A little trust has gone the wrong way for Tice.(NFL)

So much for trusting your players. That was Mike Tice's mistake before the Vikings' implosion this season. His mistake was thinking his players would hold themselves accountable, that they would have the maturity and responsibility to demonstrate their appreciation for his approach to coaching.

Tice spent his 14-year NFL playing career figuring out the ideal way for a head coach to relate to his players. He came away disliking dictatorships and favoring a more enlightened interaction with his athletes. He responded best to those coaches who gave him credit for having a brain, who understood each player couldn't be viewed the same, who acknowledged even young adults should be allowed a certain amount of freedom within a formal team structure.

He applied all those philosophies during the past off season, when he went about constructing his 2005 squad. His core locker room leaders had tired of Randy Moss and his bickering and complaining. Tice deserved some of the blame; he had enabled Moss by holding him to a set of rules different from those he applied to the rest of the roster.

So everyone was happier--coach and players--not having Moss around. This ...