Blue answer doubters

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/07/2010 (5551 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Back away from the panic button, naysayers. And, please, steer clear of the "In Case of Emergency, Please Break Glass" box.

The work in progress that is the 2010 Winnipeg Blue Bombers showed us something Saturday night.

And it was almost all good.

Bombers 47 Eskimos 21

Working with a backup quarterback at the helm in Steven Jyles, minus three defensive starters and trying to stop the bleeding from a two-game losing streak, the Bombers delivered a convincing 47-21 smackdown of the Edmonton Eskimos in front of 26,041 at Canad Inns Stadium that answered many doubts about a squad still very much in its infancy.

Yes, it’s still only July, but their 2-2 record not only keeps the Bombers from falling behind in the East Division — Montreal and Toronto are 3-1, the Ticats 1-3 — but is far more tasty than the 0-4 hellhole the Eskimos have tumbled into to start their campaign.

"I told the men I was proud of their effort," said head coach Paul LaPolice. "We overcame some adversity. We had some guys banged up, Steven was in his second start… so hats off to those guys."

The Bombers, prone to hitting the snooze button and sleeping through first quarters this year, were alert from the opening kickoff Saturday, building a 23-zip lead with a pressure-heavy defence that had three sacks in Edmonton’s first three possessions, scored a TD on a Moton Hopkins interception return and limited the Esks’ to minus-one yards total offence in the first 15 minutes.

"If you believe and trust in your teammates, you can see what you come out with," said defensive end Odell Willis. "We said we wanted to come out fast and do what we can do. When we execute our game plan you see what we can get: results.

"We’re happy with the win, don’t get me wrong. But we’ve got 14 more games left. This was just a win to get us going and get the ball rolling."

The victory was critical not only because the Bombers head out on the road for four of their next five — beginning next week in Calgary — but because it provided hope that Jyles can morph into a productive quarterback with starter Buck Pierce in the sick bay. Jyles ran for two scores and threw for another to Terence Jeffers-Harris in a solid performance. The Bombers also got TDs from Fred Reid and from Jovon Johnson on an 83-yard punt return.

But the magnifying glass was squarely on Jyles and, upon close examination, it looks like the 27-year-old from Louisiana has got some game.

"I was a LOT more relaxed going into this game than I was in my first start," said Jyles, who last took the first snap from centre in October 2008. "Today I felt pretty good. I got a feel for the guys after camp and a couple of weeks in the season. I was ready to go.

"It feels great."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca