Former Florida QB Chris Leak fights long odds with Chicago Bears



BOURBONNAIS, Ill. - The national champion quarterback dropped back on a recent training-camp morning, chose a target and released quickly, as he had a thousand times while facing the least forgiving collegiate defenses.

They had been merciful compared to the defense Chris Leak now encountered: Chicago Bears' backups.

The former Florida Gator's pass never made it to tight end John Gilmore. Chris Harris, a reserve safety soon to be traded, stepped in to snatch the ball and streak the other way. Members of the Bears' starting secondary, watching from the sidelines, serenaded Chris Leak with Florida State's tomahawk-chop chant.

So that didn't go well. Still, it was more productive than that afternoon, when Chris Leak didn't get a single snap. Instead, he stood helmet against hip, watching Rex Grossman, Brian Griese and Kyle Orton, the three experienced quarterbacks on a roster unlikely to have room for a fourth.

To think, this is the place the undrafted free agent chose to play.

Or not play.

"I have to sit back and watch the older guys and learn from them, and try to make every opportunity I get count," said Chris Leak, whose stock dropped because of concerns about height, accuracy and arm strength. "You just have to try to get mental reps as you can. As a young guy, that's how you get better. Those are the ways you get reps."

He chose Chicago in part because he admired coach Lovie Smith's approach, demeanor and relationship with players. Yet Smith currently has nearly 90 players, many with Super Bowl experience, and his primary concern is the progress of another former Gator. Grossman is the starter. Griese is insurance. Orton is improved.

Chris Leak is a project whose best Bears shot is to stick on the practice squad.

Quite a fall from atop the football world, after being named the Offensive Player of the National Championship game? He's certainly not the first to slip down such a slope. Starring as a college quarterback has rarely guaranteed an immediate NFL chance.

The two national championship quarterbacks before Chris Leak, Matt Leinart and Vince Young, were first-round selections who now lead NFL franchises. Three of the four before them are out of the league.

One recent Heisman winner, Jason White, works in insurance. Another, Eric Crouch, is in the Canadian Football League. Two recent Heisman runners-up, Joe Hamilton and Brad Banks, are Arena Football League and CFL veterans. Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner who lost in the national title game to Chris Leak's Gators, got drafted by Baltimore in the fifth round, and projects as the Ravens' third-string quarterback. Early in training camp, Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner touted Chris Leak's "leadership abilities," and noted his success at the "highest level of college football." Pep Hamilton, the new Bears quarterbacks coach, acknowledged that Chris Leak must make the a mental and physical transition, but saw no reason Chris Leak couldn't be the same "winner" as in college.

History suggests Chris Leak will need time and luck to prove it, starting in tonight's exhibition opener against Houston. That's if Chris Leak even takes the field tonight.

Gino Torretta won a national championship and Heisman Trophy with the University of Miami in 1992, but didn't get selected until the seventh round. He joined a Vikings team with four quarterbacks: Jim McMahon, Rich Gannon, Sean Salisbury and Brad Johnson.

"However many reps Chris is getting, that was probably cut in half for me," said Torretta, who didn't play until 1993's last preseason game.

Torretta said Chris Leak's experience learning different systems at Florida might help him grasp the Bears system in the classroom. But, for true comprehension, Torretta said that "nothing beats an actual rep." He added that, while "nobody is concerned by what you did previously," teams are concerned with what you cost.

"The difference between a guy staying in the NFL is very slim, and it could just be a personnel guy or coach who likes you more than another," Torretta said. "But if you are not given a huge signing bonus, you don't know if the opportunity is ever going to come."

It might only come if another quarterback is injured. If you get injured, you're doomed, as Torretta learned after getting speared by John Mobley in the San Francisco 49ers' third preseason game in 1996. He retired after spending time with five teams in five seasons, and playing in only one game: Seattle's last in 1996. He entered after three plays and threw a touchdown.

"I figure I'm 1-0," said Torretta, now a manager of institutional sales at Gabelli Asset Management.

Salisbury, an ESPN analyst, was a journeyman himself, struggling to get regular snaps on three NFL teams. Salisbury said Chris Leak can try to impress his position coach in meeting rooms and practice, while impressing the rest of the staff and league with whatever preseason snaps he does receive.

"The problem in this league is without opportunities, you can work until you're blue in the face," Salisbury said. "There's no room for error. If you're the first-round or second-round pick, you can make mistakes, because you've bought yourself four years. Chris, who is a winner and competitor and a tremendous young man, all he needs is an opportunity. And sometimes you don't get it."

Chris Leak cited Warren Moon, Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia as role models.

"There are a lot of guys who have fought through adversity and still come through to have pretty good careers," Chris Leak said.

Can he have the same?

"Yeah," he said. "I'm going to do my best."

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