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Liam Richards / THE CANADIAN PRESS archives Eskimos quarterback Steven Jyles has hardly won the confidence of Edmonton fans, or his general manager. (CP)

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EDMONTON - Five things to keep an eye on as the winless Bombers take on the Eskimos tonight:

1. The Jyles drama

Steven Jyles sure likes to keep things interesting, doesn't he?

The athletic Eskimos quarterback returns to the frying pan after a miserable showing in Saskatchewan, where he completed just 10 passes for 91 yards and was yanked twice by head coach Kavis Reed in the process. The naysayers in Edmonton are at his door already, with even GM Eric Tillman getting in on the action.

Earlier this week, days after defending Jyles, Tillman told local radio station 630 CHED that if he could go back in time and re-visit the trade that sent Ricky Ray to Toronto, he might not make the same deal.

"Honestly, I would probably not," Tillman said. "I would have listened to my wife, who begged me not to make the trade because she talked about the fact that we had just gone 11-7 (in 2011), that we could actually have an off-season where I might be semi-popular in Edmonton for a change, and to stay status quo."

Tillman later backed off his comments, but it might not matter to the masses anymore. Even if he plays well and leads the Eskimos to victory, Edmonton is starting to realize that with Jyles at quarterback, this season -- like Toronto's in 2011 and Winnipeg's in 2010 -- will be an exercise in frustration.

2. Choose and pick

The Bombers and Eskimos led the league in the turnover ratio category last season, with Winnipeg a plus-12 and Edmonton a plus-16. Along those lines, the Bombers' defence pulled down a CFL-best 25 interceptions, with Edmonton just one off that pace.

This year, the defences have struggled to create turnovers.

Winnipeg has only one interception in two games (a pick by Jonathan Hefney against the Lions), while Edmonton has yet to get on the board. With the lowest-rated starters in the CFL slinging balls in this one (Buck Pierce and Jyles), look for both defences to jump receiving routes when they can.

3. D-line dominance

Winnipeg's offensive line fared quite well against Montreal, giving Pierce a chance to find receivers without the worry of having a 300-pound lineman crashing down on him.

The test at the line of scrimmage will be a lot heavier at Commonwealth Stadium.

The Eskimos boast one of the best defensive lines in the country. They have seven sacks (two off the league leaders from Saskatchewan) and more importantly are spreading the QB brutality around. Five different players have at least a sack, starting with tackle Almondo Sewell, who has three.

Gee, you think Don Oramasionwu, the Winnipeg native and former Bomber tackle, might be motivated to get his name on the stats sheet in this one?

4. Run game

Winnipeg has run the ball a total of 28 times for 152 yards and one TD. Edmonton has rushed a whopping 32 times for 131 yards and one major.

A closer look at these ground games reveals just how disappointing they've been through the first two games. Bloi-Dei Dorzon, the Bombers' starting tailback, has carried the ball 12 times for 56 yards. Edmonton's feature back, Hugh Charles, has seen the ball a lot more (21 carries for 88 yards), but he hasn't been effective, either.

You're still allowed to run the ball in the CFL, right?

5. Fast start

The Bombers have been outscored 21-3 in the first quarter through the first two weeks.

These sleepy beginnings are starting to grow a little tired. They've managed to wake up and make up some of the difference in the second quarter, but by then the team is playing catch-up the rest of the way.

This week, Winnipeg talked about spreading ball around on offence and extending drives. No one asked us, but getting off to a better start should also be a point of emphasis.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @wazoowazny

KEY MATCHUP

Burke Dales and Grant Shaw vs. Demond Washington

Given Edmonton's struggles with the ball, the Bombers like to think they have the advantage on offence, but consider the strong defensive play of the Eskimos through the first two weeks.

Suddenly, the playing field gets evened out, which sets the stage for the special teams.

Returner Demond Washington has grabbed all the headlines for Winnipeg through the early going. He's flipped the field -- or at the very least, given the Bombers offence a decent starting point -- with some of his runbacks, and Edmonton will be hard pressed to slow him down.

Their best weapon to combat the Bombers rookie: punter Burke Dales and place kicker Grant Shaw.

Dales, an eight-year veteran, remains one of the top legs in the country. His 46-yard average (34 yards net) is near the top of the CFL punting statistics. Look for him to angle his boots to the sidelines every chance he gets. Shaw, meanwhile, has crushed the ball on kickoffs. His 69-yard average is far and away the best in the league, and is 18 yards better than Bombers kicker Justin Palardy.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 13, 2012 C3