Leaf Down, But Most Likely Not Out
Washington State quarterback Ryan Leaf was helped out of Martin Stadium after spraining his right ankle during football practice Wednesday, but the sophomore starter was not expected to miss Saturday’s home opener.
Leaf limped out of the WSU training room without assistance or comment, and head trainer Mark Smaha suspected the quarterback would play in Saturday’s 4 p.m. game against Oregon.
“But we’ll be able to tell a lot more Thursday morning,” Smaha cautioned.
If Leaf is unable to play, redshirt freshman Steve Birnbaum would start. The left-hander completed 7 of 22 passes for 80 yards in a JV game Saturday against Walla Walla Community College, but has not played in a varsity game.
Leaf has a history of ankle troubles, and tweaked the right one while attempting to navigate a stairwell over the weekend, Smaha said.
“I asked him tonight, out of the 50 times he’s sprained his ankle, where does this rank?” Smaha relayed. “He said, ‘Oh, probably about 25.’
“But I don’t know if he’s sprained it 50 times. That’s me talking, not him. But he’s sprained it several times.”
Despite this history, Leaf did not get his ankles taped Wednesday and was not wearing a brace when he apparently stepped on a teammate’s foot during drills, Smaha said.
Why does Leaf - WSU’s most significant player - sometimes fail to have his ankles taped before practice? There were a couple of theories Wednesday night, the most entertaining of which centered around an apparent spat between Leaf, who can be recalcitrant, and WSU trainers.
As the theory goes, Leaf would rather have his ankles “spat” than taped, but WSU trainers oppose spatting - training-room slang for wrapping the athletic tape around the outside of one’s shoes.
“It’s a trendy type thing,” Smaha said. “It does not reinforce the ankle at all.
“One of my primo tape jobs and an ankle brace is going to be 10 times better than any spat.”
The people at Nike, who supply the Cougars with shoes, are also against the procedure - it obscures their beloved swoosh.
, DataTimes