Miles of smiles on Mr. Jyles

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

There were slaps on the back, high fives from teammates and a media throng camped out in front of his locker inside a euphoric Winnipeg Blue Bombers clubhouse afterward.

Yes, Steven Jyles could get used to all this.

The Bomber QB, making just his second career start in place of Buck Pierce, was steady in leading Winnipeg to a convincing 47-21 win over the Edmonton Eskimos Saturday night. Most importantly for Jyles, who completed 14 of 22 passes for 267 yards with one TD and two interceptions while rushing for 63 yards and two more scores, he stepped up to do his part with an entire locker-room and Bomber Nation holding its collective breath.

"The whole week… I prepared harder, I studied more film, because I didn’t want to let the guys down," Jyles said. "We needed to get back to .500. We lost our starting quarterback and they had to depend on me. Like I told them earlier, there’s no excuses for me. I’m going to go out and give you my all, prepare my hardest and it will pay off when the game comes.

"But it’s like you’re addicted to (playing). When you finally get to play… every quarterback wants to play, but only one guy can be on the field at a time. I just wanted to go out and be productive. That was my biggest thing. Hopefully, somebody sees that I can lead a team and be a starter in the future. But right now I’m here as the No. 2 in Winnipeg and I just want to have a positive year this year."

Jyles followed head coach Paul LaPolice and offensive co-ordinator Jamie Barresi from Saskatchewan to Winnipeg as a free agent this winter with the starting QB chores dangled in front of him. But when Buck Pierce arrived and grabbed the gig early in camp, that opportunity was shelved. Temporarily, at least.

After Saturday’s game, Jyles was critical of throwing two picks, but there was obvious joy in his face.

"I’m not too happy — I mean, I’m happy with the victory, but I’m disappointed with my two interceptions," he said. "One, I didn’t see the guy and I can’t throw it where I can’t see. The other, Chris Thompson made a good break on it. I have to protect the ball more.

"But this is my fifth year and I’ve watched a lot of great guys. Watching those guys and learning from their mistakes helped me a lot. I didn’t have any pressure about starting. I knew I could play football; it was just a matter of getting out there and executing the offence."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca