Ryan Leaf
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ryan Leaf | |
|---|---|
| Image:Rleaf2.jpg | |
| Date of birth | May 15, 1976 |
| Place of birth | Great Falls, Montana |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| College | Washington State |
| NFL Draft | 1998 / Round 1/ Pick 2 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1998-2000 2001 | San Diego Chargers Dallas Cowboys |
Ryan David Leaf (born May 15, 1976 in Great Falls, Montana) is a former American football quarterback who played for the San Diego Chargers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks from 1998 to 2002 in the National Football League. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for West Texas A&M University.<ref name="Coach">Leaf has footwork to move from QB to coach Associated Press, August 19, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.</ref>
Leaf had a successful college career at Washington State University, where he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy after his junior year. He was selected as the second overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft where many scouts predicted that Leaf would have a successful career in the league.<ref name="Successful"> Leaf retires rather than reporting to Seahawks' camp Associated Press. July 27, 2002 Retrieved on 2006-10-30.</ref> However, despite his athleticism, his time as a pro was short and marked by injuries and failure.
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[edit] College career
After leading his high school, C. M. Russell High School, to the 1992 Montana state title, Leaf played college football at Washington State University. He played in 32 games for the Cougars, starting 24 of them. In his junior year, he averaged 330.6 yards passing per game and threw for a then Pac-10 conference record 33 touchdowns. He also helped the Cougars defeat the University of Washington Huskies 41-35 for the first time since 1985. Leaf ended the school's 67-year Rose Bowl drought and helped bring the Cougars their first Pac-10 championship in school history. Despite a strong early showing by Leaf in the Rose Bowl, the Cougars were defeated 21-16 by the eventual co-national champion Michigan Wolverines.<ref name="clock">National title voting seems just a formality Associated Press, January 2, 1998. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.</ref>
That year, Leaf was a finalist in balloting for the Heisman Trophy, which is given annually to the "most outstanding" player in American college football, as voted on by media figures and former players.<ref name="Heisman">Heisman Trophy Balloting Heisman Trophy official website, Retrieved on 2006-01-29</ref> He finished third in voting, behind winner Charles Woodson of Michigan, and fellow quarterback Peyton Manning of Tennessee. He also was selected as the Pac-10 offensive player of the year, was a first-team All-American, and finished second in the nation in passing rating.<ref name="Pac-10">Where will Leaf fall? QB says Indianapolis, San Diego both suitable homes Sports Illustrated, April 15, 1998. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.</ref><ref name="All-American">Ryan Leaf Stats Pro-Football Reference, Retrieved on 2006-07-30.</ref> Following the Rose Bowl, Leaf announced that he would forego his senior year at Washington State and turn professional.
[edit] 1998 Draft
Entering the 1998 draft, Manning and Leaf were widely considered to be the two best players overall in the draft.<ref name="Pac-10" /> The San Diego Chargers had the third pick of the draft but made a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to guarantee the Chargers would get one of the two quarterbacks. To move up one spot, the Chargers traded two first-round picks, a second-round pick and four-time Pro Bowler Eric Metcalf.<ref name="Metcalf">Say It Ain't So, Chargers Sports Illustrated, 2001. Retrieved on 2006-10-31.</ref>
There was some debate leading up to the draft as to whether Leaf or Manning should be selected first.<ref name="Coach" /> Leaf had a considerably stronger arm, but most analysts agreed that Manning was the more mature player and the consensus top choice. However, the differences in potential between the two seemed small enough that most observers expected it would not greatly matter whether a team selected Manning or Leaf.<ref name="Pac-10" />
On draft day, Manning was selected first by the Indianapolis Colts, Leaf was selected second by the Chargers. Since that time, Manning has become a star player and potential Hall of Famer for the Colts, while Leaf's short career was spotted with poor play and off-field incidents. The Chargers' other options at quarterback in that year's draft included current NFL quarterbacks Brian Griese and Matt Hasselbeck. Following the draft, the Chargers signed Leaf to a four-year contract worth $31.25 million, including a guaranteed $11.25 million signing bonus. It was, at the time, the largest signing bonus ever paid to a rookie.<ref name="Signingbonus">Leaf to Sign for Huge Bonus New York Times. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.</ref>
