While the Vikings were saying they were confident in their young left side of the line for much of February, March and April, May's minicamp had them rethinking life without veteran guard Corbin Lacina.

Although the signatures haven’t been inked, VU has been told the guard Corbin Lacina has agreed to a one-year deal with the Vikings that will pay him the veteran minimum of $477,000 with incentives for playing time.

The deal was struck Friday and, while the Vikings aren’t giving up all of their cards, they’re saying privately that no starting job is assured — although VU has been told to be prepared to see Lacina starting at left guard when the regular season opens.

Lacina played through injuries last year and was a solid left guard, but, after finding only Arizona interested in him in the free agent market, the St. Paul native decided to stay close to home — for now. With the Houston Texans joining the league next year, Lacina should find the free agent market much more favorable than he found it this year. Lacina is being discussed as a backup publicly, but don’t expect to see him collecting his checks on the sidelines.

SUNDAY NOTES
* Another Viking may not be as secure in his job as Lacina will be getting his slot back. Robert Tate, who started at cornerback all last season, has been put on notice by secondary coach Willie Shaw not to get too comfortable in his role as a starter. With the Vikes expected to sign either Dale Carter or James Hasty after June 1, Tate could be in a starting battle with rookie Eric Kelly. Tate didn’t grade out well in the 41-0 caning of the Vikes by the Giants in the NFC title game and word is that Shaw isn’t going to let past performances affect the coming season. Tate started all last year, but is still only a season and a half removed from being a wide receiver and, if he doesn’t make more progress in his role on the defensive side of the ball, he could well lose his starting job.
* Vikings fans on the Internet may be familiar with the new Vikings play by play announcer — Lee Hamilton. One of the most popular Internet NFL radio shows has been Hamilton’s gig on XTRA 680 out of San Diego. Known to listeners as Hacksaw Hamilton, he is renowned for his daily dose of NFL rumors — some true, some not. But Hamilton is well connected in the NFL and no stranger to the radio booth. He spent 11 years doing Chargers play by play (which should earn him some kind of bonus) and three years doing Seahawks games. Hamilton was hired by KFAN and replaces Dan Rowe, who has been the Vikes play by play man for the last nine years. Rowe switched from KFAN to WCCO when ‘CCO got the Vikings game rights back. No color commentator has been selected, but VU has been told that former Viking tight end Joe Senser is a front runner for the job.
* Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch released a report from his office Friday maintaining that, while there has been some controversy concerning the potential of Red McCombs moving the Vikings, the state has a solid footing on forcing the Vikings to honor their lease at the Metrodome, which has nine years remaining. The eight-page document affirms what VU has said for the last two years — the NFL and the state signed a binding agreement that makes leaving Minnesota a virtual impossibility. While the state does have that leverage, the Legislature is still exploring options to get the Vikes a new stadium.
* The Vikings finished third in NFL merchandise sales — thank you Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper — for the 2000 season. For the second straight year, Dallas topped the list, followed by Tennessee — a new team that reaped the harvest of being a Super Bowl team in January 2000. After the Vikes, the rest of the top 10 were the Rams, Packers, Raiders, Broncos, Giants, Bucs and Ravens. While the league shares 50 percent of the revenue from merchandise sales, each team gets to keep 50 percent of its share of the net revenues.