy I�ve looked up to since he�s been playing, so I�m definitely excited about the opportunity to learn some things from him.�
Looked up to, of course, is a figurative term. Loadholt is thicker than McKinnie, with shoulder-length dreadlocks that make him appear even wider.
�That is a massive human being,� coach Brad Childress said last month.
Loadholt said he couldn�t have been put in a better place to begin his career, given the veterans around him on the line and the star in Peterson behind him in the backfield.
Now he�s looking forward to playing up to that, well, large potential of his.
�He�s physically gifted. He�s handled himself well. I like his temperament,� offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. �He�s got a little bit of physicalness to him, so I like what I�ve seen so far.