[edit] NFL career
[edit] San Diego Chargers
San Diego's high hopes for Leaf soon were dashed, as his rookie season was marked by bad performances. Before the season started, Leaf skipped a symposium that was mandatory for all players who were drafted, resulting in a fine.<ref name="symposium">Shanahan, Tom Rookies prepare for life in NFL Chargers.com, June 25, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.</ref> Leaf did well in the preseason and won his first two games as a rookie, becoming the first quarterback since John Elway in 1983 to do so.<ref name="Elway">Garber, Greg Leaf will leave, but where will he go? ESPN, November 17, 2000. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.</ref>
But in the third game of the season, Leaf completed 1-of-15 passes for 4 yards and fumbled three times in a loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.<ref name="fouryards">Wilson, Bernie Leaf: It Can't Get Much Worse Than 1-of-15 Associated Press, September 25, 1998. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.</ref> He was benched after throwing 2 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions in 9 games. He was replaced by quarterback Craig Whelihan.<ref name="Whelihan">Wilson, Bernie QB Turning Over A New Leaf? Associatted Press, November 20, 1998. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.</ref> In 10 games that season, Leaf threw 2 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions, passing for 1,289 yards with a 45.3 percent completion rate, and a paltry quarterback rating of 39.<ref name="statstwo">Cannizzaro, Mark Surprise! Leaf, Fiedler get new starts ESPN, September 1, 200-. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.</ref>
Leaf had a poor relationship with the media and his teammates, whom he tended to blame for his poor play.<ref name="Successful" /> In one locker room incident during Leaf's rookie year, he was caught on camera screaming at a reporter "Don't...talk to me alright! Knock it off!" and had to be physically restrained by teammate Junior Seau. Another on-camera incident involved Leaf confronting a heckling Charger fan during a practice session.<ref name="Coach" /> Two coaches had to restrain Leaf and escort him off the field. His relationship with former Chargers safety Rodney Harrison was notoriously acrimonious, and Harrison described being a member of the Chargers during Leaf's rookie season as "a nightmare you can't even imagine." After hearing news of Leaf's retirement in 2002, Harrison was quoted as saying, "He probably did the best thing; he took his money and ran."<ref name="Harrison">Modglin, Trent Ryan Leaf fittingly pulled the plug on one of the most disappointing careers in NFL history Pro Football Weekly, August 2, 2002. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.</ref>
Leaf missed his entire second season due to a shoulder injury uncovered by a preseason physical.<ref name="Elway" /> He was placed on injured reserve but made headlines for getting into a heated shouting match with the Chargers's general manager Bobby Beathard and another coach. The incident resulted in a fine, a suspension without pay and an apology by Leaf four weeks later.<ref name="Argument">Neely, Robert Saving Project Ryan Chargers must take one more shot at salvaging Leaf’s career Pro Football Weekly, November 22, 1999. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.</ref><ref name="Apologized">Fallen Leaf returns, says he's sorry ESPN, December 3, 1999. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.</ref>Leaf also allegedly lied about a hand injury in order to get out of practice so that he could play golf instead.<ref name="Harrison" />
Leaf started the first two games of the 2000 season, completing less than half of his pass attempts and throwing for five interceptions and one touchdown. When backup Moses Moreno went down with a strained knee ligament, the Chargers gave Leaf more playing time. However, he injured his wrist while throwing an interception in a week four game and did not play again until week 11.<ref name="Elway" /> Following more poor performances and injury problems, he was released by the Chargers after the season, with a record of only four wins as a starter in three years.<ref name="fourwins">Leaf fails physical, doesn't join Dallas Associated Press, September 6, 2001. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.</ref>
[edit] Subsequent career and retirement
After being waived by San Diego, Leaf was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were intrigued by his physical talent and planned to develop his abilities more slowly by having him watch and learn.<ref name="buccaneers">Buccaneers pick up Leaf Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, March 2, 2001. Retrieved on 2006-11-02.</ref> However, Leaf's wrist still had not healed, and he refused to have surgery despite doctors' strong recommendations. After mediocre performances in the Buccanneers' four preseason games, the club asked Leaf to accept a lower salary. He refused, and the club released him just five days before the start of the 2001 season.<ref name="releasedbucs">Stroud, Rick The Leaf experiment ends St. Petersburg Times, September 4, 2001. Retrieved on 2006-11-02.</ref>
