Soap Opra in Viking land!!!!

[Durango53]

For the past several months, Red McCombs has reiterated that he will wait until the 2004 season concludes before deciding whether to exercise the option on Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Tice's contract for the 2005 campaign.

Turns out that the Vikings' owner doesn't have the luxury of waiting that long to determine the fate of his head coach.

Two league sources with knowledge of the contract confirmed on Tuesday for ESPN.com that McCombs must exercise the one-year option for 2005 by Jan. 1. That is significant, since the regular season does not end until Jan. 2, when the Vikings play at Washington. It is possible that Minnesota's playoff fate, likely a key element in Tice's future with the franchise, won't be determined until the outcome of that game with the Redskins.

If the option is not exercised, it will default, and Tice will become a coaching free agent at the end of next month. McCombs could exercise the option, and then fire Tice, but he would then owe the coach $800,000 of the $1 million base salary stipulated for 2005.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=1946448

Red has to be the dumbest owner in football!!!!!!

[>TC<]

Red is an ass but in this case, they put this date in place knowing that the NFL regular season had never stretched past the first of the year. This year, with Labor Day coming at it's latest possible date, and the NFL starting the season the week after, it pushed the last game back to Jan. 2

I still think it's funny as heck, though. VP Woods said in yesterdays paper that the Vikings were probably going to ask Tice to extend the deadline until after the last game. I hope Tice tells them to stick it.

TC

[Durango53]

I am with you TC on that. If they are going to keep Tice then they would just do it. If they want to get rid of him then they are in big trouble. Get rid of him and go into the playoffs that would be the worst thing you could EVER do... And as dumb as Red is I dont think they are that dumb so they would have to renew the contract and if they fire him he gets to keep the money and we know Red dont like to give out free money.

[>TC<]

FYI - Tice let his agent go this week. No reason was given by either side. You have to wonder about the timing of this.

I still think that it will come down to money. If they pick up Tice's option, he's still the lowest paid coach in the league. Red isn't going to want to pay a new coach more money, in a multi-year deal, as well as pay off any coaches who have time left on their deals when the new coach wants to hire his own guys.

TC

[Timberwolf]

Billy Joe McCombs (Red's real name) told Sid Hartman, Star-Tribune sports gossip columinst, in today's paper that Tice will be back next year no matter what happens. Sure, Billy Joe.