The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced their replacement for Darryl Drake who recently passed away. Ray Sherman, who has been with the Steelers throughout training camp, has been named the interim wide receivers coach for the 2019 season. When Drake died, Sherman came in to work with the group and this is something the players like.
“A guy who has been here,” said JuJu Smith-Schuster on the team’s official website. “He has coached everybody from Jerry Rice to young guys like us. It’s the best opportunity to have him step up and play that role for us. Also, Blaine (Stewart) is doing a great job. It just takes all of us together. We are in this together.
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“To go through this at a young age, 22 years old, there are no words that can explain what we are going through. For Ray, he was retired, for him to come out of his way to be here it means a lot not only to myself but to the receivers in the room. We don’t want to change that.”
Sherman will be coaching for the first time in four years and he has previous experience with the Steelers as he was the team’s offensive coordinator back 1998. Sherman, 67, started his coaching career in 1974 as he was a graduate assistant at San Jose State. From there, Sherman coached at various colleges until he was named the running backs coach for the Houston Oilers in 1988. He has spent time with the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, St. Loius Rams and Dallas Cowboys before coming back to Pittsburgh.
Drake was entering his second season with the Steelers after spending five years as the Arizona Cardinals receivers coach. Smith-Schuster took the news hard as he was seen being consoled by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger when the team returned to practice.
“Was at a loss for words when I heard the news,” Smith-Schuster posted on Twitter on Aug. 11. “Coach Drake was honestly my favorite coach that I ever had in this game, he taught me so much about football and especially how to go about life.
“Coach was an amazing role model, not just for myself, but for a lot of people who he touched. I wish I could see you just one more time. It won’t be the same out there on the field, in meetings, and I’m gonna miss all those long talks we used to have. We all know you want us to be successful and to play to win. Thank you for all the memories and life lessons you’ve taught me. Forever in my heart! Love you man. Rest in Peace Coach Drake.”
