Mickalino Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 After being cut by the Cowboys, former #2 overall pick Ryan Leaf has officially won the award for Biggest Bust Ever, previously held by Heath Shuler, according to news reporters. IRVING, Texas (May 20) -- Ryan Leaf is without a job again after the Dallas Cowboys cut him Monday, the third team in 15 months to release the former No. 2 overall draft pick. Leaf may have been a model citizen in the Cowboys' locker room, but his play was still erratic. Plus, he was expendable with the emergence of Quincy Carter and the recent acquisition of former Stanford quarterback Chad Hutchinson, who spent the past four seasons playing pro baseball. "This is a decision that came down to numbers on our depth chart at the quarterback position, and we wanted to dedicate the practice repetitions to the younger players,'' team owner Jerry Jones said. Leaf's agent, David Dunn, didn't return a phone message. Dunn's secretary said he was traveling and not available. Leaf wasn't at the team's practice facility Monday when the Cowboys started a three-day quarterback school, but his locker was still intact. When asked about Leaf's absence, both Jones and coach Dave Campo said there would be an announcement later in the day. And that came in a faxed release. Leaf, the No. 2 overall pick by San Diego in 1998, is 4-17 as an NFL starter, with 36 interceptions and just 14 TDs. The Chargers released Leaf on Feb. 28, 2001, ending a three-season run after they took him following Peyton Manning's selection as the No. 1 pick by the Indianapolis Colts. Leaf went to training camp with Tampa Bay last summer, but the Buccaneers cut him before the season. Even though Jones showed interest in the quarterback at that point, Leaf wasn't signed until Oct. 12 after Carter tore his hamstring. Leaf got a three-year, $2 million contract, earning $500,000 last season. He was supposed to get $500,000 again in 2002 before a $1 million salary in 2003. After taking a couple of weeks to learn the offense, Leaf lost all three of his starts and didn't play again. In four games overall, he was 45-of-88 (51.1 percent) for 494 yards with three interceptions and one touchdown before Carter returned to finish his rookie season with five straight starts. In his last game, Leaf almost led the Cowboys to their biggest comeback ever, guiding two fourth-quarter TD drives in a 26-24 loss to Denver on Thanksgiving Day. He was 16-of-32 for 193 yards, but also had three fumbles and made several poor decisions throwing the ball. Hutchinson got a $3.1 million bonus when he signed a seven-year contract in January. He hasn't played in a game since starting 23 games for Stanford in 1996 and 1997. With Carter excused from the two-hour practice session Monday to tend to personal business, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Hutchinson got most of the snaps. "Chad's doing well, he's making progress. We want to give him as much work as he can to give him a chance to understand the offense and get rid of some of the rust,'' Campo said. "He throws the ball well. He's in pretty good shape right now. He has a better grasp than we anticipated because he used this offense at Stanford. So even those it's four years ago, he's starting to pick up things.'' Carter was a surprise second-round pick by the Cowboys in 2001, and was made the starter after Tony Banks was cut midway through training camp. Because of the hamstring injury and a thumb injury earlier in the season, Carter played in just eight games. He completed 90 of 176 passes (51.1 percent) for 1,072 yards with seven interceptions and five TDs. The Cowboys also released defensive tackle Maurice Gordon on Monday. Gordon, a rookie free agent from Texas, signed with Dallas last month Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 It's about time for Leaf to fade away. From what I've heard (in addition to all the other negatives), his release is so slow that defenders get a better jump on his passes. He may have been able to get away with that in college, but not at this level. And yes, he is a bigger bust than Heath Shuler, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlitzFiftySix Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 At least Heath was able to parlay his success in college to a career in Commercial Real Estate in Knoxville. I have a feeling Ryan Leaf will be selling cars for the next few years. Or even worse - he may go the way of Todd Marinovich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 Heath never had an attitude problem. I always felt bad for him that he didn't succeed. Leaf? He brought much of this on himself. What a waste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golgo-13 Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 What happened with Todd M? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 If Leaf held onto his signing bonus and a few years $$, he'll be set for life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 Leaf probably ate and surfed most his money away. What a waste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brave Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 "What happened with Todd M?" Drugs. Addiction and arrests. Pot. Heroin. Quite the prodigy, huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 Originally posted by Henry Heath never had an attitude problem. I always felt bad for him that he didn't succeed. Leaf? He brought much of this on himself. What a waste. Holmgren actually wanted to pick Shuler up after we cut him, and groom him on the sidelines for a couple of years; but Heath had this delusion that he was a bonafide starter, and went to Ditka's pathetic Saints to get playing time. If he'd picked the right Mike, things might've turned out differently for him. Maybe about now he'd be emerging as a competent QB (I said MAYBE) instead of selling Real Estate. Still, how we could ever draft a QB w/ a wunderlic of 12... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted May 21, 2002 Author Share Posted May 21, 2002 Originally posted by riggo-toni Holmgren actually wanted to pick Shuler up after we cut him, and groom him on the sidelines for a couple of years; but Heath had this delusion that he was a bonafide starter, and went to Ditka's pathetic Saints to get playing time. If he'd picked the right Mike, things might've turned out differently for him. Shuler wasn't cut by the Skins, and he didn't choose Ditka and the Saints. He was traded to New Orleans for a 5th round pick. Originally posted by Henry Heath never had an attitude problem. He did when he held out as a rookie. That's what began his whole downward spiral. Another myth about Shuler, is that his career ended due to performance, It didnt end because of performance, it was due to a broken foot injury Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 Mick, plenty of players hold out. That doesn't necessarily indicate a bad attitude. Heath did his best for us. When Gus was named the starter in 96 he didn't pout, and when he was booed off the field for his one play he didn't whine about it. His problems did not stem from his ego. He just couldn't play at the pro level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 to me there were bigger busts than Heath Shuler. Leaf was one. Rick Mirer is another. Tony Mandarich? If we go back into draft lore from the '60s and '70s there were others. Gary Beban? Yazoo Smith? Don Hardeman? Some of these guys never even put a uniform on. I think the Redskins greatest bust of all-time was Andre Johnson. Yes he was only the #30 pick at the end of the first round, but he never played a regular season down for the team in 2 years before he was cut. This guy was so bad they didn't even want to TRY and put him out there to see what he could do or learn. Now, THAT is bad. :shootinth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted May 21, 2002 Author Share Posted May 21, 2002 How is Rick Mirer a bigger bust than Shuler ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J33Edwards Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 kffl hotwire says Holmgren is interested in scooping up Leaf...he likes his projects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 You want the greatest bust ever for the 'Skins? Try the fourties. We drafted the same guy in two consecutive years even though he kept saying he didn't want to play pro-football. How about Harry Gilmer(?), the guy that was supposed to replace Baugh? After Baugh, we couldn't find a top qb until we traded our bust, Norm Snead, for Philly bust Sonny Jugensen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrangeSkin Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 Heath Shuler is easily the biggest 'Skins bust, but Desmond Howard comes in a close second...I had high hopes for the kid. Something more than a kick returner:doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Tater Posted May 21, 2002 Share Posted May 21, 2002 Originally posted by OrangeSkin Heath Shuler is easily the biggest 'Skins bust, but Desmond Howard comes in a close second...I had high hopes for the kid. Something more than a kick returner:doh: A bigger bust than drafting a guy in the first round for two years running despite the fact that he has told you he want's to play baseball? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickalino Posted May 21, 2002 Author Share Posted May 21, 2002 bulldog, answer my question :soapbox: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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