McKinnie’s agent Drew Rosenhaus recently sent out a mass email offering McKinnie’s services at the low price of $2.5 million for one year plus “reasonable incentives.” It will be interesting to see what Baltimore ends up paying McKinnie if they do indeed sign him up. Undoubtedly, McKinnie will be brought in for a work out before any decision is made. He claims he’s been working his butt off – hence my sarcastic remark in the first sentence of this post – but I’m guessing the Ravens won’t just take his word for it.

The Ravens’ interest in McKinnie is understandable given the offensive line issues they’ve already suffered this preseason. Their starting tackles Michael Oher and Oniel Cousins allowed three sacks in the preseason opener against Philadelphia, prompting John Harbaugh to shift Cousins to right guard and insert rookie Jah Reid at tackle. Reid got decent grades after his performance vs. Kansas City but Baltimore might not be ready to commit to a rookie at right tackle given their Super Bowl aspirations, hence their interest in the veteran McKinnie, who spent his entire Minnesota career at left tackle.

It’s also possible they want to push Michael Oher a little bit, and think flirting with or even signing McKinnie would get his attention. It’s either that or have Sandra Bullock stand on the sideline clapping.

Update: Sean Jensen tweets that the Ravens have signed the newly-svelte McKinnie to a deal, money and length of contract not yet known. McKinnie is reunited with former teammate Matt Birk in Baltimore. Knowing the Vikings’ luck, McKinnie will play at an all-pro level this year.

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Those stats don’t impress Michael Oher, who claims he shut Allen out in the second half, and did well overall against the Pro Bowl pass rush machine.

“There is nothing really special about him,” Oher told the Baltimore Sun. “I think if we played them (in Baltimore), it would make a big difference. The false starts were just mistiming the snap.

“I think he found out I’m an OK player. Guy makes like $100 million. I think I did all right.”

Jared heard Oher’s remarks and elected not to respond.  I’m kidding:  Of course Jared responded.  You think he would be quiet about a diss like that?

“Well that’s just some idiot trying to talk himself up,” Allen said on Jay Glazer‘s After Party. “I beat that dude like a red-headed step child. Let’s be honest. If he was so good why did they have to chip me all day? Ask him that.

“That’s just a rookie trying to build his self confidence up,” Allen added. “Besides, you lost and your quarterback spent his whole day on the back of his head until the fourth quarter. That guy will watch film today and realize. Everybody else in the world saw me abuse him.”

Jared can brag up his own performance if he wants to – he did have a good game – but the defense overall was nothing to crow about.  As a matter of fact it was terrible.  Especially in the fourth quarter with Antoine Winfield on the bench and Ray Rice making a mockery of our would-be tacklers.

Had the D put on a dominating performance, I would be able to laugh louder at Jared’s antics.  But in light of the stunning meltdown, Jared’s shtick seems less-than-amusing.

Brad Childress appears satisfied to arrive in Mankato with Sage Rosenfels and Tarvaris Jackson competing to start at quarterback. He probably figures bringing in Percy Harvin, by acclamation the No. 1 pain in the posterior in last weekend’s draft, will provide enough tension for a head coach.

Heck, Childress might even tell Darrell Bevell, an alleged buddy of Favre’s, to not answer when the offensive coordinator gets the inevitable call from Mississippi.

None of these things will matter once owner Zygi Wilf gets a whiff that bringing in Favre for the 2009 season is a possibility.

The Vikings demonstrated on Saturday, when they made the strange decision to take the injury-prone, undersized, dope-smoking Harvin over Michael Oher, a starting offensive tackle for the next decade, that selling tickets is currently the team’s top priority.

Thanks to Randy Moss, followers of the Purple have a greater fondness for explosive, defiant receivers than any fan base in football. The Vikings were reminded of this last week, when they let out word of an interest in Harvin and the public responded with enthusiasm.

So Reusse also buys the theory that the Vikings were on the fence about Harvin until they sent out their little feelers and found out the fans liked him.  But do fans really influence front-office decisions that much?  They might if the team is facing ticket-sales issues, and is trying to get a new stadium built despite lack of voter support.  Reusse’s argument is that, as much as Childress might love the plodding KAO, Zygi Wilf loves making money more, and nothing would generate more buzz, and the revenue that comes with buzz, than Favre in purple.  So, Wilf might shove Favre down Chilly’s throat the way he evidently shoved Harvin down it (Chilly reportedly liked Eben Britton, so I imagine he would’ve loved taking Oher, who unexpectedly was still available at #22).  One wonders how much of this shoving Chilly can take before he starts choking.