Jeff George has been a perfect fit in the Vikings offense ... so far.

That's not pejorative; that's history. The Jeff George of NFL record is on the books as perhaps the least-loved awesomely talented quarterback in recent league history. What he's doing with the Vikings right now is a direct defiance of his own personal log, not a consistent addition to it.

Still, they love him in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. And why not? Since George replaced Randall Cunningham at arguably the most crucial position on the field, the Vikings have taken huge strides toward rescuing what loomed as a disastrous lost season.

They hit tonight's game against Dallas with a 4-4 record, borne on the wings of a 40-16 thrashing of San Francisco and a 23-20 squeaker in Denver, both of those with George calling the signals. George completed 15 of 28 passes against the 49ers, 17 of 28 against the Broncos. He didn't throw an interception in either game.

He has communicated well with his teammates, complimented his offensive linemen, struck up an on-the-field partnership with wonderful veteran receiver Cris Carter. He has said just about everything right, and he has said any number of right things.

All of which begs the question: Where'd this guy come from?

Where? From NFL Hell, that's where. Hard to believe it from looking at the product on the field now, but the Jeff George who is being largely credited with the Vikings' revival is the same Jeff George who already has flunked the course with three other teams in his remarkably rocky decade-long career.

George was ignoble in Indianapolis, alienated in Atlanta, oafish in Oakland. In each case, the former college star at Illinois seemed to squander a wonderful opportunity by the sheer fact of his inability to get out of his own way. By the time the Raiders, whose search for a solid quarterback the past few years has verged on the Quixotic, gave up on George after last season, his legacy appeared set: He would never be the answer to what ailed a team.

Don't try to sell that to the Vikings or their fans. In George, they have found a quarterback almost perfectly suited to the offense they run -- and the quarterback's physical skills have found a home amid the requirements of Denny Green's schemes.

"It's a shame that it had to happen," George said recently, speaking of Green's decision to bench the misfiring Cunningham. "But it feels good to be out there playing. I don't know about getting a second life here, but it's a great situation for me. One of the reasons I came here is I think this style of offense best suits me as a quarterback."

Evidently: Using his cannon-arm and quick release to great effect, George threw for five touchdowns in his first two full starts. And with opponents trying mightily to tie up Randy Moss, George has found Carter's availability much to his liking: In last week's victory at Denver, Carter had eight receptions for 144 yards.

It all is clicking so well that it sounds almost defamatory to suggest that it won't last. That, of course, is George's history, and until he overcomes it in the course of a full season, it isn't likely to be completely forgiven.

The numbers don't lie: In his nine previous seasons with the Colts, Falcons and Raiders, George never quarterbacked a team to more than nine victories. Some of those teams were inarguably bad ones, or flawed in some key way; but between the records and George's often boorish behavior, his reputation as a talented non-winner was established.

Now, George insists he's both older and wiser. He certainly has the experience to show: Dropped by the Raiders, with whom he had signed a massive contract, George caught on with the Vikings for a comparatively paltry $400,000, strictly as insurance in case Cunningham was hurt.

Instead, he has become The Man, and there is no argument from any corner that the Vikings have sprung to life since he took over from Cunningham. But will it last?

History says no. This is Jeff George we're talking about, after all. But the thing about history when it comes to a player like George is this: It's still being made. And until it's over, it is never too late to revise the chapters.

Mark Kreidler is a columnist for the Sacramento Bee, which has a web site at http://www.sacbee.com/. During the 1999 NFL season, he will write a weekly column for ESPN.com, focusing on the Monday Night Football matchup.