SOMETHING TO PROVE : Are the Troubles for Ryan Leaf Finally Over?

A strange calm has settled over Ryan Leaf and the San Diego Chargers.

Strange, because in the days after a repentant Leaf returned from his four-week suspension for hurling obscenities at his boss, he and the team had grievances pending against each other.

Despite the appearance of conflict, there was no friction, only talk of a harmonious future between a franchise that’s been knocked to its knees and the quarterback who was supposed to be its savior, until his poor rookie performance and bratty attitude got in the way.

Calm, because Leaf’s been behaving himself.

The two sides quickly resolved their legal tussle, with the Chargers redoing his contract so it now becomes voidable after the 2001 season, not after next year. It will give Leaf an extra year to prove himself, and delay by a year the Chargers having to fork over another $4 million in bonus money to hang onto him.

Once the resolution becomes official, Leaf might not be out the full $73,530 he was docked during the suspension. He’ll likely get the remaining $2.95 million of his club-record $11.25 million signing bonus, but maybe not on March 1 as scheduled. The Chargers have been mum on details, but Leaf recently roughed it out.

Oh, to have a strong right arm.

Despite all the headaches and interceptions and so few touchdowns passes, the Chargers are willing to give Leaf every opportunity to prove he’s the next Dan Fouts.

“For the first time in a year and a half, I honestly feel confident this has a real chance to be a real good opportunity for us with Ryan, and for Ryan with us,” team president Dean Spanos said. “Maybe something had to get worse before it got better.”

Did it ever. While rehabbing his surgically repaired right shoulder, Leaf refused to do a weight exercise on Nov. 1, cursed general manager Bobby Beathard and strength coach John Hastings, and was suspended the next day.

He played a game of flag football during the suspension, a no-no according to standard contract language. It was merely the latest on a long list of indiscretions that included falling asleep in team meetings, misleading his coach about an offseason workout program and a blowup at a reporter.

When Leaf returned, he apologized to Beathard and his teammates, a first step in trying to recover the respect he lost last year. Beathard noticed a difference in Leaf’s demeanor.

Banishment seemed to hit Leaf harder than any linebacker ever could.

“Bottom line is that I just want to play football,” Leaf said. “Being away from it for four weeks, that certainly rattles your cage enough to where that’s all I want to do.”

This year would have been a wash anyway because of shoulder surgery in late July. He hasn’t played since last Dec. 13, and likely will get only brief duty the rest of this year.

It’s where Leaf goes from here that matters.

While Spanos and Beathard gush about Leaf’s future, they make it clear he has plenty of growing up to do.

Leaf’s physical talent has never been in doubt, Spanos said.

“He just needs to take that to the next level, which is the NFL. That’s a huge step, from where he’s been to where he’s at now. I think he’s got to get his on-the-field and off-the-field priorities straight, which I feel he’s going to.”

Spanos said he’s only looking forward, but concedes: “I wish we’d have been a lot further than we are.”

Although Beathard has one Super Bowl on his Chargers resume, to go with the three Super Bowls from his Washington Redskins days, his legacy here likely will be Leaf. So far, the troubles lead the positives, in a rout.

Since picking Leaf second overall in the 1998 draft, after Indianapolis got Peyton Manning, the Chargers are 10-18. Manning ripped the Chargers for 404 yards in September and likely will be playing deep into January. The Chargers are headed for their third straight losing season.

Leaf has played in only 10 games, throwing 15 interceptions, two TD passes and losing four fumbles. He was benched midway through 1998, and is now the third-stringer.

The Chargers have heavily mortgaged the future for this 23-year-old.

There were the three draft picks -- including two No. 1’s -- and two players it took to move up just one spot in the 1998 draft, and the big signing bonus. The Chargers, who didn’t have an established veteran to guide Leaf his rookie year, had to go out and sign Jim Harbaugh and Erik Kramer to get through this year. And now Kramer’s career likely is over due to a neck injury.

Beathard still looks back at Leaf’s halcyon days of 1997, when he led Washington State to its first Rose Bowl berth in 67 years. He still sees that ability and productivity, attributes that he says any other NFL team would like.

“We have quite an investment in money and time and want to make sure we exhaust every effort to make sure that he’s successful,” Beathard said.

But Leaf needs to realize that going from a top college quarterback to the NFL is not a lateral move.

“Gosh, I don’t think anybody questions that the talent is there. But there’s more than just physical talent” needed to succeed, Beathard said. “Over time since the draft, everyone and Ryan realizes it’s time to get it going.”

Leaf has said the right things since his return, and his teammates believe his apology was genuine.

Perhaps his biggest ally is coach Mike Riley, who’s pledged to spend as much time as it takes to develop Leaf. But even Riley, one of the nicest guys in the NFL, is taking Leaf at face value.

Is Riley convinced that Leaf’s blowups are in the past?

“You know, that is a difficult assessment, and I think we can only go on what we see right now, which is all good,” Riley said. “Something like that is only going to happen when there’s a challenge of some kind. ... The reaction to that is the key.”

Is Leaf over his ballistic behavior?

“I hope so,” he said. “I don’t think about it. Football’s the issue for me. It’s been two years of not playing football. For what I’m supposed to be doing, it hasn’t been done.”