'Stew' and his crew catching on well

The receivers lined up and took a seat on the ground. Practice was over and most of their teammates had retreated to the locker room, but the receivers' daily overtime work was about to begin.

The Vikings receivers usually conclude every practice with a series of unique and sometimes off-the-wall pass-catching drills designed to improve their hand-eye coordination and ball skills. The man who dreams up those drills, receivers coach George Stewart, threw another one at them this week.

Stewart placed three receivers in a row on the ground and fired bullet passes randomly to them. The drill required them to be alert and quick with their hands. Stewart ended the session with a drill that looked like a game of hot potato.

The coach and his players howled when it was over.

"He's out here all the time," rookie Percy Harvin said. "He would help a defensive back if he could. He's just a coach that loves coaching."

The Vikings receivers -- Sidney Rice in particular -- have made significant improvement this season for a number of reasons, the most obvious being the arrival of quarterback Brett Favre. They also have devoted more time to their craft and individual improvement, starting in the offseason.

But they also credit their physically imposing position coach with the deep voice who has worked with some of the NFL's top coaches and wide receivers the past two decades.

Known simply as "Stew," his résumé includes stints as an assistant coach under Chuck Noll, Dan Reeves and George Seifert. He was Jerry Rice's position coach in San Francisco and helped Terrell Owens earn three consecutive Pro Bowl appearances while developing a close relationship with the mercurial star.

Stewart has earned credibility as a receivers coach despite having never played the position. Owens, for one, said he's not surprised that Sidney Rice has developed into a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver or that Harvin is a strong rookie of the year candidate.

"Coach Stewart understands the game, he understands the sport, and he understands the nature of the business," Owens said. "He knows how to get out of his players what other coaches can't. That's that 'it' thing that a lot of commentators talk about with players. They say players have that 'it' factor. He has that when it comes to getting out of players what he needs to get out of them. I'm sure those guys [Vikings receivers] will say the same thing."

Injury changes path

If Stewart's life plan had followed script, he never would have become a coach. A star high school offensive lineman from Little Rock, Stewart was the first recruit Lou Holtz signed when he took over the Arkansas program in 1977.

Stewart became a team captain and star player before suffering a devastating knee injury as a senior. He went undrafted but signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1981. Another knee injury ended his career that season, and he returned home and began selling cars at a Ford dealership.

"His mom called me and said, 'Coach, you promised me that my son would graduate and he hasn't,'" Holtz said. "I said, 'You're absolutely right.' I called George and told him, 'You're going to come back here and get your degree.'"

Stewart needed only two credits to graduate, but his dream was to buy a car dealership. He told Holtz no thanks.

"He said he was making good money selling cars," Holtz said. "I said, 'That's fine, but you're going to come get your degree and be a student-assistant for me and then you can go sell cars and that's not open for discussion.' Well, he got his degree and was a natural coach."

Stewart worked under Holtz at Arkansas, Minnesota and Notre Dame. He coached several different positions on both sides of the ball and special teams.

"He's a great coach, a great person and I love him like a son," Holtz said. "He's a players' coach and he's a coach's coach. Some guys always side with the coach and some always side with the players. George is comfortable in either camp. He's just one of those guys."

Like a father

Stewart maintained that balance in the NFL, even with strong personalities. Players say he is stern but fair, and he demands accountability. When he became a receivers coach for the first time with the 49ers in 2000, his group included the greatest receiver of all time in Rice and the volatile Owens. Stewart, however, said he didn't feel intimidated even though he was a lineman by trade.

"Jerry was the first athlete that I was ever around that I never saw sit down at practice," Stewart said. "He was always working. I learned more from Jerry and Terrell in terms of working with those guys."

Owens has challenged coaching authority throughout his career, but he and Stewart developed a close relationship. Owens also went to three consecutive Pro Bowls in that span.

"Terrell is like a son to me," Stewart said. "He understands what I expect from him and there's things I won't tolerate. These players understand as well. It's fun to laugh and joke, but when it's time to work, you work. They understand that line."

Said Owens: "He's meant the world to me. We have a bond like no other. He's honestly like either a father or a big brother to me."

Stewart's ability to nurture Owens likely made Vikings officials more comfortable in drafting Harvin, whose history of off-the-field issues scared some teams. Stewart visited Harvin in Florida and spent a day with him at Winter Park before the draft. They also had numerous phone conversations.

"I wanted Percy to understand that I trust him, I'm committed to him as a coach and I care about him," Stewart said. "If you can say yes to those three things, chances are you're going to have a great relationship with whoever you're working with. We all make mistakes. I made mistakes as a young kid growing up."

By all accounts, Harvin has been a model teammate in the locker room as well as a dynamic player on the field. He is second on the team in catches (31) and receiving yards (422) and leads the NFL in kickoff return average (30.7).

Harvin said his relationship with Stewart made him feel comfortable as a rookie first-round pick.

"He's real straightforward," Harvin said. "He came to me and said, 'Everybody makes mistakes, it's what you do after the mistakes.' After that I knew I had at least a real coach who understands that people make mistakes. That's what made me want to come here. I felt like me and him had a bond before I even got drafted. Even if I didn't get drafted here, I felt like he was a coach I could still call if I ever needed something."

The Favre factor

Sidney Rice leads the NFC in receiving yards (786) thanks to a career-high 201-yard performance against the Detroit Lions last week. Stewart attributes his breakout season to three things: good health, hard work this offseason and Favre. Emphasis on the last part.

"You bring in a Hall of Fame quarterback that he believes in," Stewart said. "Not saying he doesn't believe in T-Jack or Sage [Rosenfels]. But this guy is a Hall of Famer, the best of the best. Great quarterbacks make receivers. I don't think it's the other way around. Just like an artist. Anybody can paint on a canvas. But great artists make pictures. And Brett Favre has made a great picture with Sidney Rice."

Rice also is willing to do the dirty work as blocker, which is Stewart's mandate for all his receivers. His crew works extensively on blocking every Wednesday. Stewart instituted his "run day Wednesdays" when he became a receivers coach.

"He lets you know right from the beginning that you're not going to make it on this team if you're not a physical receiver, if you're not tough and block downfield," Rice said.

Stewart called it his lineman's mentality.

"The thing that gets you respect in the National Football League is: How tough are you?" Stewart said. "You see receivers turn down blocks or don't want to block. I played with my hand down. I'm a lineman. That's my mentality. Their confidence grows because they see themselves helping our football team catching and blocking."

Stewart, for example, praised Bernard Berrian's block on a Lions defensive end last week that helped Harvin turn a short catch into a 40-yard gain.

"I think most receivers don't understand the fundamentals and techniques of blocking," Stewart said. "I think it's because most receiver coaches are former receivers. I'm a lineman. I know how to block. In terms of route running and reading zones, I had to catch up with other coaches who played the position."

He proved to be a quick study. In hindsight, Stewart said his injury and his mother's phone call to Holtz were a blessing in disguise.

"It's one of those deals where if I would have played pro football, I wouldn't be sitting here right now," he said. "I'm just fortunate things worked the way they did."