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Chargers QB
Ryan Leaf
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We were talking here in the palatial Pro Football Weekly offices not that long
ago, and one of my esteemed colleagues asked me a question:
If you were Chargers GM Bobby Beathard, what would you do with Ryan Leaf?
There may be no greater dilemma in the NFL today than that one. Leaf, the second
overall pick in the 1998 draft, has been a disappointment on the field, playing poorly as
a rookie before being benched and then suffering a training-camp injury in July that has
kept him on the sideline this season. But the bigger problem is that he seems to be a
clueless jackass off the field. His indiscretions are too numerous to list here. Believe
me. I tried.
Leaf is currently serving a four-game suspension that resulted from an incident in
which he reportedly yelled and cursed at Beathard and a coach.
Now the Chargers, who gave Leaf an $11.25 million signing bonus last summer, must
figure out what to do with their quarterbrat. One thing they cannot do — at least not
now — is cut him. Salary-cap rules would force them to put five-sixths of his signing
bonus on the cap now instead of one-sixth. The Chargers don’t have nearly enough cap
space to do that. Axing Leaf after June 1 would still put a $7.5 million charge on San
Diego’s cap for next season.
So the Chargers are essentially stuck with Leaf through the 2000 season. At that point,
he can void the remaining three years on his contract. The Chargers would then have the
option of paying a bonus to buy back two years at a higher price or letting Leaf become a
restricted free agent.
If I were Beathard, all my decisions on what to do with Leaf now would point toward
that crossroads in the spring of 2001. That is when the team could be excused for throwing
up its hands and giving up on Leaf. Until then, the Chargers should do whatever they can
to try to repair Leaf’s psyche and transform him from a quarterbrat to a quarterback.
It seems like the longest of shots, but the Chargers have invested too much to throw in
the towel just yet.
I’ve come up with a game plan on how to rehabilitate Leaf. Mr. Beathard, you are
free to appropriate the following ideas.
Step One: Leaf is eligible to return from suspension the day after San Diego’s
Week 12 game against Minnesota. Unless his outside rehabilitation of his injured shoulder
has gone perfectly and he is ready to step onto the field immediately, I would place Leaf
on injured reserve.
This season is already lost for Leaf, and to try to salvage it by putting him in a
handful of meaningless games late in the campaign would send the wrong message about the
responsibilities of a starting quarterback. The current Chargers have grown weary of
Leaf’s immature act, and I doubt any of them are ready to rally behind him.
Putting Leaf on I.R. would mean he would not be allowed to practice. That’s
frankly not a bad thing if your teammates hate you. As long as Leaf can rehab under a few
watchful eyes, I.R. may be the best thing for him. And if Leaf is dedicated to his rehab
— which appeared to be the case earlier this season before his blowup at Beathard
— the quarterback may actually start to win back his teammates.
Step Two: Don’t send Leaf to NFL Europe. The possibility was broached earlier this
season by a reporter, and head coach Mike Riley didn’t immediately shoot it down. But
Leaf said flat-out that he wasn’t going. The team could try to force him, but that
would only lead to disaster.
Before you try to beat Leaf into submission, Bobby, think of it this way: Leaf has
gotten himself into jams in Pullman, Wash., and Big Fork, Mont. How long is he going to be
able to stay out of trouble in Amsterdam?
Step Three: Hire an assistant QB coach whose sole job is to work with Leaf in the
offseason. This mentor/babysitter would ideally be someone Leaf looks up to. Mark Rypien,
like Leaf a Washington State product, might be a good choice. Rypien could show Leaf how
to effectively prepare for a season and also lecture him about how he’s wasting his
talent.
It’s pretty clear that Leaf doesn’t deal well with authority. But I bet he
would be more receptive to someone who is more like a veteran teammate than a coach. This
is one way of getting through to Leaf that the Chargers haven’t tried yet.
The assistant QB coach would follow Leaf around throughout the offseason on vacations,
trips to golf tournaments, whatever. That way, Leaf’s preparation won’t slip,
and the team will always have a presence to remind Leaf of his responsibilities.
Step Four: Give Leaf a shot to win the starting job in 2000. This may be the hardest
pill for the Chargers to stomach, but I believe Leaf needs the carrot of starting in front
of him.
It’s not as though the Chargers have a strong starting QB around. Jim Harbaugh and
Erik Kramer will both be under contract, but each is a lot closer to the end of his career
than the beginning. A healthy Leaf with a good offseason of work behind him may well be
San Diego’s best option.
I would tell Leaf that he had every chance to win the starting job. But if he
didn’t win the job, I would relegate him to the No. 3 spot. Give him a sense of
urgency. Let him know it’s now or never. Make it clear that if Leaf doesn’t win
the job, his career in San Diego is over.
If Beathard goes through these four steps, he will know at the end of the 2000 season
whether Leaf is a starting-caliber quarterback or one of the biggest busts in NFL history.
That will make the buy-back decision a lot easier. The Chargers next have a first-round
pick in the spring of 2001, so if they write off Leaf at that point, they could pick
another quarterback — Drew Brees will be in that class — and start over.
Giving up on Leaf would be the easy thing to do, but the Chargers can’t just pack
it in. At least not yet. |
