Bears' Tice a natural
Offensive line coach just didn't know it when he started 14 seasons ago
By Vaughn McClure, Chicago Tribune reporter
9:36 PM CST, November 19, 2011
As a coach, Mike Tice wasn't who he thought he was.
Vikings head coach Dennis Green was the first to let him know.
In February of 1997, Tice envisioned being an offensive coordinator or, at least, a quarterbacks coach. Green then strolled into the office of his tight ends coach with a job switch in mind, just not the one Tice anticipated.
"Denny said he has a list of guys recommended for offensive line coach and I thought he was going to ask me for my recommendation,'' Tice recalled. "Instead he said, 'All of these guys are on the street for a reason. I want you to be the offensive line coach. What do you think?'''
Tice told Green he wanted to coach the quarterbacks. Green made it clear the position wasn't open.
It was offensive line or nothing, and Green wouldn't let Tice off the hook.
"I was kind of astonished,'' Tice said. "Denny told me he wanted me to just coach them the way I thought was best because he didn't want me going to clinics and stuff. Literally, that's how I became an offensive line coach. And I never imagined it.''
It worked out well for him as he eventually succeeded Green for the final game of 2001 and coaching the Vikings to a 32-33 record (1-1 playoffs) until he was let go after the 2005 season.
Tice said taking over Hall of Famer Randall McDaniel and a handful of future Pro Bowl offensive linemen in 1997 was a tougher challenge than the one he faces 14 years and four coaching jobs later.
The second-year Bears offensive line coach enters Sunday's matchup with the Chargers at Soldier Field set to use his sixth starting offensive line combination in 10 games. He watched two first-round draft picks — right tackle Gabe Carimi and left guard Chris Williams — suffer season-ending injuries.
Now, Tice's group consists of two seventh-round picks at the tackle spots, a long-time guard at center, a long-time center at guard and an undrafted player starting his fourth game as Bear.
Tice has plenty of confidence in J'Marcus Webb, Lance Louis, Roberto Garza, Chris Spencer, and Edwin Williams. In turn, the linemen have expressed faith in their coach.
"His ability to put guys in and not skip a beat has been incredible,'' Garza said. "It's a tribute to what he does for us, technique-wise, every day on the field. Just the way he coaches us.''
Tice stops well short of labeling himself an offensive line guru. He picked the brains of some of the best in the business to develop his expertise.
Hog wild
Joe Bugel earned fame as coach of "The Hogs,'' the legendary Redskins offensive lines of the 1980s and early '90s he nicknamed and the ones that paved the way to three Super Bowl titles.
The 6-foot-7, 253-pound Tice, a tight end, wasn't exactly a small pig in the bunch during the '89 season, his only regular season under Bugel.
"I'm going to be as truthful as I can be about Mike Tice: He was probably one of the most studious, well-prepared players I've ever coached,'' Bugel said. "He was a tight end, but our tight ends were basically tackles. They had to be really tough guys, and that's the one thing he possessed. He was a heck of a run blocker for us.''
Bugel mentioned how Tice was a part of those infamous "5 O'Clock Club'' meetings, when "The Hogs'' and other Redskins would gather in a shed after practice to drink beer. Tice didn't need to chug a few brews to realize the importance of offensive line unity. And he didn't need long to figure out the basic fundamentals Bugel tried to instill.
"He taught me about footwork on inside gap plays,'' Tice said. "He taught me that power game. And actually, he taught me about pass protection because I didn't do that too much during my years in Seattle.''
During two stints with the Seahawks, Tice, a former college quarterback, learned the importance of hand placement from head coach Chuck Knox and learned about leverage and a three-point stance from Seahawks offensive line coach Howard Mudd.
Redskins offensive line coach Jim Hanifan enhanced Tice's knowledge about hand placement before head coach Joe Gibbs released Tice before the '90 season.
"Coach Gibbs called me in and told me I couldn't run anymore,'' Tice said. "I told him, 'Coach, I couldn't run when you signed me.'''
Tice ran right into coaching once he retired from the Vikings in 1995. When Green charged him with the offensive line, Tice visited the retired Knox in California and his former high school coach, George O'Leary, at Georgia Tech.
"I just basically had a list of questions,'' Tice said. "They answered them and I moved on to do my thing.''
Tice's method of evaluating offensive linemen is short and simple: Balance, lateral quickness and finishing plays. He harps on keeping hands high, maintaining good balance, not crossing over, not bringing the feet together and keeping the helmet out.
"They get sick of hearing about it,'' Tice said. "They have to do those five things in sequence so when we're slowing down the tape, they look like 'The Rockettes.'''
Tice has done an admirable job of getting those around him to dance to a different tune, coaches included.
Fine line
When he left Halas Hall after Friday's practice Tice stopped to get his Ford Expedition washed as part of his weekly routine.
"Can you get my windows cleaned up top, too?" Tice asked as he interrupted a phone interview.
Sounded like a little nitpicking.
"Yeah, if I'm paying $24 for a car wash and going to tip a guy $5, I want perfection,'' he said.
He has the same flawless expectations for his linemen.
Just ask Spencer, a former first-round pick of the Seahawks who was a target of Tice's wrath after signing with the Bears. Spencer came to town with the bad habits of dipping with his helmet and not using his hands.
"Coach Tice does a great job of staying on top of me about that,'' Spencer said. "That has been a big change for me … to have somebody staying on top of you about things they want you to do. It actually has helped me settle down on some things I've been in trouble with.''
Tice hasn't singled out Spencer. One of the coach's most daunting tasks was getting Chris Williams not to drop step and get over his toes.
"I have a saying: You have to have your (stuff) in line,'' Tice said. "Meaning, you have to be in balance to get your job done. If you're not in balance, you're going to get your (butt) blown up.''
The line obviously has benefited from practicing what Tice continues to preach along with shorter drops for Jay Cutler and protection help from running backs and tight ends.
The Bears have allowed just five sacks during a four-game winning streak as compared to 18 through the first five games. Matt Forte has rushed for 116 yards or more in four of the last six games, although the Bears regressed in their running back against a strong Lions defense last Sunday.
"Players get beat,'' Tice said. "Offensive linemen are in a fight for 65 plays per game. You're going to get your (butt) whipped every once in a while, even with good technique. Ndamukong Suh, he's going to win his. But if you're technique is sound, you're going to lose less of those individual battles.''
The gradual progression of the offensive line hasn't gone unnoticed by offensive coordinator Mike Martz.
"I think players understand how much Coach Tice believes in them, and the trust that he has in them,'' Martz said. "He works so hard in preparing them, and that's all good players want. They want to know that you know what you're talking about and that you're going to get them to play their best.''
Tice vows to continue coaching his line the same way, even if he sometimes gets under its skin.
"I have regrets sometimes when I get on a player because the kids I have playing for me right now and who have played for me over my career, I know they are trying to do things exactly the way I tell them,'' Tice said. "When I don't have regrets is when you are not focused on the task at hand, when you are thinking about, `OK, I can't wait until Sunday night or what you're going to eat and who you're going to kiss.
"When I'm mad and I know they're not focused. I don't have any guilt.''
If Tice has any regrets about his assistant coach experience, it was his being denied the chance to interview for the Titans offensive coordinator position in the offseason.
"You're always disappointed when you don't have a chance to better yourself, professionally, and that's what the interview process is all about,'' he said. "I wanted to do that interview.''
But the Bears blocked the move and gave Tice a pay raise with a one-year extension through 2012. They obviously understood his value as an offensive line coach.
He has been all they hoped he would be.
vxmcclure@tribune.com
Twitter @vxmcclure23
McClure: Bears' Tice a natural
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