I'll Believe it When I See It

Bryant McKinnie has returned to the Vikings after serving a 4-game suspension for fighting with a bouncer at a Miami nightclub during the off-season.  So far Mount is saying all the things you would expect a guy in his position to say.  Like, “I’m very excited to finally be back.  After being gone for a month [to] be able to try to get back in the lineup and help my teammates win.”  And, “I put myself in that position. I just [have] to learn from this and don’t put myself in a position like that to give [Goodell] an option of how many games [to suspend me] or whatever.”  McKinnie also said he would continue going out at night, cause that’s just how he rolls, but assured everyone that he will try harder not to get in trouble.  Whatever.  Words don’t mean squat, only actions matter.  The next time Mount is faced with a situation like the one this off-season with the bouncer, will he opt to pick up the metal pole and crack the guy or will the little voice inside his head say, “No Mount, this is what got you in trouble the last time.  Put down the pole big man.  Just chill.”?  There’s no way of knowing.  Hopefully, such a situation won’t arise.

As for McKinnie’s impact on the field…Artis Hicks has done a decent job in his stead, but I’m still anxious to get Bryant out there and see if we can get the run game cranked up another notch.  We know he’s shaky as a pass blocker, but we also know how dominating he can sometimes be as a run blocker.  Who knows?  Maybe Bryant’s return is just the spark this team needs to get off on a winning streak.  Yeah, okay…I’m doing some Kool Aid peddling there.  Somebody has to, right?