BRUNELL'S UNDERSTUDY; USC GRAD ROB JOHNSON AWAITS HIS TURN.

Byline: Associated Press 

When he was a kid and found himself stuck in line, Rob Johnson and his father used to kill time by flicking quarters at a wall to see who could get it closer.

What he wouldn't do for a few quarters now.

Johnson is the backup quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars - always one play away from taking over the offense.

But as he found out last year, playing second fiddle to Mark Brunell can mean not getting to play at all.

``I'm the guy who didn't take a single snap last year,'' Johnson said with a shrug. ``That's what everyone says. What can I do about it?''

Blame Brunell, who was so determined to play injury-free last year that he became the only starting quarterback to go the entire season without missing a snap.

``Mark was tough,'' Johnson said. ``I'm sure there were a lot of injuries he had where other guys would have sat out.''

Johnson probably wouldn't have minded. The closest he came to playing was against Pittsburgh, where Brunell hobbled off the field after getting slammed into the artificial turf in the fourth quarter.

Johnson actually put on his helmet and warmed up that day.

``That would be the only game I thought I might play in,'' Johnson said. ``But Mark went the whole way. I guess it wasn't that big of a deal.''

When the Jaguars open their exhibition season Sunday against Carolina, Johnson will get his first action since, well, the practice games last year, which must seem like forever ago.

Johnson looked so good last summer that he was the league's third-highest rated passer in the exhibiton season. Local media even wondered aloud if a quarterback controversy could be in the works should Brunell, in his first full season as a starter, begin to struggle.

Brunell wound up leading the NFL with 4,367 yards passing and taking the Jaguars to the AFC championship game. Johnson wound up doing a lot of watching.

``I would like to play more, even be a starter,'' Johnson said. ``But that's not my situation right here and right now.''

Jacksonville thought it was getting a steal when Johnson, who set three major passing records at USC, was available in the fourth round of the 1995 draft.

Now, the Jaguars aren't really sure what they have.

In two years, Johnson has played in only one regular-season game - a 44-0 loss at Detroit. He came in with 3:57 left in the third quarter and was 3 of 7 for 24 yards and one interception.

``That's pretty much mopping it up,'' he said.

Despite Johnson's lack of game experience, coach Tom Coughlin feels comfortable with him as the backup.

He compares Johnson to Jeff Hostetler, who finally got his chance when Phil Simms got hurt and led the New York Giants to victory in the 1991 Super Bowl.

``Those kind of people, when they're backups, they are very critical of themselves and very critical of those around them,'' Coughlin said. ``It doesn't make any difference if it's on the scout squad or the first-team offense. When they have an opportunity, they want to do well. This is the time they can really develop their game.''

This might be the only time Johnson gets to develop and the Jaguars want to know they have someone capable of leading the team.

It's also important for Johnson, who is in the final season of his three-year contract. He'll probably be looking for a new team next year, assuming other teams even know who he is.

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Photo: USC alum Rob Johnson won't be a starting QB until he leaves Jacksonville.

Daily News File Photo