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Interesting look at how well-liked/respected Loadholt is. And some other useful tidbits.

Notebook: players pushed for Vikings to resign Loadholt

To hear coach Leslie Frazier tell it, Loadholt's teammates played a role in making sure of that.

"Naturally, he's improved as a player," Frazier said on Wednesday, during the annual NFC coaches' breakfast at the league meetings. "You saw it this season. We all saw it. He was more consistent than he's been at any point in his career in Minnesota. ...

"But in my exit interviews with our players, the number one name that kept coming up -- 'Coach, you've got to get this guy signed' -- was Phil Loadholt. And I realized that he was more than just a good player for our team."

http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Note ... 032013?t=2

That's really a good thing to hear.

My take on an O-line is that they need to be high character/smart guys that get along very well together on and off the field. If there is any position that truly epitomizes brothers in the trenches of war...it's the O-line.

Everything I've ever seen or heard about Loadholt, regardless of how he's played on the field, is that he is always trying to get better and his teammates like him. The Anti-Mckinney.

I'm happy they signed him for a reasonable sum and that he is still on the upside of his career.

Something interesting I've been reading lately is how that while it's widely known the NFL is a "passing league" and many teams are going into nickel packages as their base to defend it and spending more on more than two "starting caliber" corners, there's speculation that some "power run offenses" might be better able to take advantage. Defenses built to defend the pass? Win the LOS and attack on the ground. Kind of like how BB drafted two speedy, athletic tight ends, nobody in the division was equipped to properly defend them. If you have small, quick DBs/LBs going against an Adrian Peterson, they might be at a disadvantage. Just something I've been mulling over.

dead_poet wrote:Something interesting I've been reading lately is how that while it's widely known the NFL is a "passing league" and many teams are going into nickel packages as their base to defend it and spending more on more than two "starting caliber" corners, there's speculation that some "power run offenses" might be better able to take advantage. Defenses built to defend the pass? Win the LOS and attack on the ground. Kind of like how BB drafted two speedy, athletic tight ends, nobody in the division was equipped to properly defend them. If you have small, quick DBs/LBs going against an Adrian Peterson, they might be at a disadvantage. Just something I've been mulling over.

It's been talked about before on this very board and I'm a big believer, at least when you have AD, that it's a viable way to run our offense.

It's a little concerning to me, if this is how it went down, that the players can influence who we sign or for how much we do it. I'm sure it was in spielman's plans anyway and the cutting of winfield and trading Harvin shows that it probably isn't about what the players want at all, but this move happened to make everyone happy so it worked out.

Hopefully Phil keeps on improving, it is great to have both LT and RT locked up for a good period of time now!

I love this story.

Loadholt has taken a lot of heat in his time in Minnesota, and no small amount of flak from this board. But he is the quintessential example of somebody busting his butt to improve, and his teammates recognizing it and lobbying for him. High-character guys who can also play can be hard to find in the NFL.

Given how hard he's worked to get to this point, I also don't see Loadholt as the type of guy who will go lazy just because he got a nice contract. I'm really happy for him.

mondry wrote:It's a little concerning to me, if this is how it went down, that the players can influence who we sign or for how much we do it.

Well DUH... why wouldn't the players influence it? The players are part of the team too, and if they want someone on it, hell yeah they should be able to bring it up to the Coach and GM. I would hate to be on a team where a GM wouldn't listen to his players like that.

Loadholt has shown improvement. I remember during the 2010 and 2011 seasons he was criticized for not finishing blocks and letting defenders swirl past him. Then I remember reading an article before the 2012 season saying that Loadholt was spending extra time around the facility to improve his game. It was then when I realize the guy truly wants to get better and understood he needed to get better. The 2012 was his best season so far and he can only get better from here.

I hope him and Kalil continue to improve.

I'm just curious if it was several players or one really important player who has been behind him from the beginning?

The Breeze wrote:The Anti-Mckinney.

That's it in a nutshell. Very glad that he'll be a Viking for years to come. Our o-line has a very bright future and has the potential to be the best in the league. Now if they could just get the guard situation figured out...but even so, if you want a solid young foundation for an oline I'd think the two tackles and center are the spots you'd want locked down.

Glad we signed Loadholt just one less hole for the Vikings to fill!

Mercy Percy wrote:Glad we signed Loadholt just one less hole for the Vikings to fill!

Same here.

His improvement and cohesion with his fellow lineman was well worthy a pay day. He often looked dominated in the run game last season and his pass protection continues to improve.

I'm a big fan of Spielman's emphasis on keeping a main core, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. The odd addition will hopefully take us up a notch.

I dont buy it. Good run blocker? Yep. Its hard not to be one when your a tackle, and a huge one at that. But i never saw extra effort. When he blew his block, which was quite often, I rarely saw him help AD or Ponder up. Or when AD scored a TD I rarely saw Phil running down to give him some grats ( I did see Kalil, and Sully on just about evevy score). I dont like Load. I think we way overpaid simply because tackles are so hard to find. Hes on about the same level as McKinney for me. I wonder if all this new money just makes him sit back more. time will tell.

PurpleKoolaid wrote:I dont buy it. Good run blocker? Yep. Its hard not to be one when your a tackle, and a huge one at that. But i never saw extra effort. When he blew his block, which was quite often, I rarely saw him help AD or Ponder up. Or when AD scored a TD I rarely saw Phil running down to give him some grats ( I did see Kalil, and Sully on just about evevy score). I dont like Load. I think we way overpaid simply because tackles are so hard to find. Hes on about the same level as McKinney for me. I wonder if all this new money just makes him sit back more. time will tell.

Loadholt is very often there at the end of a long run... I know I am impressed that he is because he is so big. I know I've seen it.

Phil is from my home town and I have followed him from his days playing/starring in football and basketball for Fountain /Fort Carson to his career at OU. He has vastly improved and the coaches, players, GM seem to really like him as does his fellow teamate at OU, AD. Of course leave it to some people to find negative things to say about him This was a great signing

J. Kapp 11 wrote:I love this story.

Loadholt has taken a lot of heat in his time in Minnesota, and no small amount of flak from this board. But he is the quintessential example of somebody busting his butt to improve, and his teammates recognizing it and lobbying for him. High-character guys who can also play can be hard to find in the NFL.

Given how hard he's worked to get to this point, I also don't see Loadholt as the type of guy who will go lazy just because he got a nice contract. I'm really happy for him.

Love hearing this one, also. And no questioning or animosity about someone being overpaid when we needed him.