Get your wallet out, Jyles
You owe big-play Bombers defence a beer
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/07/2010 (5552 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Steven JYLES could have turned out to be Urkel rather than George Clooney, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence wasn’t interested in taking any chances.
It turns out the backup QB was somewhere in the middle — not quite James Bond, but a lot higher in the gene pool than Martin of The Simpsons.
No matter — the Bombers defence amped up its game and made sure victory didn’t slip into the night like so many ill-thrown passes.
Winnipeg’s defence was close to perfect in the first half, even chipping in a touchdown to give Jyles a cosy 23-7 lead. When the visiting Edmonton Eskimos showed a little life in the second half, the Blue D slapped them down with a snarl.
The final score read 47-21 and Jyles had an OK line, but make no mistake — this win opened and closed with the work on the dirty side of the ball.
From stoic Doug Brown (the veteran prefers to saunter back to the huddle rather than join in silly dances after a sack) to the opportunistic Moton Hopkins, this defence was on the hunt all night.
List them off: Jovon Johnson, Ike Charlton, Clint Kent, Lavar Glover and Brandon Stewart were all nails as they flew around with purpose and made big plays when given the chance.
Talk is cheap in football and the Bombers defence was all about action in this game.
Hopkins scooped up an interception in the first quarter and thundered 36 yards for the game’s first score. Winnipeg’s defence did what offensive lineman Brendon LaBatte had called for this week by punching the Eskimos in the mouth rather than waiting to get hit first.
No sir, the Bombers defence just wasn’t taking any chances in a game against a winless Eskimos group.
It’s always smart to wear a seatbelt when riding in a car, but most of us will admit to being a little more vigilant about strapping on the harness when riding with a fresh driver.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence said all the right things in terms of having confidence in Jyles this week.
But most likely he looked to them like a kid slipping behind the wheel after his first session of Mrs. Churchlady’s drivers’ ed class.
So rather than ride around all night fingering rosary beads, the Bombers defence took matters into their own hands. Why wait for bad things to happen when a little vigilante justice can be effective?
Punch, kick, tackle, steal and wallop.
Quarterback? What quarterback?
This defence had winning in mind and wasn’t about to let some guy they’re not allowed to hit in practice make the decision.
They did it for him.
So nice work, Mr. Jyles. You got yourself a win. Now walk over to the defensive end of the room and offer to buy those guys a beer.
They earned it.
gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca
