Ryan Leaf

After being drafted, Ryan Leaf was quoted as saying, "I'm looking forward to a 15 year career, a couple of trips to the Super Bowl, and a parade through downtown San Diego."  If you just substitute "Peyton's" for "I'm", and "Indianapolis" for "San Diego," you realize how right he actually was.

Career Stats

College

Finished 3rd in Heisman Trophy voting as a junior; Pac-10 offensive player of the year and first team All-American.
Held Pac-10 record for TD passes (since broken) with 33.
Led Washington State to first Pac-10 championship in school history.
Led Washington State to first Rose Bowl in 67 years.
2nd-best passer rating in the country as a junior, averaging 330.6 yards passing per game.
Number two overall pick of the San Diego Chargers in 1998 after coming out as a junior.  Chargers traded two 1st-round picks, a 2nd, LB Patrick Sapp, and RB/WR Eric Metcalf to get the pick.

Pro

25 games (21 starts)
4 teams in 5 seasons
3,666 yards
14 TD's, 36 INT's
50.0 career QB rating (league average: 78.9)

Coaching

2006-2008 West Texas A&M QB Coach
2007-2008 West Texas A&M Golf Coach

Criminal

November, 2008:  Reportedly asked player for pain pill.  School puts him on indefinite leave, then Leaf resigns.  Leaf enters drug rehab in Canada.
May, 2009:  Indicted on burglary and controlled substance charges in Texas; still in drug rehab in Canada at the time.
June, 2009:  Arrested returning to US and posted $45,000 bond.


Why he belongs in the Pantheon

Stupidity.  That's the key word for Leaf, plain and simple.  After starting 2-0 his rookie year, he gets benched 9 games in, and then is diagnosed with an injured shoulder and wrist that knocks out his second year.  (The most famous stat line from his rookie year versus Kansas City:  1-15, 4 yards, 3 fumbles.)   He yells at reporters, the GM, and Chargers fans in separate incidents ON CAMERA.  He is caught playing golf when he told SD he was "too hurt" to practice, and playing flag football when he was supposed to be rehabbing.  (And reportedly he threw 5 INT's in that flag football game.  Seriously!)  The Chargers sued him for breach of contract.  He ended up re-injuring his wrist in season 3, and left SD with four wins as a starter.

Sadly, here is where it actually gets dumber.  After getting signed by Tampa, Leaf opted against having wrist surgery deaspite medical advice to do so.  So he plays terribly in preseason, and Tampa asks him to take a pay cut.  He refuses, and is released.

The Cowboys sign him a few weeks later.  Leaf fails a physical because of the wrist.  He does play for the Cowboys but is released after the season.

The Seahawks sign him; they want him to develop slowly and heal the wrist.  Instead, Leaf opts not to rehab and retires before the season at age 26.

Now, we fast forward to West Texas A&M.  After marrying and divorcing a Chargers' cheerleader, Leaf finally does something positive:  gets a degree from West Texas, and gets back into college football as a coach.  Cue bevy of "redemption" video pieces; Leaf talks about how good life is, etc., etc.

Then, of course, is the fall from grace.  He asks a player for pain pills, is caught, resigns, and heads to rehab.  And what are these pain pills for?  His wrist.  Yes, the same wrist he refused to have operated on in 2000, the same one that caused him to be unable to throw the ball correctly and ended his career, and the same one that has been hurting for eight years.  Turn back the clock and have that surgery... who knows.

But Ryan Leaf's curse is that he had a million dollar arm and a 5 cent brain.  And now his life is a complete disaster.

He goes down as one the most colassal bust ever at the QB position -- of the top of my head, only Art Schlichter comes to mind as a comparable QB bust based on pure stupidity.  And he's now a criminal, just like Art.  Maybe they can share a cell together?  My bet is that Leaf is a backup on the prison football team.


Proper tribute

He should be remembered based on his sterling performances on between the lines.  The obvious:  any QB bust (see "Russell, Jamarcus"). 

I prefer more creative applications.  A five INT day, for example, can be broken down into three "repectable" picks (i.e., great coverage, deflections, etc.), and two "Leafs" (i.e., throwing to the side of the field where there are no receivers, throwing picks to defensive linemen, throwing into triple coverage, etc.).  Also can be used when a GM (like the well-respected Bobby Beathard) trades everything for a high pick, only to lose his job, his reputation, and his career over one disastrous mistake:  he "Leafed" Bethard.


Position in the Pantheon

This is very easy:  boiling puss-filled pimple on the Pantheon's pasty white trash ass.


Here are some fun video highlights:

Ryan Leaf yelling at reporters

Career "highlights"