So, Ryan Leaf manipulated the 1998 NFL Draft huh?

[Enfuego]

Or, that's what his agent Leigh Steinberg is claiming in a new tell all book.

Many of you may not remember but there was an actual debate over who to take with the #1 pick...either P. Manning or WSU QB Ryan Leaf.

Leaf was a big kid and strong with a big arm so people actually thought in the long run, he may have a better career than Manning. A lot of people though thought P. Manning was smarter, a better leader and had a much better college career and played in a better conference.

Well, Steinberg is claiming Leaf didn't want to play in Indy so Steinberg told Leaf while at the combine, to stand up then Colts coach Jim Mora at a meeting they had arranged. He told Leaf Mora had a lot of pride and standing him up would piss him off and he'd then Mora would want to take Manning and Leaf would fall to SD. He claims they first called SD GM Bobby Beatherd to ensure he knew this is what they planned to do so he wouldn't read Leaf stood up Mora and in turn be pissed off as well. The Colts took Manning and SD took Leaf.

Later, Steinberg told the press then Colt GM Bill Polian gave Leaf the wrong meeting time. Polian claimed that was bullshit.

And the rest is history. Leaf showed up to training camp fat and out of shape and couldn't even complete one full warmup run around the practice field and three years later, he was out of the league.

And now?

Leaf is serving a seven-year prison sentence for burglary and some drug charges.

I bet Colts fans around the world are happy with the end result.

 

[MikeB]

Never heard that story.....wow.

I wonder what would have happened if Peyton went to SD.

 

[Acebb]

The story is BS.

Polian, Bethard and one of Bethard's assistants said it was not true yesterday.

 

[MikeB]

Well, if Bill Polian said it.....he is such a nice guy, I'm sure he would never be dishonest.

 

[HacheMan]

The thing I remember most about Ryan Leaf is being in Vegas his rookie year and watching him throw 5-6 interceptions and costing me a 3team parlay after the first two games hit...^<<^

 

[Enfuego]

I think this kind of stuff happens more than we think it does.

 

[MikeB]

Haha. Something tells me you are far from the only one pissed of at him that day.

 

[Stylez]

Well, if Bill Polian said it.....he is such a nice guy, I'm sure he would never be dishonest.

What's his benefit for lying here?

 

[Bruins4Life]

What's his benefit for lying here?

Polian wants you to think he was smart enough to draft Manning regardless of any other influences.

Steinburg wants to sell books.

 

[Acebb]

Well, if Bill Polian said it.....he is such a nice guy, I'm sure he would never be dishonest.

When you have 3 people very well respected in their profession saying an allegation by a recovering alcoholic who lost his company/fortune because of alcoholism and shady business dealings is a lie, I tend to believe the well respected people.

The other part of this is that Polian has said for years they wanted to draft Manning and Bethard tried unsuccessfully to trade down.

 

[NickPappagiorgio]

The media, with help of agents, like to make big deals when qbs are taken #1 & #2. The 3 i remember most are Beldsoe/Mirer, P Manning/Leaf and Luck/RG3. All 3 times, the teams made the right call and took the better qb. Agents like to think they are more important that they are, Id take Polians word for it that they wanted Manning all along.

 

[MikeB]

Polian wants you to think he was smart enough to draft Manning regardless of any other influences.

Steinburg wants to sell books.

Beat me to it.

This would make it look like he got duped by Ryan Leaf.

 

[doubledeuce22]

Leaf over manning had as much of a chance as mirer over Bledsoe. None.

 

[Enfuego]

Leaf over manning had as much of a chance as mirer over Bledsoe. None.

Not back in 1998. This wasn't as clear cut as you think it was.

 

[MikeB]

Exactly

 

[CHOPTALK]

Leaf over manning had as much of a chance as mirer over Bledsoe. None.

I use to live breath and eat the NFL draft back then.
Back during that time I could tell you where every player who got drafted played college ball and what position he played without even looking it up.

It was crazy how into the draft I use to be.
What a freaking waste of time that was!
That hobby made me exactly 0 dollars.

But my point is Ryan Leaf was indeed a legitimate consideration for the 1st pick of the draft that season.
He was the #1 player on Mel Kippers board and was very highly regarded.

The standard speak back then was Peyton Manning was more NFL ready then Leaf but Leaf had the higher ceiling.

 

[The Guesser]

How the Colts almost passed up Manning 14 years ago

By Mike Chappell, The Indianapolis Star

Updated 3/7/2012 2:38 PM

INDIANAPOLIS – Peyton Manning. Or Ryan Leaf.

• Mark Lennihan, AP
  Ryan Leaf, left, was nearly taken ahead of Peyton Manning by the Colts in the 1998 draft.

Enlarge



Mark Lennihan, AP
Ryan Leaf, left, was nearly taken ahead of Peyton Manning by the Colts in the 1998 draft.






Was there ever a doubt? Really?
Peyton Manning amassed as many NFL MVP awards during his 14-year career with the Indianapolis Colts as Ryan Leaf had victories in four years with the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys. That would be four.
Leaf delivered 13 career touchdown passes. Manning delivered the Colts to the playoffs 11 times.
A doubt? Really?
Really.
In the days, weeks and months leading up to the 1998 draft, the debate raged on the national stage and in the private recesses of the Colts' West 56th Street complex. At its essence, the discussion bounced from Manning, the polished prospect seen as more NFL-ready and, at worst, the "safe" pick, to Leaf, the quarterback with the bigger arm and bigger upside.
Anyone arguing to the contrary today as the Colts face a similiar Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III choice is knee-deep in revisionist history.
Bill Polian was front and center locally, spearheading the evaluations, listening to and digesting the pros and cons of each hyped quarterback.
All that was at stake was the short- and long-term fate of owner Jim Irsay's quarterback-needy franchise.
"It was just too important a decision not to do everything possible to make sure you were 100 percent comfortable with the choice," said Polian, at the time in his first season as the Colts president. "We were not going to leave any stone unturned.
"We probably turned over too many rocks and chased too many ghosts."
When the process began, Polian recalled the scouting department being split 50-50 on Manning and Leaf. In the days after the NFL scouting combine in February, Leaf began easing ahead. The intangibles were piled up beside Manning. Leaf had the so-called measurables on his side.
"We never took a formal poll," Polian said, "but it drifted more toward Leaf. That's where (the scouts) stood."
After the scouts finalized their evaluations, a more condensed panel took over for the Colts — Polian, coach Jim Mora, offensive coordinator Tom Moore and quarterbacks coach Bruce Arians foremost among them.
They revisited the process in March and early April, went back and watched every game, every pass of each quarterback. It was especially incumbent upon Mora to not allow personal feelings to seep in. He developed close ties to the Manning family, Peyton included, during his time as New Orleans Saints coach.
"He was great about that," Polian said of Mora.
Slowly, the tide began shifting to Manning.
"The coaches, almost to a man, pretty much leaned toward Peyton," Polian said. "Tom was the biggest support, but Bruce was in that camp, too. I was probably leaning toward Peyton, but I have to admit I had some arm-strength concerns, which turned out to be incorrect.
"The intangible part, that was Peyton by a very wide margin."
Any lingering questions and uncertainty apparently were answered and eased following the personal workout of each.
The Colts put Manning through a private session April 1 in Knoxville, Tenn.
"Tom and I stood together at the workout and were astonished at his arm strength," Polian said. "He threw a tight, hard ball. It wasn't even the most catchable ball. He rifled it.
"Tom put him through a workout where he asks the quarterback to throw flat-footed. Peyton just rifled it out there. There wasn't a question in our mind after that about arm strength."
The next day in Pullman, Wash., the Colts and other teams watched Leaf. Not everything went as expected.
Again, Polian and Moore stood side-by-side. At some point, it hit them.
"We looked at each other and kind of raised our eyebrows," Polian said. "There was a marked difference in the velocity and spin rate of Ryan's ball versus Peyton's.
"We sort of shrugged our shoulders and said, 'Well, there's another wives' tale gone by the boards.' "
As the April 18 draft neared, everything steered the Colts to Manning. And Polian couldn't dismiss the impression each had made during the scouting combine .
Manning reported for a two-hour interview with a yellow pad in hand.
"Peyton's interview was incredible," Polian said. "He was interviewing us, asking us all the right questions. He was on point. He wanted to know what his life was going to be like going forward."
Leaf missed his one-on-one with the Colts, apparently after being held up by a medical exam. He never informed the team, which irritated Mora.
"If a guy makes an appointment, he ought to show up," he said at the time. "Yeah, that concerns me a little bit."
"When you're comparing two people and you're looking for a guy that's going to lead your franchise," Polian said, "what people do and how they approach things tells you an awful lot."
Finally, the uncertainty cleared. By the week before the draft, "it was 99 percent for (Manning)," Polian said.
Manning might have eliminated the final 1 percent when he came to Indianapolis for a final medical checkup.
Impatient, he pressed Polian for a decision. Polian told Manning he would inform him of the team's decision before Manning left to attend the draft in New York later in the week.
"He told me, 'If you pick me, I guarantee you that we will win a championship and we'll have a great program here,' " Polian said. " 'If you don't, I'll come back and I'll kick your butt (on the playing field).' "
And, Polian added with a laugh, "he didn't say 'butt.'
"We both laughed and shook hands. That was the ultimate intangible."

 

[DrunkenHorseplayer]

Sounds like a broke Leigh Steinberg trying to get publicity for his book.

 

[Defying]

Makes sense, I mean San Diego had to be more attractive place than Indy.. If it was the other way around, I'd have a harder time believing that