Sidelines
AT least Timmy Chang's wrist had the decency to wait a day before flaring up. At least it didn't have the audacity to impair him on the very day -- in this very space -- that I said that there was absolutely, positively, unequivocally NO QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY. No controversy? Don’t
believe it for a secondWell, we've got one now.
Because his wrist did act up. Badly enough, apparently, that Nick Rolovich is back on the backup roller coaster, back on the upswing in the range of emotions that come with being No. 2.
Now, it's important to understand that, no, there's still no official controversy, not in the mind of June Jones, the man who is judge and jury here, the man who makes all the decisions, the man who has said time and time and time again that Timmy is his No. 1.
But in the court of public opinion, however, we've got a big one. And if Rolo plays big today it goes out of control.
It's the most dreaded phrase to coaches in all of sport. (Besides "probation." Or "investigation." Or "a Dayton Daily News special report.")
The C word.
I can't even say it. I can't even type it. But there's no escaping it now, not after this last-second switch. And that is also why you can forget all your conspiracy theories. It really was the wrist. It really was a surprise. There is no way that Jones wants one of these. Jones' every move, his every utterance last week spoke to the fact that he was trying to stomp one out before it got started.
Now he's got this. Going back on his "100 percent" pledge. The day before the game. This complicates everything, off the field if not on. No, this isn't what Jones wants.
What Jones wants is for Chang to be healthy, so he can stick with his best guy. But apparently, that isn't happening. Timmy is simply like a lot of other guys on this team (and we don't have enough space here to list them all) -- he gets hurt. He stays hurt. It's nothing new. I wrote this before in the Some Guys Just Get Hurt column -- it's not always about toughness. It's about body parts breaking, it's about body parts healing.
UH has a lot of guys who get hurt, and then take a long time to heal. Chang is just the most recent, most famous example.
Jones can't be happy. No, not at all. If you've heard him speak more than a few times, you've heard at least three stories about his playing with a concussion. Why? Because Jones was a starting quarterback and he was a backup quarterback. And he either wanted the job or he wasn't giving that job up.
Notice how a quarterback, uh, "situation" can heal injuries faster? Rolo's season-ending finger fracture? Cured. Timmy's season-ending wrist injury? Two weeks. Timmy tried. He tried to come back early, tried to come back for the team, tried to come back for his job. Too early, it seems. The body said no.
That's got to be frustrating for Jones, the man, in case you haven't noticed, who makes injuries go away by simply ignoring them.
Chang can't do that. And it's a testament to his talent that Jones sticks with him anyway.
And if UH wins with Rolo again, Jones has a big decision to make. Today he has a big decision to make. If Chang wakes up and says, "Coach, I'm ready," what does Jones do? Would you be surprised, now, to see either one start today? Next week?
We've got one now. He's got one now.
Jones' comfort is Rolo. Rolo is ready. He's relaxed. He's playing with house money. If he had any stress, any apprehension about his yo-yo, on-the-edge existence, he worked it out the first time around. Now, of the two quarterbacks, it is Rolo who has nothing to lose.
"It's just your chance," he said Tuesday. "You gotta ... you gotta be excited for it. You're not excited for then, then maybe this isn't the game to be playing."
A lot rides on him today, in more ways than one. This week, Jones' decision was simple. Next week, it could get a whole lot harder.
Kalani Simpson's column runs Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
He can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com