Ryan Leaf

[Lance Alworth]

Now, we all know that Ryan Leaf is heralded as the most colossal flop in NFL history, but was he really worse than any of the supposed "star" black players coming out of college that never panned out in the NFL? All I know is that he was disliked by his black teammates (whom which spent $10,000 at a fancy restaraunt, and sent him the bill) and was disliked by the media

I distribute the blame for his downfall as followed:

33% was on him, because even though it wasnt all his fault, he did act somewhat immature, and didnt know how to manage the natural god-given talent that he had

add

33% Dikhead coach with insane scheme. Also of note, likes taking rookie QB's out of hospital rooms with 103 degree fever to throw them out in the rain at most hostile NFL venue known to man

and dont forget

33% Front office bungleheads. Allowed Gilbride to do his damage, and didnt try to nurture, foster , or stand up for Leaf in times of trouble.

Of course- every jackass out there forgets Ryan dove on a loose ball in TC, tore his labum, and missed his 2nd year. That set of events themselves screwed the Chargers big time

So I really don't think that Ryan Leaf was this huge pariah that the media made him out to be. IMO it was a combination of bad luck, bad coaching, and the fact that he got no support from his teammates that really did him in. What do ya'll think? Edited by: Lance Alworth

 

[Don Wassall]

I agree with you. Being kind of a punk or immature if you're white in the NFL is a surefire way to ensure that your black teammates hate you and the white fans boo you mercilessly.

Whites just don't get the time to develop in the NFL that blacks do. They get no time at all at the "taboo" positions, and even at QB there is instant pressure on them to succeed. Look at all the flak Eli Manning was taking in New York and around the country after just a few games as a rookie starter on a bad team. Looking at who his father and brother are, doesn't it make sense to give him just a little bit of time before you tear into him? But no, words like "flop" were already being bandied about before Eli started coming on at the end of the season.

Black QBs get years and years to develop. It's possible Leaf may have become a quality NFL quarterback.

I think Cade McNown got the worst deal of any white QB in recent years. He was actually doing quite well with a lousy Bears team, but his teammates despised him because he went out with Playboy centerfolds and otherwise wasn't "humble" enough. McNown was also a topnotch runner, which only black QBs are supposed to be. McNown is the Luke Staley of QBs. Or maybe the Danny Farmer of QBs, his star receiver from UCLA.

 

[IceSpeed]

The adversity that white athletes face may be
uncalled for by society, but that is no excuse for white
athletes. White athletes should rise up to the incredibly high
standards expected of them.

They should not date centerfold, be punks, and should try to be
mature. When they overcome adversity, they will achieve new
heights in their career because the unfair expectations made them work
harder.

There was a time that only exists in the history
books now. A long time ago, the caste system was reversed to be
against blacks such as Fritz Pollard and later Jim Brown. They
worked hard to overcome the adversity and excelled. Now its the
white athletes that must beat adversity to reach new heights. A
caste system made Jackie Robinson, Jack Tatum(maybe a dirty player),
and Jim Brown tough.



Why can't a different caste system make whites tough?

 

[bigunreal]

Don,



I agree 100% about Cade McNown. This guy was given a shaft that even
goes beyond the Caste system. Here is a kid that, during his rookie
season had the following two performances; against the Redskins, he had
275 yards passing in the 2nd half (he entered the game at halftime),
his first extensive playing time as a rookie. I watched the game, and
the announcers barely even noted this phenomenal performance,which
would have been on pace to challenge the all-time yardage record for a
single game. Then, in either his first or second start at the end of
the season, McNown passed for over 300 yards and 4 TDs. Think about it;
did any rookie QB in recent times (even this year, with Big Ben doing
so well) put up this kind of performance? Again, no praise or notice
from the media. During the offseason, one began to hear stories about
how his teammates didn't like or respect McNown. He also made headlines
when he stole away Hugh Hefner's personal girlfriend. When the
anti-McNown buzz really hit the following season, I eventually
developed one of my more outlandish conspiracy theories about this,
which basically had "Hef" using his influence in the Chicago and
national media to ruin McNown's career for this serious transgression
(remember, none of Hef's large number of celebrity friends had ever had
the termerity to try and infringe upon those girls he considered his
personal property before). Anyhow, the media trumpeted long-time
backup, and former Steeler 3rd string QB Jim Miller over McNown
incessantly during that preseason. Despite this, McNown started the
regular season opener, and what a game he had! 290 yards passing and
almost 90 yards rushing; I didn't check, but in my mind very few if any
QBs have had that kind of combined passing/rushing performance in one
game. But again, the media ignored this, and concentrated instead on
the fact the Bears had lost the game to the Vikings and fellow young QB
Daunte Culpepper, who also had a monster game, but turned the ball over
more than McNown did (something the "talking heads" usually dwell on,
but not in this case). By a few weeks later, then "journalist" Matt
Millen came out on television and lobbied for Jim Miller to be the
Bears' starting QB, saying he was the "most talented" QB on the team.
Finally, things hit absolute rock bottom, and inflamed my natural
paranoia even further, when Joe Theismann criticized McNown on Sunday
Night Football. That's right, the man who had never previously found
anything to criticize about anyone associated with pro football decided
to lambaste McNown. I remember well that the Bears were leading in the
game at the time, and McNown was 8-10 passing, with over 100 yards.
Still, during a Bears offensive drive, Theismann made the following
comment; "You have to wonder how much longer the Bears are going to
wait before turning to Jim Miller." Huh? This kid has put up good
stats, in a game his team is winning, and Mr. Anti-Criticism makes that
comment? Oh well, sorry to go off on another rant, but it's
incomprehensible to me how a talent like McNown could be out of the
NFL, especially given the number of mediocre QBs in the league.



As for Leaf, I agree that he was not given sufficient time to develop,
and eventually became a joke in the media, sort of like the Barry
Swtizer of QBs. Another young QB who is probably now just another
Leaf/McNown is Tim Couch, whose stock has inexplicably dropped so low
that the ridiculous Bears had no interest in signing him this season,
preferring instead to stay with their less than stellar group of
present QBs.

 

[Don Wassall]

There are some significant differences between the two caste systems that Ice Speed mentioned. When it worked against blacks, everyone, black and white, was aware of it. Blacks had racial unity and powerful white friends working on their behalf to tear down the anti-black caste system.

The current caste system exists with very few people being aware of it. Most whites will laugh in your face if you tell them that whites are discriminated against in sports. "How can it be? The owners are white, the media is white owned. Don't they want to put the best product on the field? Blacks are just naturally better athletes."

Those white athletes that may be aware of the caste system have no forms of support, emotional or psychological. They dare not even voice their feelings out loud lest the wrong person hear and their career is instantly finished.

I agree with you that white athletes have to be excellent role models in their behavior, and many if not most are. Ryan Leaf was guilty of being an immature punk, not of being a criminal like many black athletes are, and he was roasted for it while convicted black felons are treated like royalty.

White athletes have to be tougher psychologically, but that is much easier said than done. I think that Brock Forsey should run with controlled rage, with a racial chip on his shoulder, but is that realistic? Right now the system is completely tilted to favor the black over the white, including psychologically. This website is trying to make the caste system better understood, and I do believe more are becoming aware of it, but it is very slow going. When it is understood in large numbers, whites will get "tougher" in the needed ways. Edited by: Don Wassall

 

[FootballDad]

A nice feel-good article on Gayhoo today in regards to Leaf. Seems that he's turned himself around, employed by BSPN and even co-hosted NFL Live, one of the mid-day shows that I avoid. Anyway, you can read it here.

 

[Leonardfan]

Glad to see Ryan Leaf turn his life around and able to escape the throes of drug addiction.