The Vikings had been hoping to sign offensive lineman Corbin Lacina for almost three weeks now, but he has cinch missed two minicamps and still isn't signed.

VU has discovered some conflicting viewpoints within the walls of Winter Park concerning the status of guard Corbin Lacina. At the conclusion of this month’s voluntary minicamp, team sources said it was only a matter of days until Lacina would be signed — a viewpoint that was reiterated Saturday when contacted by VU.

However, that comes after others within the organization are now saying that the Lacina signing isn’t a guarantee. The team apparently wanted Lacina to have his new one-year contract signed by the time minicamp started — even though many of the key offensive cogs in the Vikings offense weren’t at some or all of the minicamp.

Without Lacina there, word has begun to reverberate that Dennis Green is contemplating moving on without him in 2001. While VU has been told that Lacina is still expected to be signed, because the team will already have too many unproven players on the offensive line, this contradiction in thought isn’t a good sign for Vikings fans.

FATHER’S DAY NOTES
* With the exception of those who had excused absences from minicamp, all of the defensive players on the Vikings were at the June sessions — leading defensive coaches to believe that the Vikings players are committed to erasing the 41-0 caning by the Giants that still haunts many of the defensive players. * The Vikings brought a familiar face back over the weekend, signing kicker Andy Crosland. He was brought in to challenge veteran Gary Anderson and will likely have the same shot this year. The Vikings claimed Crosland after he was put on waivers by Carolina. * There are some concerns over how the Vikings are going to address the final stage of free agency. Depending on who you ask with the team, aside from the money set aside for signing rookies, the Vikings only have between $1 million and $1.6 million to spend under the salary cap, with the most talk being closer to the $1 million figure. If that’s the case, the Vikings would likely only be able to sign Lacina and perhaps one other veteran to an incentive-laden contract. It is still expected that the Vikings are looking at a cornerback, whether it’s James Hasty or Dale Carter, and hope they can get one signed before training camp opens July 29.
* Former University of Minnesota cornerback Willie Middlebrooks — a player many thought the Vikings would have taken with their first pick had he not gone to Denver — has finally been cleared to practice with the Broncos. He has been sidelined for the past month, still recovering from a fractured ankle suffered while with the Gophers last year. * A source with the Jets says the team’s coaching staff is in love with former Viking Matthew Hatchette and, despite drafting flashy rookie Santana Moss, if the season were to start today, Hatchette would be in the starting lineup.