Patrick Reusse: It's time for Sanford to step out of shadows

Veteran linebacker E.J. Henderson and rookie safety Jamarca Sanford were in pursuit of Arizona running back Tim Hightower last Sunday. It was the fourth quarter and the Vikings were headed for a decisive loss, yet Henderson and Sanford were heading in Hightower's direction with sizable determination.

"I went flying in there and didn't know I had hit E.J.," Sanford said. "When I got up, I saw him holding his leg in the air. I thought, 'This doesn't look good.' "

It wasn't. Henderson had suffered a broken left thigh bone. He's done for this season and nobody knows how long after that.

Henderson was replaced by Jasper Brinkley. Sanford was on the field because Tyrell Johnson had suffered a concussion. And now the two rookies -- Brinkley, a fifth-round draft choice from South Carolina, and Sanford, a seventh-rounder from Ole Miss -- will start Sunday against Cincinnati.

"I knew a lot about [Brinkley] him before we got here," Sanford said. "We were both SEC guys. And Tyrone Nix, the defensive coordinator my last year at Ole Miss, came from South Carolina. He had a lot of good things to say about Brink."

There have been endless good things said about Henderson and his importance to the Vikings defense since the injury. Has this left Sanford feeling contrite?

"I sent E.J. a text after the surgery, to ask how he was doing," Sanford said. "He said not to worry about him -- he was going to be OK -- and to get ready for Cincinnati. And that's what I've tried to do.

"I got a sample last week, but starting, playing a whole game, is completely different. I'm trying to stay relaxed, make it a normal week."

As part of his relaxation, Sanford said on Friday that he was going to try to go see the film "The Blind Side" later in the day. He was overdue to see last week's No. 1 movie, since a central character -- Michael Oher -- was Sanford's four-year teammate at Mississippi.

"Michael and I are as close as you can get," Sanford said. "When you saw one of us at Ole Miss, you saw the other. We talk every day -- not text, but talk."

"The Blind Side" is the tale of Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, a white Memphis couple of means, becoming the legal guardians for Oher, then 16, black and often homeless.

"I've been at the Tuohys' home a lot," Sanford said. "When you hear about Miss Tuohy's strong opinions, her energy, that's 100 percent."

Oher was Baltimore's first-round draft choice and is starting on the offensive line as a rookie. There was a mention on an NFL telecast recently that Miss Tuohy saw Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco in a hotel lobby and said, "You're holding on to the ball too long."

Sanford smiled at the retelling and said, "That's Miss Tuohy, right there."

Sanford's mother, Shirley Taylor, might also qualify as a character. Asked about that given name, Sanford said: "My mom was thinking of Jamaica, and turned that into Jamarca. That's what she says, anyway."

The family comes from Batesville, Miss. Sanford is a cousin to Dwayne Rudd, an Alabama linebacker and the Vikings' No. 1 draft choice in 1997. The high school where both Rudd, Sanford and other NFLers have played is South Panola, serving the southern part of Panola County.

The Tigers had an 89-game winning streak in football that ended with a loss to Meridian High in the 2008 Class 5A title game. In the midst of that streak, a sportswriter referred to the team as "the University of South Panola," and the monicker has stuck.

"When you hear Batesville people say, 'We're going to watch the university play,' they are talking about the high school team -- not Ole Miss or Mississippi State," Sanford said.

South Panola won five big-school titles in a row from 2003-07. "We beat Favre's team my senior year [2003]," Sanford said. "And, we beat 'em again this year."

Brett Favre's team would be the Oak Grove Warriors -- the high school lads he works out with while conducting a retirement drama in order to avoid training camp.

"Favre and I were going back and forth before this year's title game," Sanford said. "Then, South Panola beat Oak Grove 56-14, and I haven't heard much."

Patrick Reusse can be heard 5:30-9 a.m. weekdays on AM-1500 KSTP. • preusse@startribune.com