San Diegans are sick of hearing about what an oaf Ryan Leaf was and how the San Diego Chargers blew it when they drafted him second overall in 1998.
But...
Yes, there's a but.
As hard as it is to believe there could be anything new and relevant on the topic, there is.
Courtesy of a book that longtime NFL coach Bruce Arians has written, we find out that Leaf's buffoonery was there for most football folks to see, especially if they did some sleuthing, and to a degree that ought to have scared them off despite his rare physical prowess.
Oh, the beauty of 20-20 hindsight.
Quick plug: The book is a fun read. I got a free copy and read it in a few hours. It's called "The Quarterback Whisperer" and was written with Lars Anderson of Bleacher Report. The insights on quarterbacks are interesting, and they come from a great storyteller in Arians, whom the Chargers quite possibly should've hired as their head coach in 2013, but never would've because, I think, even with the Telesco connection, he has way too much personality.
Arians was on Leaf detail as an aide for the Indianapolis Colts in '98, when he abetted their quest to learn as much as possible about candidates for the No. 1 draft pick.
Now the Arizona Cardinals' coach, Arians is street-smart and salty, and has a gift for gab and for sleuthing.
If the dish he serves on Leaf is stale to you _ and there is a familiar story or two _ I apologize in advance, but most of it is new to me.
The Leaf narrative begins at the NFL scouting combine, where the Colts had set up a meeting between Leaf and four Colts football men.
