National Football League

Tice promoted to offensive coordinator

Published Jan. 6, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

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The Chicago Bears promoted Mike Tice to offensive coordinator to replace the departed Mike Martz.

Tice will be in charge of the running game and will be paired with a passing-game coach, as first reported by FOXSports.com. However, he will have overall responsibility.

''(Coach Lovie Smith) and I share a similar mindset of what the Bears offense should look and feel like,'' Tice said in a statement released by the team. ''There will be a toughness about us. We are going to be a powerful run team and we're going to be able to mix in explosive pass plays. It will be important for us to utilize the talents of our players and exploit matchups each Sunday. We have athletes we can build with.''

Smith praised Tice as a ''a valuable member of our staff over the past two years'' with ''an excellent track record in the NFL'' who shares a similar vision for the offense.

''We want to be a strong running team with a big-play pass attack,'' said Smith, who interviewed Tice on Thursday.

Tice arrived in Chicago in 2010 after spending four years as an assistant coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was also the Vikings' head coach from 2002-'05.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this report

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