Tice's Ship Sunk

Shortly following their 34-10 win over the Chicago Bears' second and third-string players Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings fired head coach Mike Tice (Associated Press), ending what had become a stormy tenure for the embattled coach. The season began and ended in disappointment for a Vikings club that was expected to be an elite NFL team this year. They failed to live up to expectations, stumbling horribly out of the gate, but off-field issues may have contributed to the dismissal as well.

Tice's Super Bowl ticket-scalping fiasco early in the season and the Loveboat scandal embarrassed the Vikings franchise and the entire NFL. Although he had no part in the latter, it happened during his watch, and illustrated the lack of control the team has shown at times under his watch.

And the bottom line is, Tice's teams just didn't perform, compiling a modest 33-34 mark over the past five years. Late-season breakdowns became a trademark characteristic of his teams, and they managed just one playoff appearance as a wild-card in 2004.