NFL Insider: Tice could have used Goodell's muscle in '05

Pacman Jones was booted for the entire season. Chris Henry and Tank Johnson were tossed for eight games apiece. Michael Vick was ordered not to report to training camp.

Based on how the NFL has intervened and dealt with troublemakers and embarrassing situations so far in 2007, I got to thinking, "Man, could our old friend Mike Tice have used Roger Goodell as NFL commissioner, or what?"

I do look at how some things are going on in the league right now and think, 'Maybe Mike Tice would have been better off with Roger Goodell as the commissioner,' " said Tice, the former Vikings head coach and current Jacksonville Jaguars assistant head coach-tight ends. "He seems to have stepped in and helped out some of the coaches who are going through some of the same things I went through. A lot of things I went through, people around the league are starting to find out that all coaches are going through. I'm just wondering why when it happened to me we were this out-of-control, undisciplined football team. And when it happens to some others, the league is stepping in."

Tice answered his own question: Goodell.

We tend to forget Tice won a playoff game in 2004 at Lambeau Field and was fired after going 9-7 in 2005. Last year, new head coach Brad Childress went 6-10 and set team records for offensive offense.

"I would never say I feel vindicated," Tice said. "I visited with Brad at the combine. I think the world of him. I think he's had a tremendous career and will have a tremendous career as a head coach. I wish him only the best.

"But what last year has done is give me a greater appreciation of the things we were able to accomplish with the tools we were afforded. It gives me a chance amongst my peers to keep my head high."

Although it was never used publicly as the reason Tice was fired, Tice believes the raucous boat party by players in October 2005 was his undoing. The incident, which became infamously known as the "Love Boat" fiasco, resulted in one player (Moe Williams) being found guilty of a misdemeanor, two players (Fred Smoot and Bryant McKinnie) pleading guilty to misdemeanor charges and one player (Daunte Culpepper) having misdemeanor charges dropped.

Tice has heard and read comments from the current Vikings regime about "changing the culture" on the team. He said he doesn't like the phrase but respects the opinion and, frankly, is too busy to let it bother him.

As for the boat party that ran amok, Tice said, "I don't know if it's ever been printed that this happened during the bye week. I think a lot of people think this happened the Thursday night before a big game. Guys had three days off, and they chose to make poor decisions. I don't know. I guess people wanted me to follow them around in my Escalade to see what they all were doing.

"You look at situations that go on now, the league comes to the rescue. It's a big help to have some teeth. When we had some issues, I couldn't discipline players until they went through the due process."

To be fair, Goodell might have been harsher on Tice when it came to his involvement in scalping Super Bowl tickets. But Tice did pay a $100,000 fine when he was making $1 million, so that was more than a slap.

Tice is quietly trying to rebuild his career in a small market that has big expectations in Year 5 under coach Jack Del Rio. He's back to coaching a position, which he likes, and still hopes to get another head coaching opportunity.

Asked what he learned from his four-plus seasons as Vikings head coach, he said, "My mistakes."

What mistakes?

"I'd say I've always enjoyed talking to the media, or anybody who would listen, but I think sometimes saying too much can be a damaging thing to your program," Tice said. "It's showing your hand. [Former Vikings defensive coordinator and current head coach at Central Florida] George O'Leary and I are dear, dear friends. He used to tell me, 'Michael, Michael, you have two ears and one mouth for a reason.' I think of that very, very often now that I'm out of the spotlight, the microscope, the magnifying glass."

Mark Craig • mcraig@startribune.com