Well, the “Final Four Plan” is making for a sllllllow start to free agency for Vikings fans.  To date, the Vikings have tendered all but one of their restricted players, re-signed a backup wide out, allowed Chester Taylor to leave for Chicago, and have been rumored to be interested in a cornerback with ACL issues.

And that’s about it.

I wanted to take a minute to address a number of points regarding the Vikings offensive tackles.

First, news has hit that Artis Hicks is drawing a significant amount of interest on the free agent market.  He is scheduled to meet with the Redskins this weekend, and the feeling is that Hicks is viewed by a number of teams as a left tackle with starting potential.  This view of Hicks stems from his time filling in for Bryant McKinnie when he has been suspended or injured or sucking really badly over the last few years.  At the very least, teams know Hicks can handle the right tackle spot after seeing him fill in for Ryan Cook when Cook was sucking really badly.

I was quite surprised that the Vikings didn’t find a way to retain Hicks prior to free agency starting given his level of play and ability to play four out of the five positions along the offensive line.

At this point, the hope should be that Daniel Snyder falls head over heels for Hicks and decides to anoint him their next starter at left tackle and (over)pay him as such.  This would increase the Vikings odds of landing a compensatory draft pick in 2011 (which is looking like an even better draft than 2010).

Now, when it comes to Bryant McKinnie, the latest news is that his feet are feeling better and that he plans to go back to the “foot doctor” fairly soon.

I continue to think that the Vikings should sign restricted free agent Jared Gaither of the Ravens to an offer sheet that the Ravens cannot match.  They would be required to give their first round pick to the Ravens in exchange for the player, but that is a small price to pay for a proven-to-be excellent left tackle.

Gaither comes with some risk, as he is penalty-prone and may struggle with zone blocking.  First, let me say that our current tackles are not your prototypical zone blockers anyways.  Second, at only age 24, Gaither will improve for quite a few more years when it comes to penalties and learning new techniques.

Regardless of the possible risk, I think this is a great answer for the Vikings.  It is possible that by using the #30 pick on Gaither, the Vikings could actually IMPROVE their draft position by trading McKinnie to one of the top 29 teams in exchange for a first rounder… something that would not be too out of the realm of the possible.

A chance to improve your left tackle spot and your position in the draft is something that should interest any team, and I would imagine the Vikings front office will at least consider a move of this nature.

Given that McKinnie continues to prove he is a moron, I’d bet you a six pack that the Vikings P.R. department would be behind my plan 100%.