FanShot

Ryan Leaf calls it like it is

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"If I'm going to be the biggest bust, I have to own up to it,'' Leaf says. "I used to go to bed at night hoping somebody else like Heath Shuler might magically leapfrog me on those all-time bust lists. "It never happened. Why? Because I am No. 1. I can't even think of anyone else in the ballpark that might be close to my combination of disappointment and failed expectations.'' He laughs, and I don't recall hearing that before, certainly not as a prelude to something even more unexpected, self-deprecating humor. "I dodged a bullet,'' he says. "A strong case can be made that Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback since Unitas. It's bad enough as it is, but just imagine if I had been picked ahead of Peyton.''