Much ado about Mike Tice in Miami

By Hugo Guzman  |   Monday, January 14, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Miami Dolphins
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Everyone in Miami has an opinion on Jacksonville Jaguars assistant coach Mike Tice, it seems. Though there has been no official word from the Dolphins, rumor has it that the former Minnesota Vikings skipper will be in South Florida on Monday to interview with Bill Parcells and Jeff Ireland for the team's currently vacant head coach position.

The fans, for the most part, were quick to share their discontent over the possibility of Tice coming to Miami, blasting the former offensive lineman both on the radio airwaves and on various forums.

The main reason for this undercurrent of dismay is Tice's relatively long list of personal and professional embarrassments while he was head coach of the Vikings. Most are pointing to the infamous "Love Boat" scandal that involved former Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper and Tice's well-documented attempts to scalp Super Bowl tickets, but here are some other interesting factoids:

-Prior to his firing in 2005, Tice was the lowest-paid coach in the NFL.

-Tice was involved in the Vikings' unfortunate 2003 draft debacle; in that, the Vikings were forced to pass on their No. 8 overall selection because they failed to make their pick within the 15-minute window.

-Tice was involved in another big error during the final game of the 2003 regular season, missing out on a playoff appearance when his team was beaten on a last-second touchdown pass by the Arizona Cardinals.

Now, not all of the news on Tice is bad. For starters, he's had a hand in Jacksonville's recent success. The soon-to-be 49-year-old is also credited with pulling off a rare playoff road win in Lambeau Field in 2004. Additionally, Tice was also at the helm during Culpepper's golden era, and he is known for developing Pro Bowl offensive linemen.

Unfortunately, for all of his accolades as a position coach and offensive mind, Tice struggled to parlay those successes into postseason glory. Despite posting winning seasons in three of his four years at the helm, Tice reached the playoffs just once and never made it past the divisional round.

And as scary as this might sound, Tice's coaching career seemed to mirror Dave Wannstedt's tenure in Miami; in other words, it was promising early but ultimately inept.

Still, Tice might just have an insurmountable ace in the hole.

It's well-known that Tice asked Parcells to be his mentor and that his tough-guy demeanor fits in well with what Parcells is looking to establish in Miami. Mainstream media pundits still peg Tice as a dark-horse candidate, but should the rumors prove true, prepare to see the South Florida faithful take their first step toward betraying the previously untouchable Parcells persona.

Take potshots at potential head coaching candidates for the Miami Dolphins at RealFootball365.com.
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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