Beleaguered Bombers approaching the Brink

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/10/2010 (5517 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

STEVEN Jyles still sports the second-best QB efficiency rating in the CFL, but the statistic lacking most from his resumé is the one every coach covets:

Wins.

And that, in part, is why Winnipeg Blue Bomber head coach Paul LaPolice and his coaching staff may be contemplating starting Alex Brink at quarterback in the Thanksgiving Monday home date against the B.C. Lions.

Asked specifically if he was tempted to take an extended look at Brink in game action, LaPolice said:

“In some ways, yeah. We sat down with the quarterbacks today and we’ll talk it through. But we’ll make decisions as a couple days go on. We’ll see.”

Jyles put up decent numbers again in Saturday’s 16-14 loss to the B.C. Lions — he was 21 of 37 for 258 yards with a touchdown and one interception — but the pick led to the Leos’ only touchdown of the game and his fumble in the second quarter took the Bombers out of field-goal range.

Countering that is twice in the fourth quarter Jyles drove the Bombers into Lions’ territory but, as LaPolice pointed out, the offence stalled as Justin Palardy missed a 29-yard field goal and then Greg Carr dropped a ball inside the B.C. 20-yard line that forced the club to settle for a 26-yard field goal.

“He put us in position in the fourth quarter,” said LaPolice. “Now, if we miss that throw to Terrence Edwards (a 32-yard gain in the fourth) I might have gone to Alex because we had to do something. We held a team to 16 points… we have to score more points, fair or unfair. We have to find a way to be better.”

Jyles is now 2-6 as the starter this year and while Brink — the former Washington State star — is unproven, management has been impressed with how quickly he has improved in practice.

And when LaPolice said post-game the team needs to evaluate every position to find more difference makers, he was obviously including the starting QB.

“(Jyles) has had a lot of opportunities to lead us to wins and I know a lot of it falls on the quarterback,” LaPolice said. “Unfair or not, that’s what happens: A lot of times how an offence goes is how a quarterback goes. We’ve struggled in that aspect at times and we’ve struggled in our ball security at times. If we had zero turnovers in that game I’ve got to think we win that football game. He’s struggled at times with that process.”

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MORE RECRUITS EN ROUTE: CFL teams can expand their practice rosters from seven to 12 for the next 30 days, ending on Nov. 4. LaPolice said GM Joe Mack has a couple new bodies signed that the team will take a look at beginning this week.

GO PINK THIS WEEKEND: Bomber players will be practising with pink gloves this week in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month with the gloves to be then autographed and auctioned on bluebombers.com with all proceeds going to the ‘Keeping Abreast Fund.’

BLUE NOTES: LaPolice confirmed Monday that DB James Green, who has been dandy on kick coverage, will likely be lost for the season with a torn biceps muscle. DE Deji Oduwole (back) should be back to work this week… The CFL has announced that its trade deadline is Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 3 p.m CT… Even with a couple of drops, the Bombers love the upside of new receiver Greg Carr and so it’s unlikely he’ll come out of the lineup. “He does add a big target who can catch the ball and he does have some escapability for a big, lumbering guy,” said LaPolice. “The last two games he’s helped us in that area and we think that’s been an upgrade.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

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