Blue QB refuses to dwell on past; onward and upward he declares

By: Adam Wazny Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Monday, Sep. 27, 2010

CHANNELLING his inner Mark McGwire, Steven Jyles wasn't interested in talking about the past.

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CHANNELLING his inner Mark McGwire, Steven Jyles wasn't interested in talking about the past.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/09/2010 (5524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CHANNELLING his inner Mark McGwire, Steven Jyles wasn’t interested in talking about the past.

Minutes after a soul-crushing 44-40 defeat at the hands of the Montreal Alouettes at Canad Inns Stadium Friday night — a game Winnipeg let slip away due to a lack of answers on defence and questionable calls from the men in stripes — the Blue Bombers quarterback was prophetic in his answers regarding the rest of the season. Jyles wasn’t too keen on discussing referee larceny or league injustice, instead choosing to focus on the horizon, looking at a difficult trek to the post-season for the Blue and Gold.

“There’s nothing you can do about that now; that’s in the past and you have to move on,” he said. “Are we frustrated? Yes. But we know we’re close. We moved the ball well (Friday) and we should have won that game, but it’s over now. I truly believe we’re on the right path… we have to look ahead to next week.”

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Steven Jyles wasn't interested in talking about the past after loss to Montreal on Friday. — TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Steven Jyles wasn't interested in talking about the past after loss to Montreal on Friday.

That road ahead, that next week Jyles looks forward to, became a little more daunting thanks to a pair of upsets in CFL action over the weekend.

On Saturday, the B.C. Lions — the West Division club the Bombers hope to surpass in the playoff crossover at the end of the regular-season schedule — rolled into Calgary and thumped the Stampeders 29-10. That piece of bad news (for the Bombers) was followed up by the sad-sack Edmonton Eskimos drowning the Toronto Argonauts 24-6 in Moncton Sunday afternoon.

What does it all mean for the Bomb Squad? The debris scatters this way:

— The records: Winnipeg (3-9) is now a game behind B.C. (4-8) for the final playoff spot. With just six games left on the schedule, the Bombers have to finish ahead of the Lions to claim that crossover bid. Toronto and Hamilton (both 6-6) are six points up on the Bombers. They hold the tie-breaker advantages over Winnipeg in the East, so the Lions remain the closest target for River City.

— The season: For the Bombers, it basically boils down to the home-and-home series with the Lions, which starts in Vancouver Saturday and wraps up Thanksgiving Day in Winnipeg. A split does nothing for the Blue and Gold.

— The schedules: After B.C., Winnipeg travels to Montreal (Oct. 17); has Toronto at home (Oct. 23); Edmonton away (Oct. 30) and a home date against Calgary (Nov. 5). The Lions have Edmonton at home (Oct. 16); at Calgary (Oct. 22); home to Saskatchewan (Oct. 31); and finishes in Hamilton (Nov. 6).

— The shocker: Also clinging to the same playoff life preserver as the Bombers is Edmonton (3-9). Given their miserable showings at times this year, it’s hard to imagine the Eskimos in the exact same position as the Bombers. Besides Winnipeg and B.C., Edmonton has two games with the Roughriders and a pair with the Tiger-Cats left on its schedule.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca