I wanted Mike Tice to succeed. Not just because he was coaching my favorite team, but because he’s a bit of a throwback. You don’t expect to see him wearing expensive suits and writing self-important books, he’s not annoyingly arrogant and he clearly works hard.
But a genius, he isn’t. Indeed, one gets the impression that he’s sub-par when in comparison with the league average. His decision not to run the ball down the throats of two teams with trouble defending the run, (13 and 14 carries for Onterrio Smith against teams giving up 4.3 and 4.4 yards per carry) cost the Vikings the opportunity to gain two games on the reeling Packers, and the pass attempt by Randy Moss with two minutes left on the verge of the Red Zone bordered on lunacy.
There is a time and a place to take risks; first-and-ten with two minutes left on the opponent’s twenty when you’re trailing by four is not one of them. You’ve got one of the league’s best rushing teams, you’ve got three solid backs, run twice off-tackle then take two cracks with roll-out passes that give Daunte the chance to run for the first. Just a terrible call.
It’s too bad Charlie Weis is headed for Notre Dame. It would have been interesting to see what he could have done with Minnesota’s offensive talent.