Thursday, November 18 San Diego has hope for Ryan By Chris Mortensen Special to ESPN.com

There used to be a soap opera called "Ryan's Hope," which ultimately was canceled because it could have used a few more sordid plots like the one in San Diego called "Ryan Leaf." As crazy at it might sound, the Chargers still have hope in Ryan.

	Ryan Leaf could be back in a Chargers uniform in December.

"Really, he's very important to this franchise," Chargers coach Mike Riley said. "I haven't given up on him, not at all. He's tested everyone, and he's not going to get the benefit of the doubt from a lot of people, but he's a key guy for us."

Leaf is under suspension for conduct detrimental to the team through Nov. 29, so he's not allowed at the Chargers' training facility. But Leaf has stayed in touch with Riley, talking as recently as Tuesday, and the conversation actually encouraged the coach whose team has dropped four consecutive games after a 4-1 start.

"Ryan called me right after his workout, and he was very positive," Riley said. "He threw 150 balls. His shoulder is getting stronger, obviously, and he sounds really, really happy. I think he's looking forward to getting back."

Riley suggested that had Leaf not fallen into his most recent trap, the Chargers might be talking about giving the quarterback some playing time, as the two veterans, Jim Harbaugh and Erik Kramer, have struggled during the four-game skid.

If Leaf can stay healthy -- emotionally, mentally and physically -- he could return to the playing field in December. Picking the spot is the tricky part. Riley wants to feed Leaf a few positive experiences to build on for the 2000 season.

Certainly, San Diego's Dec. 5 matchup with the Cleveland Browns would have been ideal, but it's a home game. Would Leaf face a more hostile environment in front of the team's own fans? There have been some quarterbacks, like Tampa Bay's Trent Dilfer, who have been more comfortable on the road.

Then again, Leaf has become something of a national disaster, so he's still likely to draw negativity in San Diego's road games that remain (Dec. 12 at Seattle, Dec. 19 at Miami and Jan. 2 at Denver).

And, let's face it, San Diego fans actually allowed themselves to monitor Leaf's progress from shoulder surgery after watching Harbaugh and Kramer perform miserably with their aging arms. Fans might be receptive to Leaf's return, however lukewarm.

	MORT'S WEEK 11 PICKS
	Bucs over Falcons Bills over Jets Panthers over Browns Packers over Lions Colts over Eagles Dolphins over Patriots Titans over Steelers Chiefs over Seahawks Ravens over Bengals Bears over Chargers Cowboys over Cardinals Redskins over Giants Rams over 49ers Jaguars over Saints Raiders over Broncos

See, if Leaf has anything, he has a big-league arm. He has size. Strip him down to those essentials, and that's where the hope is. That's why the Chargers took him with the second pick in the '98 draft.

If Leaf indeed has been positive in his approach to returning to the team, as Riley suggested, it's an about-face from the tirade he directed at general manager Bobby Beathard more than two weeks ago when he said, among other things, "to get rid of me."

In fact, much of Leaf's ire apparently is directed at Beathard. The quarterback apparently believes Beathard has publicly humiliated him on more than one occasion.

We know better. Leaf needed no help in that department. He is quite capable of humiliating himself.

If anything, Beathard is ascribing to something called "tough love," which is ultimately the only way to make a rocky marriage survive. Beathard refuses to play the game that Leaf has successfuly manipulated, based on accounts from his high school and college days. Leaf always has been trouble, those accounts say, but has always been protected by either his parents or coaches, or all parties.

The irony here is Beathard has never had a track record of using his first-round picks on quarterbacks. He saw his Washington Redskins win Super Bowls with the likes of Joe Theismann (a Canadian Football League pickup), Doug Williams (a Tampa Bay castoff) and Mark Rypien (a sixth-rounder in '86). The '94 Chargers reached the Super Bowl with Stan Humphries, whom Beathard drafted in the sixth round of the '88 draft for the Redskins.

But Beathard, like other scouts prior to the '98 draft, saw promise in Peyton Manning and Leaf. He saw a franchise quarterback. He knew the franchise, the community, needed hope as Humphries retired with post-concussion syndrome.

Beathard might have lost that hope. He certainly has doubt.

"The talent's still there -- he hasn't lost that," Beathard told San Diego reporters this week. "In an ideal situation, now he'll come in and tell the coach, the team, 'I made a mistake, I'm sorry, but all I care about is being the best quarterback I can be, and I'm going to do everything I can to do that. I'll be here day and night if I have to.'

"I see that as the only way of him realizing his potential. But it's going to be tough."

True, but if Mike Riley is anything, he is a coach of hope. That's better than the alternative.

Mort shorts