McKinnie Storyline Looks Vital to Vikings
Add it all up and
Bryant McKinnie will be on the short list of players who will be
most significant in determining the success of the Minnesota Vikings in
2008.
Why? Well, start with his position,
offensive left tackle. With a right-handed quarterback like the
Vikings’ Tarvaris Jackson, the left tackle is the most important
position on the offensive line. McKinnie, and other NFL left tackles,
are gatekeepers for their teams, protecting the backside of quarterbacks.
A left tackle finds himself matched
against the defense’s most prolific pass rusher. A right end like the
Vikings’ Jared Allen, who led the NFL in sacks last season, or
historically high motor guys like Bruce Smith or Howie Long
are examples.
Former Viking center Mike Morris put it this way about guys like
that: “I may not be there but you can feel my presence. Now try and
throw the ball. That’s what kind of guy the left tackle has to block.”
The
way Morris sees it, there are a couple of problems with the McKinnie
situation. The first is that McKinnie faces legal charges from a night
club incident in Miami. In addition, the NFL is expected to make an
announcement soon whether McKinnie will be disciplined by having to miss
one or more regular season games.
Such
a development will present a problem, but McKinnie’s so-so play during
his six-year career is an ongoing issue, too, according to Morris.
He thinks journeyman Artis Hicks, now in his seventh NFL season,
would be the McKinnie fill-in.
“I
don’t think he’s the player they thought he was,” Morris said of
McKinnie. “I don’t think he’s the player I thought he was. He hasn’t
proven himself and now we’ve got this mess. I wonder if it’s going to
hurt us or help us sometimes with him.
“Artie Hicks over there might just be fine. It might also be the
solution. McKinnie when he wants to play, he plays well.
When he doesn’t, it seems like he takes games off. I don’t think he’s
worth his salt. Not $49 million. I think that Hutchinson
(left
guard Steve) makes him look an awful lot better than he really
is. When he’s paired with a very ordinary guard, which we’ve had here
before in the past, he looks extremely outmatched a lot of times if he
doesn’t have inside help.
“We’ll need him (McKinnie) back. It’s going to be a huge, huge issue
if Artie can’t make that transition over to left tackle. That’s a big
deal to play left tackle. So that’s why they get paid the big money.”
In
2006 the Vikings signed McKinnie to a reported $48.5 million contract
extension. Morris, who has a morning talk show on KFAN, is passionate
about his former team, and said he’s “ashamed” the franchise is paying
McKinnie the big bucks. Morris talked about playing with former left
tackle and hall of famer Gary Zimmerman, and said there’s “no
comparison” between Zimmerman and McKinnie.
Cross your Purple horns and hope that
McKinnie, who has started a team-best 89 consecutive games including the
playoffs, is available to the Vikings because of his experience and the
importance of the left tackle position. ”The one guy that could have done it in his sleep, doesn’t choose to do it, and that’s
McKinnie,”
Morris said. “We hope he’s (McKinnie) back. …But a hell of a burden on
Artie Hicks right now. That’s for sure. He hasn’t done him any favors.
…”
