Vikings: With offensive linemen, there always has to be a Plan B in place

MANKATO - The left tackle is actually the right guard, but not until the real left tackle gets healthy, which might happen today. The interim right guard isn't guaranteed a roster spot, much less a starting job, and the right tackle is one unfortunate pileup from moving to center.

Now that we've explained the state of the Vikings offensive line, we'll move quickly to the plight of South American rain forests...

If all goes well this season -- and so far, it hasn't been an ideal start -- the Vikings will build their offense around a line that returns all five starters and presumably features better chemistry than it did last season.

But left tackle Bryant McKinnie's strained hamstring has exposed a reality of the Vikings' depth. Two of their starters are also the top backups at other positions, a flexibility that pays dividends in emergency situations but has slowed the gelling process early in training camp.

McKinnie should return today after missing nine practices, allowing Artis Hicks to slide back to right guard. Meanwhile, right tackle Ryan Cook soon will get some snaps at center, his college position, in the event he has to replace starter Matt Birk sometime this season.

"I'm really looking forward to when we make the switch, to see how they work together," offensive line coach Pat Morris said. "We've still got time down here. We're less than a week into it."

The Vikings jettisoned veterans Mike Rosenthal and Jason Whittle in the offseason, entering camp with fourth-year guard Anthony Herrera and third-year right tackle Marcus Johnson as their only experienced backup linemen. Technically, their second-string left tackle was rookie free agent Chase Johnson, an intriguing project at 6-8, 330 pounds.

Morris said the crux of any personnel decision is to get a team's top five linemen on the field. That strategy necessitated Herrera's promotion to starter, a move made possible because Hicks had experience as a left tackle while playing for Philadelphia from 2003-05.

"We thought that was our best avenue right now," Morris said.

Hicks acknowledged the difficulty of the switch, saying his frustration reached its peak a few days ago when he realized he would face some rustiness when he returned to right guard. In a self-deprecating but revealing way, Hicks said, "We don't live in a perfect world. Sometimes you have to take lemons and make lemonade.

"Quite naturally," Hicks added, "if I'm going to be the right guard, I'd love to get work at it, especially right now. It's a valuable time and you can't get this time back. But as a player you've got to be willing to step in and do what's asked of you and do it at a high level."

After jumping between guard and tackle for most of his career, Hicks seemed locked in at right guard this season. And considering McKinnie's durability -- he has made 71 consecutive starts after entering the lineup in 2002 -- Hicks considers his tenure at left tackle a short-term predicament.

"McKinnie is a real durable guy," Hicks said. "He hasn't missed a game. But if something, God forbid, happens to him, I might have to slide over in a game. For me to get this experience, lining up next to [left guard Steve Hutchinson], you can't put a price tag on that. But now it's time to get some reps at right guard next to Cook."

McKinnie said he suffered the injury while working out this summer near his home in Miami. He understands the importance of building chemistry in training camp, but said: "We've got plenty of time.

"I wanted to get my injury healthy before anything else," McKinnie said. "You don't want it to become a nagging injury. This way, we took care of it now and it won't come back up."

The line's fluid status has played a part in an underwhelming opening week for the Vikings offense. Birk, for one, will be happy to see the group return to full strength today.

"You want everyone out there and going through it together," Birk said. "It'll be great to have [McKinnie] back. And there is plenty of training camp left in front of us, and we'll get enough work in. This is training camp. You never leave without feeling like you didn't get enough reps."

Kevin Seifert • kseifert@startribune.com