FanHouse Mike Tice

It's remarkable to think that three years removed from the sex boat scandal, and the subsequent fallout that cost Mike Tice his job, the Vikings would seriously consider drafting Percy Harvin, the former Florida standout who tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine in February.

But it's not the failed drug test that should be most worrisome for Minnesota's front office -- plenty of professional athletes smoke weed -- it's the fact that he wasn't smart enough to pass on grass when he knew he'd have to pee in a cup once he got to Indianapolis. As NFL scouts have preached: it's not so much a drug test as an intelligence test. And Harvin flunked both.

I understand that there are statues with more mobility than Byron Lefwich, and Daisuke Matsuzaka has a more compact windup, but looking over some of the names of quarterbacks currently populating NFL rosters, you have to wonder how he has yet to find work. (Actually, I know the answer, but just for the sake of discussion...)

But here we are, almost to July, and Leftwich is still unemployed. As I mentioned earlier this month, a lot of teams around the league are concerned about Leftwich's injury history; sure, David Carr or Joey Harrington or Kyle Boller might all be less skilled players, but they can take a hit. A bunch of them, in fact.

Good news, though: Leftwich has an ally in Brian Billick:

Billick, now a game analyst for Fox, liked Leftwich enough in college that the Ravens tried to work a deal with the Minnesota Vikings to trade up in the draft. But in an infamous draft day snafu, the Vikings took too much time - some say the Jaguars intentionally stalled them - and lost the pick, allowing Jacksonville to take Leftwich...

"He can throw it," Billick said of Leftwich. "There's never been a question about his ability. He's got one of those unique arms. He proved to be fairly accurate..."

So, in a sense, we have Mike Tice to thank for ruining Leftwich's career. Somehow that makes perfect sense.

via PFT

The 2008 NFL owner's meeting was memorable for any number of reasons, but I'll cite two here: the force-out rule was abolished and the Chiefs are still pushing their anti-hippie agenda.

And while it's pretty easy to point to the "hair rule" as perhaps the most absurd suggestion since Pacman Jones swore off strip clubs (for three or four years), Yahoo.com's Michael Silver is more upset about a rule that wasn't even on the table: the tuck rule.

Silver goes into painstaking detail (for Raiders fans, anyway) to recreate the Play That Started it All -- Charles Woodson blitzing Tom Brady silly, knocking the ball out of his hands as he sacked the Patriots quarterback. Oakland's Greg Biekert recovered the alleged fumble and the Raiders seemed destined for the Super Bowl.

But referee Walt Coleman, knower of NFL regs, by-laws and whatnot, pointed out that Rule 3, Section 21, Article 2, Note 2 stipulated that Brady had, in fact, thrown an incomplete pass. The Patriots kept the ball and an heroic Adam Vinatieri field goal later, were headed to New Orleans Pittsburgh (and then New Orleans).

Forget that Brady admitted to Silver that he assumed it was a fumble. And forget, as Silver writes, that:

I think this would make the three other AFC East teams extremely happy. From the Pioneer Press' Charley Walters (who seemingly has a lot of sources, none of whom have names):

People close to former Vikings coach Mike Tice insist he will be named the Dolphins' head coach next week if Jacksonville, for which Tice is a top assistant, loses at New England on Saturday.

This is news to ... well, everybody, I think. Cowboys' offensive line coach Tony Sparano is the most popular name floating around as Cam Cameron's successor. As the story goes, he's Bill Parcells' guy, and the Dolphins are interviewing other candidates just to give the appearance of fairness.

Tice would be a surprising choice, particularly since Parcells is seemingly interested in bringing in "his people". That said, I don't think Tice would be a completely awful choice (how's that for a ringing endorsement?).

The media (and some fans) like to portray him as a pencil-wielding meat head, but he only had one losing season in his four years with the Vikings. Of course, there's an argument than some of those Minnesota teams underachieved, which was part of Miami's problem last season (along with not having very many good players).

If Jacksonville beats New England Tice won't have to worry about missing out on the Miami job; if the Pats, predestined for 19-0, lose tonight it'll be the end of civilization as we know it.