Heavin’ Steven to the rescue

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/10/2010 (5810 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a game filled with second chances, Steven Jyles made the most of his.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback — benched earlier in the week for his inability to lead his club in the fourth quarter and win football games — did exactly what he was passed over for in the 47-35 overtime victory over the B.C. Lions at Canad Inns Stadium Monday afternoon. With the Bombers down 25-11 and struggling offensively, the 28-year-old replaced rookie Alex Brink with five minutes to go in the third quarter and led the Blue and Gold to just their fourth win of the season.

“My main focus was just get us back in the ball game, where we compete at the end,” said Jyles, whose eight-play, 99-yard drive (capped off by a TD pass to Greg Carr with less than a minute left in regulation) put the Bombers in position to tie the score with a late field goal, and set the table for the OT heroics. “I feel great about it — we won.”

Don’t pencil in Jyles for the next start, however. According to head coach Paul LaPolice, everyone — including Jyles, Brink, and possibly even third-stringer Joey Elliott — will be evaluated at practice this week. LaPolice was low-key when discussing his quarterback situation, and wouldn’t say Jyles would start against Montreal next Sunday.

“He did a good job, put us (in position),” he said about Jyles. “Everyone was able to step up and make plays. I evaluate everything… we’ll talk in two days.”

For Jyles, who was 11-of-19 for 211 yards and two touchdowns, it was more than a comeback.

Being replaced by Brink earlier in the week did not sit well with the first-year Bombers pivot and while his numbers were very good overall, his detractors are quick to point out that his 2-6 record as a starter overshadows any statistics he’s managed to put up.

“Really, it was shocking to me,” Jyles said of his benching. “I thought I was playing well. They (coaches) made a decision and I had to live with it. I was disappointed, for sure.”

Now wearing that disappointment is Brink, who struggled with four completions on 18 attempts and just 61 yards passing.

“Personally, it’s frustrating,” he said. “I felt I was comfortable, I felt good like I was seeing things and just missing throws. That’s all on me. Usually I’m pretty accurate… I don’t know what it was.”

The one thing that caught Brink off guard, he said, was the LIons game plan. He expected a full pressure cooker back in the pocket, with blitzes and stunts thrown at him to shake his confidence. Instead, the Leos just sat back and allowed the Washington State product to try and make the throws.

Brink couldn’t answer, though, driving many of his passes into the turf just short of the target.

Another thing that caught the 25-year-old off guard: The crowd.

No way to sugarcoat it — most of the 25,016 on hand were not pleased with what they were seeing from Brink and the Bomber offence through the first 40 minutes of the game, going so far as to ‘boo’ when Brink’s No. 7 would run out to start an offensive series.

Brink didn’t shy away from it afterwards. He heard every person.

“Yeah, I heard ’em,” he said. “That’s a tough situation to be in for a player.”

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca