Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith stayed in-house with his search for an offensive coordinator to replace recently departed Mike Martz by promoting former offensive line coach Mike Tice to the position.

"I'm excited to have Mike move into our offensive coordinator role," Smith said in a statement. "He has been a valuable member of our staff over the past two years and has an excellent track record in the NFL. He was very impressive in his job interview yesterday and shares the same vision I have for our offense moving forward. We want to be a strong running team with a big-play pass attack. Mike will call plays for us and continue to have an active role with our offensive line.

"To complete our staff we will be hiring a passing coordinator who will work with our quarterbacks and an offensive line coach."

Quarterbacks coach Shane Day left with Martz. As for Tice still working with the offensive line, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli also works with the defensive line.

After Martz's spread attack, Tice promised to get back to a more traditional Bears offense.

"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," Tice said in a statement. "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. I feel fortunate Lovie has placed the trust in me to help move us forward to a championship."

Tice, 52, joined the Bears in January 2010 after spending three years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite Chicago fielding lesser talent and battling injuries on the offensive line, the unit performed reasonably well under his direction. The team lost two line starters in 2011, yet the Bears rushed for more than 2,000 yards for just the second time since 1990.

The Tennessee Titans requested permission last offseason to interview Tice for an offensive coordinator position. But the Bears immediately declined and rewarded Tice with a contract extension.