UCLA Football: Should Josh Rosen play in the bowl game?

Despite all the news about Chip Kelly‘s hiring and the excitement created by imagining what could be with the current UCLA Football roster in his offensive system there’s another pressing issue. The health of the Bruins’ QB.

Josh Rosen may end up being a fantastic professional quarterback and there’s nothing that says he won’t. His college career will be looked at differently I’m sure of it. Those unfamiliar with the situation will look at the box score and say “He couldn’t stay healthy. He’s not tough.” They couldn’t be further from the truth.

However the fact remains that Rosen has been banged up this season and missed six games last year with a shoulder injury. The concerns about his shoulder were quickly put to rest after the A&M game but he was knocked out of the contest against Washington and missed the Utah game with a concussion this year. When he was able to return against Arizona State and USC Rosen showed no ill-effects from the injury and put on an amazing aerial display with WR Jordan Lasley.

Then last night happened. With 1:00 remaining in the first half, left tackle Kolton Miller turned OLB Alex Funches loose who in turn slammed Rosen to the turf. Rosen was seen later on the sideline slamming his helmet into the ground as the half came to an end and then went into the locker room with the team.

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He wouldn’t return with them.

It was the Devon Modster show for the rest of the game and even though the Bruins won behind Modster, seeing Rosen in street clothes on the sideline begs the question, “now that the Bruins are bowl eligible, should Rosen play?”.

Earlier this month Rosen said he would play in a bowl if the UCLA Football team became eligible. A recent trend of high profile players choosing to sit out bowl games to preserve their health for the NFL has rubbed a number of people the wrong way. Critics of those decisions have said it only hurts the team, the NFL itself will frown upon it or that it’s just selfish and shows a lack of competitive nature. However you might feel on the situation it was refreshing to see a player of Rosen’s caliber gladly accept this challenge.

We don’t know the extent or type of injury that Rosen suffered or if the coaching staff just didn’t feel comfortable putting him back into the game. What we do know is that head injuries are nothing to take lightly and at this point he might be better served sitting the game out and getting healthy for the NFL draft.

Yes we just said a paragraph ago that many criticize those who sit out but under these circumstances and knowing that head injuries cannot be repaired or relieved with surgery we have to at least raise the question, “Should Rosen sit out?”. We aren’t just talking about one game, he might be risking long term health if he comes back before he’s ready.

Modster who played well when pressed into action and then found his groove could be auditioning for a starting job next season when Kelly takes over. Might that also factor into a decision by the staff? We are a few weeks away from any bowl the Bruins might find themselves in but until then we will be wondering who will start under center and is it the right decision.