One of the things that many rookie head coaches try to do in their first season at the helm is to change the culture established by the previous regime to one they favor instead. And even though Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier is technically a carry over from the last coaching staff, he isn’t any different than other first year head coaches in that regard.

Frazier took baby steps towards that culture change as the interim head coach last fall, but he made his mark on the team fully earlier this afternoon, releasing talented but troubled offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie after seeing him show up to camp overweight and unwilling to put forth a consistent effort to remedy the problem.

Throughout his entire career McKinnie has displayed amazing talent and at times has proven himself to be among the league’s elite at left tackle, protecting the blind side for his quarterback.

But for every instance in which he was dominant, there were at least two or three occasions where he failed miserably as a blocker, with the most notable example being last season’s home contest against the Bears. McKinnie did his best impersonation of a matador throughout most of game, allowing opposing defensive ends free run at his quarterback, and as a result, the final image of future Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre’s career was of him lying face down in agony on a frozen TCF Bank Stadium field.

That play and McKinnie’s apparent lack of concern in the off-season set the stage for today’s move, and while the Vikings may struggle this season without him around, they’ll be better off as a whole without him and his attitude problems dragging the team down.

It won’t stop the usual off the field issues from flaring up, but it will set a tone that the team will almost certainly respect, pushing them to police themselves and keep everyone in line.

Frazier’s authority in the locker room for the time being is unquestioned and while it won’t last forever, the message sent by McKinnie’s release will ensure that every player, rookie and veteran alike, will follow Frazier’s lead going forward.