McKinnie suspended for four games

We all knew it was coming. Since training camp started it was inevitable that the NFL would suspend Bryant McKinnie for his brawl at a Miami night club this past February. It's not the actual suspension that bothers me, it's that fact that a player gets suspended four games for hitting another man at a night club, while another only gets one game for hitting a woman.

Earlier this week, the NFL reduced the four game suspension of Brandon Marshall to one game. This guy hit his girlfriend and still has a hearing for drunk driving coming up later in September.

So what kind of message exactly is the Commissioner trying to send here? I understand that McKinnie assaulted another man with a rope-post, but still, at least he assaulted another man. I firmly believe that his suspension is warranted, but I'm a little befuddled by the reduction in games for Marshall.

So, how bad does this affect the Vikings? Well it has Artis Hicks protecting Jackson's blind side for the first four rather important games. I say important based on the Defensive Ends he will be facing. After Kampman on Monday night, he will be lined up against the Colts' Dwight Freeney, Panthers' Julius Peppers, and the Titans Kyle Vanden Bosch. That's a daunting task for any tackle to start the season.

With the only true question mark for the Vikings being at quarterback, this does not make the situation any better and will be watched closely to see how Hicks handles this pressure.