Bill Polian's Tale of the Colts' Meetings With Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf is Instantly One of My Favorite Draft Stories Ever

Al Pereira. Getty Images.

It's been pretty much lost to history, but in the lead up to the 1998 Draft, there was a national debate over who should be the No. 1 pick between Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf. For real. No one wants to admit it now, because Manning is a first ballot Hall of Famer with five MVPs and two rings. While Leaf, though he's been really forthright and honest about his past mistakes, makes every list of Biggest Draft Busts and will forever struggle to not be defined by this meltdown:

But there really was a debate about the two. A Younger-Balled, less Silver Foxy me caught one draft pundit talking a few days before the draft about how he wasn't comfortable with the way Manning gripped the football. For real. He was a five-year starter at Tennessee, but despite a half decade of tight spirals delivered on target, suddenly some slapdick was over-analyzing his hand placement. I just wish I'd saved that receipt. 

Anyhoo, I bring it up because Bill Polian, who made that pick and got into the Hall of Fame himself precisely because he chose wisely, is looking back on it 25 years later. And in doing so, tells one of my new favorite draft stories ever:

In Polian's own words, when the evaluation process began, the Colts staff was split 50-50 between the two. That wouldn't last for long:

Source - There was a big bump in the road early in March at the NFL Scouting Combine, where we had scheduled on opening night to meet with Leaf for 20 minutes. It’s a protocol set up by the NFL. Manning was set for the following night. Leaf didn’t show up. We were waiting in a room at the Holiday Inn, and he never showed. No one ever called. No one ever said, “Gee, he can’t make it.” Nothing. 

Naturally, we were a bit perturbed. I was most concerned about whether something had happened to him, but I checked with the people who ran the combine, and they said, “No, he’s here, and everything’s good.”  …

For our meeting with Manning at the combine, he came in with a briefcase and a notepad. And he said, “Would you mind if I ask you guys a few questions?” We said, “No, not at all.” Keep in mind this is 20 minutes. So, he’s asking questions and taking notes, and all of a sudden the horn blows, and the thing’s over. So, we stood up and shook hands, and we said, “Nice to see you. Thanks for coming.” Manning replied, “If you draft me, I’m in your building the day after the draft.” 

Then I said, “Well, you really can’t do that. There’s a rule against that. You can’t come in until a week after the draft.” And he said, “Well, I don’t care about that. You can figure that out, but I’ll be here the day after the draft.”

When Manning left the room, we looked at each other and said, “Holy mackerel! He just interviewed us.” …

[Later] we had a meeting with Ryan that didn’t go well at all. Coach Mora asked him, “When are you planning on coming in after the draft? You can come in a week afterward.” Ryan said, “Coach, I can’t make that. My buddies and I have a trip planned to Las Vegas. We’ve planned this for a long time, so I’ll be in three days or so later than that.” That obviously wasn’t what you wanted to hear.

A couple of points of order, if I may. First, like I said before, Ryan Leaf is being very public about his remorse over how he regrets the actions of his younger self and has worked on being better. As we all are to some extent. Second, I've never cared for Bill (Na)Polian. He's the hero of every story he ever tells, including this one. His reaction to losing to a superior Patriots team in 2003-04 was to use his position on the Rules Committee to outlaw defense. And he has made the ridiculous claim that he had a 1st round grade on Tom Brady in 2000, but chose not to take him because he already had Manning. Despite Brady staying on the board for the first 198 picks. Which is absolutely fucking ludicrous revisionist history. 

Still, assuming this story is even remotely accurate, it just speaks volumes about how this whole process works. How scouts can judge these guys based on their size, speed, athletcisim, arm strength, how they grip the ball, but so much of it comes down to the human element that's harder to qualify. How they can have very similar analysis of two players skill sets, but it ultimately comes down to the same sort of evaluation process we all go through every day with everyone we meet. Whether you're talking to a sales person, bringing your car to a mechanic, climbing into an Uber, hiring someone, or deciding whether to take your date to the summit of Bone Mountain, it's all about trusting your gut instincts on that person. Despite it being a multi-million dollar process, scouting NFL talent is still all about what kind of vibe a prospect gives off. And they have no measurement for Big Dick Energy at the Combine. lan

Manning and Leaf were the Goofus and Gallant of the '98 Draft. Gallant brings a briefcase, takes notes, asks questions and plans to show up the next day. Goofus blows off meetings and plans to see you once the hangover he got at The Excalibur wears off. Meanwhile the rest of the country saw no clear difference between the two. That's not only what makes the story of these two so interesting, but what makes the whole draft process one of the highlights of the sports calendar every year. 

And the life lesson here? As you go through life, be a Peyton, not a Ryan.