Monday, December 6 Sherman marches on By Chris Mortensen Special to ESPN.com

It's funny how you don't hear Ray Sherman's name mentioned much these days.

	The Vikings have won five in a row since Jeff George took over at quarterback.

You remember Ray, don't you? He was the "incompetent, sorry excuse for an offensive coordinator" who couldn't do anything with Kordell Stewart last season in Pittsburgh, and the same guy who flopped with Randall Cunningham when the Minnesota Vikings stumbled out of the blocks this year.

So, what are we to make of Ray Sherman today? Stewart has been benched by Steelers coach Bill Cowher, a move that has killed the idea of a resurrection under new Pittsburgh coordinator Kevin Gilbride.

As for the current Vikings, since Jeff George replaced Cunningham as the starting quarterback, they have won five consecutive games. The Vikings have averaged 30.4 points, 389.2 offensive yards and 21.4 first downs per game during this stretch.

Did Ray Sherman suddenly turn into Brian Billick? You know better than that. Sherman knows better, too.

"I'm the same guy, the same coach," he said.

He knew how to handle the heat when the Vikings got off to their 2-4 start. He had plenty of practice last year.

"Well, what I went through in Pittsburgh really helped me," Sherman said. "I think I was able to cope with anything after that."

Sherman coped by turning to his Christian faith. When people attack a man's credibility, "you tend to walk closer with the Lord," the coach said, laughing.

	“	What I went through in Pittsburgh really helped me. I think I was able to cope with anything after that. ”
		— Ray Sherman

Sherman doesn't want to talk about Stewart's fall with the Steelers. It's not his problem anymore. Suffice to say, he's not surprised.

The irony of Sherman's newfound success in Minnesota is that he really didn't ask for this job. He had been brought back to the Vikings' fold by coach Dennis Green to become the quarterback coach, a nice refuge for a man so brutally battered by the media in 1998. But tragedy struck the Vikings when newly promoted offensive coordinator Chip Myers died of a heart attack in the offseason. Sherman was asked by Green to step forward.

Now, you have to understand, Sherman not only inherited Myer's job, but his football problem. The Vikings offensive coordinator job was the best and worst job in the NFL going into the 1999 season. It was the best job because the Vikings are loaded with Pro Bowl talent on offense, including a future Hall of Famer (Cris Carter) or two (Randy Moss?). It was the worst job because anything Sherman did with the offense in 1999 could not measure up to the '98 model that set the NFL record for points scored in a season.

Cunningham just flat-out struggled after his near-MVP season. Sherman was blamed because he supposedly broadened Cunningham's load, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. The biggest difference between this year and last year is that opposing defenses worked all offseason on defending Moss, who caught everyone off-guard with his impact as a rookie. Cunningham struggled making decisions, held on to the ball too long and made some negative plays.

Enter George, who was the best $400,000 insurance policy purchased in 1999. Suddenly, the Vikings are vibrant again on offense, an explosion ready to happen with a trigger man like George at quarterback.

"I can't say enough good things about Jeff," Sherman said. "Everyone knows about his physical tools, but he's really impressed me in other areas. He listens, he prepares like a pro, and he has a great commitment to the game. He's really into details."

What a minute. Are we talking about Jeff George?

"I'll give you an example: He's always taking mental notes on the practice field," Sherman said. "And as soon as he gets to the locker room, he sits down, and starts writing down all these notes. He'll write down reminders. It might be a technique, a look, or a change we're making with a particular play. He's into the game."

Despite George's 5-0 run, people everywhere are waiting for the "old Jeff George" to show up. It could happen Monday night in Tampa.

"But if he has a rough game, you won't see anybody here pointing fingers," Sherman said. "He'd be entitled, just like any other quarterback. But this guy has really shined."

George clearly has been accepted by his teammates.

"Oh, yeah," Sherman said with a laugh. "Cris Carter's always joking now that he, Jeff and Randy all have the same blood type."

It's nice to hear laughter in Sherman's voice. It is a lesson for many of us. Yes, coaches matter, but they don't get handed jobs because they're nice people. They've established some credibility along their path. It's just that you have to always remind yourself of one thing: Coaches draw up the game and players play the game. One without the other generally does not work.

Rumor mill churning in Pittsburgh
Unless Steelers coach Bill Cowher is telling a lie about his intentions, one must assume that rumors of his pending resignation at the end of the 1999 season were just that -- rumors.

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A very connected league source says Steelers president Dan Rooney would be shocked if Cowher left Pittsburgh, and that Rooney himself has no intention of dismissing Cowher.

Instinctively, under the where-there's-smoke-there's-fire category, I guess you have to pay attention to the story.

Cowher would have to be frustrated with the current state of the Steelers. Anytime you lose back-to-back home games against the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals, and bascially slip from the AFC playoff picture, it would bring a certain level of tension. Couple that with the painful benching of your "franchise quarterback" in Stewart, and stress becomes a nemesis.

There seem to be other issues with Cowher. He took great exception to the idea that he was losing his passion as a coach, which might have been his greatest asset. Has he been distracted? What's distracting him? How come so many people, past and current employees, feel the need to walk softly around the coach?

It's possible that Cowher just realized that eight years is a long time to spend with one franchise. That's short of the so-called "10-year theory," but it's close enough.

The rumors that had been reported linked Cowher's unhappiness to the Steelers' inability to re-sign a number of veteran players who left via free agency. The problem with that, Cowher has dealt with this reality for a number of years. Is he grumbling about his current players? Is there a power play being set up with personnel director Tom Donahoe?

None of this seemed to matter to Cowher a year ago when he leveraged the Steelers, using the "rumor" of his purported interest in the Cleveland Browns expansion franchise for a $2-million salary contract extension.

Cowher deserved the money. It's in the market value for a prove, successful NFL coach. One thing's for sure, Rooney didn't part easily with that money. He certainly expects the commitment to be honored by Cowher.

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