July 19, 2008

OLT Bryant McKinnie’s hearing for a criminal case, in which he faces four separate charges related to a fight outside a Miami nightclub, was continued back in June and is scheduled for a court date of Sept. 24 — three days after the Vikings face the Panthers in Minnesota during Week Three of the season. The team is aware of the situation and knows that McKinnie, should he be found guilty, could face punishment by the league. In fact, McKinnie already has met with commissioner Roger Goodell on the matter, so a punishment for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy could come down swiftly in this case, especially because McKinnie would be a repeat offender if found guilty. In that case, the Vikings would be left to replace one of their better run blockers, and there is no natural replacement on the roster who possesses McKinnie’s mass or talent. Artis Hicks is a jack-of-all-trades who has played left tackle sparingly before (in Philadelphia, when Brad Childress was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator) and could play there in a pinch. But don’t be surprised if either Marcus Johnson or Chase Johnson gets a chance there. Marcus Johnson has more experience and has shown improvement, but don’t rule out the massive Chase Johnson (6-8, 331 pounds) possibly being a strong option.