Leaf attempted a comeback with the Dallas Cowboys, who signed him a few weeks after the Buccaneers released him. He failed his first physical and had some trouble passing the second due to his wrist.<ref name="Cowboys">Failed physical ruins Leaf's warm welcome Associated Press, Michigan Daily, September 6, 2001. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.</ref> The Cowboys released him in May 2002, after he had appeared in four games — all losses — throwing for 494 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.<ref name="Cowboysrelease">Cowboys decided to go with younger talent at QB ESPN, May 21, 2002. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.</ref> Leaf was signed days later to a one year contract by the Seattle Seahawks, who, like the Buccaneers, planned to let him develop slowly in order to allow him to heal from his injuries.<ref name="Seahawks">Interview with Mike Holmgren on Ryan Leaf Seattle Seahawks, May 21, 2002. Retrieved on 2006-07-30.</ref> The quarterback attended the team's spring minicamps and seemed upbeat about his new team. However, Leaf retired at the age of 26, just prior to the start of the Seahawks' 2002 training camp, initially offering no explanation but later citing his injuries.<ref name="Successful" />
During his brief career in the NFL, Leaf appeared in 25 games and made 21 starts. He completed 315 of 655 passes for 3,666 yards, with 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. Leaf's career quarterback rating was 50.0, very low, as the league average between 2000 and 2003 was 78.9.<ref name="quarterbackrating">Ryan Leaf: Feeble mind earns Hall of Feeble Pro Football Lology, August 26, 2002. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.</ref>
[edit] Personal life and legacy
Leaf is considered one of the biggest disappointments in sports history. The sports network ESPN listed Leaf first on their list of the 25 Biggest Sports Flops between 1979 and 2004.<ref name="ArgumentESPN">ESPN 25 Biggest Sports Flops ESPN, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.</ref> MSNBC commentator Michael Ventre went so far as to call him "the biggest bust in the history of professional sports."<ref name="BiggestBust">Ventre, Michael Beware of next Ryan Leaf in draft MSNBC April 23, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.</ref> Each year, sports writers often speculate on which player who is drafted will be "the next Ryan Leaf", that is, the next big college superstar to flop in the pros.<ref name="nextLeaf">Prisco, Pete Latest questions about top QB prospects too bad to be true CBS Sportsline, April 18, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.</ref>
In February 2001, Leaf married one of the Chargers' cheerleaders, Nicole. They separated two years later and divorced soon after.<ref name="Married">Schrotenboer, Brent Leaf turning San Diego Union-Tribune July 28, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.</ref> As of February 2005, Leaf was enrolled in a sports management class called Media Relations at Washington State.<ref name="Mediarelations">Ryan Leaf news you won't believe San Diego Union-Tribune February 10, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.</ref> He graduated with a bachelor's degree in arts and humanities in May 2005.<ref name="graduated">Leaf takes coaching job at at West Texas A&M ESPN, February 15, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.</ref> His brother, Brady Leaf is a junior quarterback at the University of Oregon.<ref name="Brady">Graney, Ed Different sort of Leaf at Qualcomm San Diego Union-Tribune December 26, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-07-31.</ref>
Leaf joined Don Carthel's West Texas A&M staff as a volunteer quarterbacks coach in 2006. Said Leaf: "I feel very honored to be a part of Coach Carthel's staff and a part of an up-and-coming successful program. (...) About a year after I retired from playing, I decided that I wanted to get back to college, where I had the greatest time of my life, and to get involved with college football."<ref name="CCoach">Richards, Phil Humbled by past, Leaf starts anew Indianapolis Star April 28, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-07-29.</ref> Leaf also admitted that he was unprepared for the NFL when he was drafted back in 1998.<ref name="CCoach" />
[edit] References
<references />
[edit] External links
- Ryan Leaf's game-by-game stats
- West Texas A&M University athletics page on Leaf
- Ryan Leaf Locker Room "Blowup" Video
| Preceded by: Stan Humphries | San Diego Chargers Starting Quarterback 1998-2000 | Succeeded by: Jim Harbaugh |
