His mind’s in motion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/07/2010 (5543 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — Four quarters does not a career make, nor does it really give anyone a true feel for a quarterback’s ability to consistently lead an offence up and down the field.

So Steven Jyles, the five-year CFL veteran pivot with all of two career starts under his belt, knows as well as anyone that Winnipeg Blue Bombers fanatics should hold off on the hallelujahs for a spell.

Might be wise to back off, too, on getting his likeness done up for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

But this thing about getting to take the first snap in place of Buck Pierce, seeing a game plan built around his strengths, then staring back at the men in the huddle and knowing they believe… Heck, Jyles could surely get used to all that.

"What’s cool now about making another start is my mind is working on how I’m going execute things against certain defences," Jyles said after the Bombers’ walk-through practice at McMahon Stadium on Friday.

"If your strength is making quick throws like Anthony Calvillo, then you think, ‘This is what I want to lean toward.’ If your strength is like Casey Printers’ scrambling, then you know, ‘OK, on this play if I decide to scramble, I’ve got this throw backside.’

"Watching myself on film, seeing the things I did well and seeing the mistakes I made… you learn from that. Now I can take that and say. ‘OK, this is what I’m going to do differently next time.’ There’s strengths I know I have now, things I can pull out. Now I know what extra I can do on the field."

The scouting report on Jyles, understandably, is still quite thin. But what he has hammered home since his arrival in Winnipeg — and especially during the last couple of weeks — is he is certainly prepared to take the next step in his evolution.

There’s a quiet confidence that emanates from the 27-year-old, a sense that he truly believes his time has arrived.

Oh sure, he made a few mistakes in last week’s win over Edmonton and would kill to pull back a couple throws.

But the only thing that appears to have really tripped him up in the last little while was a question during Friday’s briefing with the media. Asked about how banged up the Bombers were, Jyles thought for a moment.

"I really don’t know. We have a couple guys… I know Buck’s hurt," he said with a chuckle. "But it’s no big concern. We wish those guys were out here on the field with us, but we have some other guys who can step in and make plays as well."

Jyles, of course, being front and centre among them.

So these are the living-in-the-moment days for the Bombers’ starting quarterback.

His game-day routine won’t change today: abs-and-pushups workout in the morning, followed by some breakfast, a glance at the newspaper, some last-minute game-plan cramming and then a playlist of his favourite R&B, rap and rock tunes en route to the stadium.

The rest? He’ll do his thing and let his bosses decide after that.

"That’s my main concern — just to win," he said with a shrug.

"I’m not really concerned about who’s going to start after this, or if Buck comes back, or what. I’m not worried about that. The coaches will make their decision on their own.

"What I like is the guys know now that we have another quarterback. What happened against Edmonton is (that) now the guys know they have another guy they can depend on. That’s important for me and for the team."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

bomber game day d4

McMauled Stadium?

The Bombers have dropped seven straight at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium, dating back to October of 2002. McMahon is the second-toughest place for the Bombers to win, historically, after Montreal’s Molson Stadium.

Here’s a look at the Bombers road record at the various venues over the years:

Site City Years W L T Pct

Lansdowne Park Ottawa 1961-2006 20 15 0 .571

Empire Stadium Vancouver 1954-82 26 20 0 .565

Olympic Stadium Montreal 1961-86 8 6 2 .563

Mewata Stadium Calgary 1945-59 16 14 0 .533

Taylor Field Regina 1936-2009 52 56 3 .482

Ivor Wynne Stadium Hamilton 1961-2010 22 25 0 .468

Clarke Stadium Edmonton 1949-77 23 29 2 .444

Exhibition Stadium Toronto 1961-88 7 11 1 .395

B.C. Place Vancouver 1983-2009 10 20 0 .333

Rogers Centre Toronto 1989-2009 8 20 1 .293

Commonwealth Edmonton 1978-2009 9 24 0 .273

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McMahon Stadium Calgary 1960-2009 16 45 0 .262

Molson Stadium Montreal 1996-2009 4 16 0 .200

(Other, including U.S. sites: 11-7-0; .611)

(Source: Bomber statistician Steve Daniel)