The remodeling of his family’s Seattle house is complete.
His daughter Adrienne relocated to Lake Tahoe.
He took some trips to Pittsburgh to see the Pitt Panthers and young football coach Nate Tice.
Then there was a frolic and detour to the Breeders Cup.
After 32 consecutuve seasons in the NFL as a player and coach, Mike Tice enjoyed doing some of life’s regular chores.
“We enjoyed our time together, my wife (Diane) and I,” Tice said. “But I think she was ready to kick me out of the house.”
After a one-season sabbatical, Tice now has an office to go to after being hired as the Falcons’ offensive line coach Jan. 8.
“At first, I thought I’d be pumped,” Tice said of his time away from the game. “But, the next thing you know, it’s playoff time. The time off went very quickly.”
Tice is part-owner of a 3-year-old colt named Midnight Hawk, a Kentucky Derby hopeful. Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville also is a part-owner.
“We were invited to get involved with a good friend of mine, Mike Pegram,” Tice said. “Mike has won a lot of races. He’s won the Kentucky Derby (1998 with Real Quiet) and a couple of Preaknesses. I think I own the tail, and (Quenneville) owns one of the hooves. We don’t own much of the horse, but we are just excited to be a part because it’s a thrill. It’s a great thrill.”
New defensive line coach Bryan Cox, 45, didn’t have this season off and doesn’t own a horse. He was plying his wares on Greg Schiano’s staff in Tampa Bay.
Cox was one of the bad boys of the NFL in the 1990s. Before retiring in 2002, the three-time Pro Bowler was a regular at the league offices in New York to appeal his various fines for run-ins with the officials and fans.
“The biggest thing is that I’ve always been in a leadership position, contrary to what people say about my checkered past,” Cox said. “If you talk to any team that I played with or any organization, coaching staff or player (I’ve coached), they’d tell you the person that I am. That’s what I’m proud of.
“Secondly, people mature as they go. I’m a different guy than I was 20 years ago.”
Despite their different paths to the Falcons, Tice and Cox, may be the team’s most important offseason moves, the hiring of Scott Pioli as assistant general manager notwithstanding. Both are considered tough and hard-nosed coaches. As former players, they will have instant credibility in their meeting rooms and they don’t mind raises their voices.
Both styles were on display at the Senior Bowl last week. Tice was much more calmer while instructing his players, while Cox’s voice boomed over Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The Falcons could have waited for Mike Munchak, but chose Tice. Munchak, who was fired as Tennessee’s head coach, was hired as Pittsburgh’s offensive line coach.
Falcons coach Mike Smith worked with Tice in Jacksonville and felt that his diverse coaching background as a head coach, coordinator and position coach would serve him well as the offensive line coach.
“I’ve been blessed to sometimes have all of the hats,” Tice said. “Sometimes I wore certain hats better than others. I think at the end of the day, my niche is coaching the big guys. I’ve certainly enjoyed that the most.”
Tice knows the numbers and has evaluated the wreckage from last season.
He looks forward to helping center Peter Konz, a second-round pick in 2012, who gave up six sacks, three hits and 33 hurries, according to profootballfocus.com.
The Falcons expect a return to good health for left tackle Sam Baker. They’ll likely draft a tackle with the No. 6 pick in the draft and could sign a guard, perhaps Kansas City’s Geoff Schwartz, in free agency.
A revamped line could consist of Baker, left guard Justin Blalock, Konz at center, Schwartz at right guard and Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews or Auburn’s Greg Robinson at right tackle, if either rookie could beat out Lamar Holmes, a third-round pick in 2012, who gave up 10 sacks, 13 hits and 53 hurries last season.
“I know that we have a good core of guys to work with,” Tice said. “We have some young guys that are going to get better. Hopefully, we can add to that mix.”
Cox, a former linebacker, played for Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan while with the New York Jets in 2000 and coached with him in Miami in 2011.
He’s familiar with the Falcons’ personnel from being in the NFC South with the Buccaneers. Cox has been credited with the development of Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.
“You’ve got to have talent in order to be a good coach,” Cox said. “When you have talent like a Gerald McCoy, he’s a guy who can stand up, make plays, that makes you a better coach.”
Cox will be charged with ramping up the pass rush and getting the defensive line to help stop the run. The defense ranked 31st against the run while leaking out 135.8 yards per game in 2013. The Falcons had only 32 sacks, tied for 30th with Houston. Only Jacksonville (31) and Chicago (31) had more.
Cox played for Hall of Fame coaches Bill Parcells and Don Shula and for Bill Belichick.
“I have learned from great coaches,” Cox said.
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