Bombers come up a Buck short — QB on the shelf

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This article was published 19/07/2010 (5917 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE speculation is over and now the second-guessing starts.

After nearly 48 hours of wondering about Buck Pierce’s health, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers announced the starting quarterback has a sprained right knee and will sit out Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Eskimos at Canad Inns Stadium.

"And then we’ll make decisions as we go," Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice said Sunday, hedging on whether Pierce would be available for the Calgary game at the end of the month.

With Pierce on the sidelines, the offence now rests in the hands of backup Steven Jyles, who was mildly effective (9-for-13 for 95 yards and a touchdown) in Friday’s 28-7 Hamilton loss. After two years in Saskatchewan, the 27-year-old came to Winnipeg this past off-season, looking for a chance to be a CFL regular. The Louisiana native gets that opportunity Saturday, when Winnipeg (1-2) hosts the winless Eskimos (0-3) at 5:30 p.m.

It will be Jyles’ second CFL start in this, his fifth season. In his first (Oct. 25, 2008 in Regina), he went 7-of-13 for 99 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, and was yanked at halftime.

LaPolice was with Jyles in Rider green back then and is a big fan of what the player brings to the table. He feels the 6-foot, 207-pound pivot should quell any of the chatter that usually resonates in a football fan base after the starting quarterback goes down.

It’s a tough sell for LaPolice, as this might be one of those rare times when a Bombers starting QB is more popular than the backup.

"We have to surround him with good situations," the coach said, already trying to take some of the pressure off of Jyles. "No quarterback does it by himself — we all have to play well."

Pierce went down late in the third quarter Friday night and the early hand-wringing from the Bombers after the game suggested a long-term injury — a scenario that would have been a disaster considering the gamble LaPolice and general manager Joe Mack knew they was taking when they signed the 28-year-old Pierce in April.

When Pierce is upright, the New Mexico State product is not only one of the better quarterbacks in the CFL — he might be one of the toughest. He plays the game one way, a headstrong, all-out approach that endears him to the masses.

His numbers in three games with the Blue and Gold: 52-of-79 for 774 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. On the ground, he’s rushed for 192 yards and two TDs.

But as every CFL follower knows, Pierce’s abilities have been offset against his health and his inability to stay out of the trainer’s room. In his last 24 starts, he has left the game with an injury eight times.

Some folks will wonder why the club brought in Pierce at all, knowing a full season from the oft-injured QB would be wishful thinking. That’s the nature of the beast, though, a popular second-guess that comes with the territory.

These days, the struggling Bombers, losers of two straight, have bigger concerns: Like prepping for a game against an Eskimos club that LaPolice calls "the best 0-3 team" he’s seen in a long time. And they’ll have to do it without Pierce.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca