UCLA Football: I Hope We Have Good Medical Insurance

Because UCLA's medical bill is going to be....uh...steep.We already know about the injuries to both Cowan and Olson. Olson decided to bite the bullet and have a screw inserted in his foot:

Craig Sheppard had reconstructive surgery on the AC joint of his left shoulder late last week. He will be sidelined four to six months.

It's too bad for Sheppard; he's had an injury-riddled career at UCLA, but from a depth perspective, this isn't terrible news. We actually have some pretty decent depth at the running back position, so it's not something I'm overly concerned about.

As for Olson, well....I'm still mystified as to how someone can break their foot while taking a step, but there you are:

Ben Olson underwent successful surgery on his right foot this afternoon. A screw was placed in his right fifth metatarsal. Expected recovery time is six to eight weeks.

As I've mentioned, we'll see if he's healthy enough in time for fall workouts, but I'm not expecting Olson to come out and wow anyone this fall. He's not a very good quarterback given our offensive line situation - Olson's release is mechanically slow. It's not that it's a bad release; it's just time-consuming, and if there's one luxury our quarterbacks are not going to have this season, it is time in the pocket.

There's always a possibility that Olson's tentative nature has been a result of confusion with the West Coast Offense - it certainly did him no favors - and that becoming more comfortable in a new offensive scheme will get rid of his perceived slow reaction time. I sure hope that happens, but again, I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for this to occur.

My best guess is still that Kevin Craft takes over as starting quarterback sometime this year. You don't bring in a JuCo transfer without the intention to play him. Whether Craft takes over because Olson's not ready to go at the start of the season or who struggles out of the gate, I don't know. But I would wager that is what occurs.

By the way, if Ben Olson turns out just fine and suddenly becomes Carson Palmer re-incarnate, I'd be more than happy with this outcome as well. I just don't think it's in the cards.