The newest leaf in Ryan Leaf's disappointing five-year career isn't being turned over by him. It's Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren doing it. Holmgren stares at a leaf -- and a Leaf -- that has wrinkled and faded and sees something.

	Leaf

	Hasselbeck

	Dilfer

Maybe it's the old teacher in him, but Holmgren is tutoring Leaf. After practices, he's giving him individual instruction. He's spending extra time in meetings, getting into his head. Though there are absolutely no expectations for Leaf doing anything on the field in 2002, Holmgren is intrigued.

"I was curious," Holmgren said. "My wife Kathy says I'm always taking on little puppies."

Up front, Holmgren knows that this curiosity won't kill the franchise. Leaf is making the NFL minimum of $525,000, which he doesn't earn until he makes the roster in September. Holmgren figures Leaf will stick around, as the third quarterback behind Trent Dilfer and Matt Hasselbeck. It's "no lose."

The bigger question is whether it will be a gain. No one knows that answer. Since his disastrous three seasons in San Diego, Leaf has been a complete non-factor. There were no instances of controversy in stops in Tampa Bay or Dallas. There were also no positives.

He was 0-3 as a Cowboys starter last season. For his career, he's 4-17 as a starter and has 36 interceptions compared to 14 touchdown passes. Safe to say, his career was lost.

"I've enjoyed myself since I got to Tampa Bay, just being out there practicing," Leaf said. "Every time I stepped on the practice field when I was in San Diego, I dreaded going to work. It wasn't any fun. I didn't like the people I was playing with. They didn't like me."

Leaf says he's having fun. Don't read much more into it than that. There is no pressure. Because Holmgren runs a pure West Coast offense, the 6-5, 250-pound Leaf drops back and throws mostly short passes. Occasionally, such as Monday, he'll rifle a 40-yard strike to Darrell Jackson that draws oohs and aahs from sideline spectators.

	“	My wife and I were ready to go on with our life without football if we didn't get this deal done with the Seahawks. ”
		— Ryan Leaf, Seahawks QB

Because he's third in the rotation, Leaf won't get many chances. After all, he's a long-term project and seems to be comfortable with the position.

"At least I've got a guy who's played before as opposed to a young guy," Holmgren said. "There's no downside in this for us. The kid's trying real hard. His weight's down. And he kinda knows what it is we are doing."

Leaf will have to go through the occasional national interview from newspapers and television networks. He'll be watched closely early in the preseason games. And then he'll fade into the oblivion that goes with being a third quarterback. Leaf's fine with that for now. In fact, this is what he wants. He admits that had he not signed with the Seahawks, he would have probably retired to a career of financial planning.

"My wife and I were ready to go on with our life without football if we didn't get this deal done with the Seahawks," Leaf said. "That's not going to be a problem for us, but it's going to be a problem for me because I love football so much."

Stop right there, Ryan. His only hope of ever doing anything in the NFL comes down to whether he really does love the game. His rapid fall from grace temporarily has taken away his chances of making big money. After being paid $11.25 million just to be a NFL rookie, Leaf doesn't need the money.

"I never had to touch that money and I probably won't ever touch it until my kids go to college," Leaf said. "For me, it's not about the money. It's about playing football again and enjoying it. When I enjoyed football the most was when I wasn't getting paid."

Leaf's mind flashed back to his senior year in high school. He broke his right thumb and was sidelined for three weeks. His doctor told him that the thumb wasn't going to be ready to finish the season.

So he found another doctor and got the clearance to play that he wanted. Devilishly, he sat in the back of a classroom and used a pocketknife to cut the cast off his hand. What a far cry from the Leaf who hated going to work as a member of the Chargers.

"College was the most fun, but high school was fun, too," Leaf said. "What I enjoyed in college was the people I was around for four years. It was so much fun. There wasn't a moment I remember not enjoying. ... In college, my best friends were an offensive lineman, a wide receiver and defensive back. In the pros, when you leave the practice field, players go their separate ways because they are married. You're basically left with the players in your position."

Face it, Leaf was hard to like in San Diego. He couldn't lead people because they hated him and vice versa. His temper and immaturity showed when he verbally exploded at reporters or fans. Because his on-the-field performance was horrible, he never could recover.

Leaf remembers being on his honeymoon when he heard that the Chargers cut him. He and his wife celebrated. All he wanted was to clear waivers and sign for the minimum in Seattle, an area where he felt more comfortable. The Bucs claimed him on waivers and last year the Seahawks didn't have room for him, so he ended up in Dallas.

"People don't understand that if I would have stayed in Tampa, I might have disappeared and people would have forgotten about me," Leaf said. "That may be good in some ways, but not in others. I would be thought of as someone who hadn't played in a long time and when I did, I didn't do very well, so what's the point."

So, for the first time since San Diego, Leaf is enjoying learning from a head coach with an offensive background. He likes Dilfer. He likes Hasselbeck. And he's prepared to give himself five more seasons to make something of his career.

He believes exercise has improved a right wrist that lacks a ligament at the top that lets a bone slip out of place.

This isn't a Ryan Leaf comeback story. After four years of failure, Leaf is making his NFL start knowing he's one slipup from being a financial planner.

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.