SF Chronicle: O'Callaghan Injured

Bears lineman O'Callaghan has received his share of breaks
Tackle hasn't felt fully healthy since he arrived at Cal
Bruce Adams, Chronicle Staff Writer
When Ryan O'Callaghan and Joe Ayoob ran into each other at Memorial Stadium on Sunday, the tackle had something to show the quarterback. O'Callaghan took the protective wrapping of his right wrist and pointed to a crease that could be seen running through his wrist bone. "Are you kidding me?" Ayoob said. "How'd you do that?" O'Callaghan had broken his right wrist on the seventh play of Saturday's loss to UCLA. He taped it and played the rest of the game, without Ayoob suspecting a thing. At least Ayoob was sympathetic. Guard Aaron Merz, O'Cal- laghan's linemate and roommate, simply laughed when he heard the news during the game. "We're pretty sarcastic," O'Callaghan said. Merz's reaction was typical of the offensive line, a group that considers itself the biggest and baddest on the team -- 300-pounders who should be eligible for a group discount on their offseason shoulder surgeries.
O'Callaghan is about to prove that toughness again. He'll play the rest of the season with a soft cast on the fracture, just as he did last year after he broke the same wrist in the first game of the season. "It's going to hurt like hell, but hey ..." O'Callaghan said. O'Callaghan said he hasn't felt fully healthy since he arrived at Cal as a freshman out of Enterprise High in Redding.
In addition to the two wrist breaks, he's had four shoulder surgeries -- three on the left and one on the right -- and surgery on a broken left hand his freshman year, with five screws implanted. He has not missed a game. It was simply asking too much of his wrist at UCLA when it had to endure the full burden of the biggest man on the field. "I fell on it," said O'Callaghan, who is currently listed at 348 pounds, down from the 360 pounds listed in the media guide and certainly south of the 380 he says he weighed when camp began. O'Callaghan says he never thinks about not playing -- except perhaps for a fleeting thought when he awakens sore in the morning. "It's part of the game and it's expected of us," he said. "You really have to enjoy games." Tackle Scott Smith said O'Callaghan acted as if nothing was amiss after the injury. "It was like 'OK, let's get back in the huddle,' " Smith said. "If it's serous enough to get off the field, he'll get off the field." Coach Jeff Tedford, in announcing the injury Tuesday, said, "It probably sounds worse than it is." O'Callaghan arched his eyebrows and made a "that's easy for him to say" smirk when that description was relayed to him later. The offensive line has had a series of injuries, which O'Callaghan allowed might contribute to a "wounded animal that's pissed" mentality. Merz and tackle Andrew Cameron missed two games with concussions. Cameron then was lost for the year with a torn ACL. Center Marvin Philip has missed time with a sprained ankle. Against UCLA, Philip aggravated a rib injury in the first half. He went to the locker room for treatment and started the second half. "It's amazing what 20 minutes will do for your body," O'Cal- laghan said. O'Callaghan was first-team All-Pac-10 last year and is a strong candidate for postseason honors this year. He also is certain -- barring more serious injury -- to play in the NFL, where he'll no doubt risk even more injuries. "I just hope I can play with my kids someday," he said.