(AP) — Still stunned by last month’s death of offensive coordinator Chip Myers, the Minnesota Vikings on Tuesday promoted Ray Sherman as Myers’ replacement.
Sherman, re-hired as quarterbacks coach in January after one rocky season as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator, originally had been a leading candidate for the Vikings’ coordinator position. Coach Dennis Green chose instead to elevate Myers, who had been an assistant in Minnesota since 1995.
Sherman was hired to replace Myers as quarterbacks coach. Myers died of a heart attack at his Long Lake home Feb. 23.
“We had worked together for three years, and we were looking forward to working together again. It’s still a shocker to me,” said Sherman, the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach from 1995-97. “There’s not a day goes by that I don’t think about it.”
Sherman coached in Houston (1988-89), San Francisco (1991-93) and with the New York Jets (1994) before coming to Minnesota in 1995.
“I’ve known Ray a long time and I consider him to be one of the top offensive minds in the game today,” Green said.
However, Sherman struggled through a difficult season as a first-time coordinator with the Steelers last season. He received much of the blame for Pittsburgh’s offensive problems and its failure to reach the playoffs for the first time since 1991.
“The way I look at it is I’m glad to be back in Minnesota,” Sherman said. “I’m glad to be back with an organization that I spent three years with. I know the players and I know the coaching staff, so it’s not like going into an organization where you’re learning a new system, learning new players, learning new coaches. You’re not starting from scratch.”
With the Vikings, Sherman will take over an offense that set an NFL record with 541 points last season and will return virtually intact in 1999.
Quarterback Randall Cunningham, receiver Cris Carter and running back Robert Smith, three of Minnesota’s seven offensive Pro Bowl players, were among the first to call Sherman when he got the promotion.
“It’s a great opportunity,” Sherman said. “The main thing is just don’t screw it up.”
The Vikings expect to hire a quarterbacks coach within a week.