Is There A Point To This?

PULLMAN On the prowl again for a cheap ticket to circumstantiate genius, we came upon Ryan Leaf throwing footballs in Martin Stadium at high noon Thursday.

This just in: he’s really, really good at it.

Don’t take our word for it. Marty Schottenheimer was a witness, too, and the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs pronounced himself “very impressed” with Leaf.

Just what does that mean? Well, if we sicced enough investigators on it, surely they could find an occasion when Marty once pronounced himself “very impressed” with Joe Montana, as well.

So don’t make us spell it out for you.

Of course, Marty could have said he was very impressed, and that would change everything. We’ll have to check the tape.

There is no circus quite like the one that sprouts around a potential No. 1 draft pick. And when the circus comes to Pullman, there is no hiding the elephants.

Indeed, Washington State defensive coordinator Bill Doba emerged from the stadium tunnel Thursday, scanned the assembled herd of National Football League scouts, scribblers and shooters and couldn’t help himself.

“This is more than we had for the opener last year,” he said, immediately regretting that he’d said it to two reporters.

Ryan Leaf worked out for one of his potential employers - the San Diego Chargers - and maybe 20-odd other NFL talent hounds who had time to kill before an appointment later in the afternoon to weigh, measure and time the other Cougars with pro aspirations.

It was safe. It was scripted. It was really pretty silly.

It was Leaf throwing 50-some balls to familiar targets - Michael Black, Chris Jackson, Kevin McKenzie, Shawn McWashington, Shawn Tims - with no pass rush or dime package to screw up the works.

Just a man, a ball and a camera. Well, two cameras.

“We’ll have tail- and side-view video available for those of you who want it,” WSU coach Mike Price announced to the scouts.

Only $19.95, available through Pawthentics. Have your credit card ready.

Quick hitches, slants, ins, outs, unders, corners, bootlegs. Leaf threw them all and completed the bulk of them, sometimes being saved by a spectacular catch - in other words, exactly as he did during the 1998 season against the best defenses college football could muster in games already captured on video.

What could Leaf possibly show on Thursday that he hadn’t already shown on Saturdays last fall?

“Not a whole lot,” admitted June Jones, quarterbacks coach of the Chargers. “What he showed on film was pretty much what he showed here.

“Sometimes, with down-the-line kids, you get a better feel for a kid after working him out. But in his case, he had so many opportunities to throw the ball that you could see on film that it really didn’t matter. Sometimes you see a kid from Central Michigan that’s run the option or something and you really can’t see him throw much - and he might go up in your mind after a workout. But usually the film doesn’t lie.”

Neither does the trade wire.

A couple weeks ago, the Chargers gave up the No. 3 pick in this draft, a second-round pick, their first pick in 1999, punt returner Eric Metcalf, linebacker Patrick Sapp, Sea World, Balboa Park and the lightning bolt on their helmets for the right to take whichever quarterback Indianapolis doesn’t.

It’s either Tennessee’s Peyton Manning - who may or may not bunk in Colts coach Jim Mora’s guest room already - or Leaf.

“It’s not in our hands, it’s in Indianapolis’ hands,” Jones said. “We like both guys. Both are going to be players.”

The Colts seem to like one guy better, judging by their absence Thursday - though they have pledged to send representation when Leaf rolls out his cannon again next week.

What did Thursday’s roll call tell Leaf?

“Go Chargers,” he said.

At this point, though, all Leaf can do is give his suitors second thoughts, so he’s determined not to.

He has slimmed down to 244 pounds from the 268 he reached at the peak of the banquet season. He made it a point to goose the gas on rollout passes “because I knew some of the scouts are skeptical” about that facet of his game.

And, having read way too many case histories in various newspapers about his youthful deficiencies in the area of interpersonal skills, Leaf had his best Eddie Haskell working for him Thursday, too.

Good catch. Nice try. That sort of thing.

“How I interact with people,” Leaf said, was perhaps the one thing he could demonstrate that’s not on film. “The receivers deserve a lot - they were the ones who made me look good all season.”

His PR is no doubt appreciated, but the best thing Leaf did for them Thursday was give them the extra showcase.

“No way we could have drawn this type of crowd if he’s not here,” said McWashington, who took the opportunity to schmooze every coach in sight and make a spectacular left-handed grab of a deep out.

After lunch, the scouts whose teams have no chance at Leaf got out their tape measures and stopwatches and got down to the business that really brought them to Pullman - learning that Dorian Boose has a 35-inch vertical leap, that Brandon Moore can bench press 225 pounds 30 times, that McKenzie can cover 40 yards in 4.34 seconds.

And that Ryan McShane can laugh at himself.

“You one of the Fat 5?” asked a scout, spying McShane’s T-shirt emblazoned with the nickname of the offensive line.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m the slimmest one.”

Later on, McShane allowed that “it’s nice being in the spotlight one last time.

“The good thing is, I hired Dan O’Brien to run my 40 for me.”

No doubt Marty Schottenheimer would have been very impressed.

You can contact John Blanchette by voice mail at 459-5577, extension 5509.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Blanchette The Spokesman-Review