Raiders Interested In Bears' Tice
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jan 18, 2012 7:40PM
When the Bears parted ways with offensive coordinator Mike Martz after the season, they chose to promote from within and named Mike Tice to replace Martz (but only for the running game). Perhaps a move that made sense for a team that also canned their general manager and has a head coach with a poor track record for hiring offensive coordinators.
The Bears may have to look outside the organization for an offensive play caller, as the Oakland Raiders want to talk to Tice about their head coaching vacancy. While the Bears have declined to let a number of their assistant coaches interview for other jobs, NFL rules forbid teams from preventing their staff members to interview for head coaching positions. Special teams coach Dave Toub talked to Miami about the Dolphins gig before returning to the Bears with a new two-year contract.
Tice compiled a 33-34 record during his tenure as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Following his ouster, he spent three seasons on the Jacksonville Jaguars staff before joining the Bears in 2010 to oversee the offensive line. Last season, Tice managed to turn a ragtag bunch of linemen into a respectable set of blockers—even after losing two starters—and the Bears rushed for 2,000 yards as a team for the first time since 1990.
That ability to get results out of less-than-optimal pieces and familiarity with the team's personnel is likely why he was tapped for the promotion to OC. If Tice joins the Raiders, the Bears will be in a bind with their offense. By promoting Tice to coordinator, the Bears tried to minimize the disruption to quarterback Jay Cutler and the rest of the offense while also ridding themselves of Martz's foibles. The team is still on the hunt for a GM to replace Jerry Angelo, and Lovie Smith's track record for offensive hires (Martz, Terry Shea and Ron Turner) has been suspect, to say the least.
Before Culter and Matt Forte went down with injuries, the Bears looked like a playoff team despite Martz's questionable play calling. Will a new play caller mean a step back for the Bears? Joining Lovie Smith's staff hasn't proven to be a popular option in recent years, so the Bears may have trouble filling out their coaching ranks.