The quarterback question

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/11/2010 (5685 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Here we go (again) Bombers, here we go (again).

The biggest question mark heading into the off-season for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is actually a repeat of the same question heading into the season: Can the club find stability at the quarterback position with a player who seemingly can’t stay on the field and a guy who hasn’t progressed as fast as some would like?

We’re going to find out.

With Buck Pierce and Steven Jyles — not to mention rookies Joey Elliott and Alex Brink — all under contract for next season, the Bombers appear to be set at pivot for the 2011 training camp. And despite the uncertainly that surrounds both the health and long-term upside to bringing the two back to compete for the job, the club feels there is little option to try another course at this point.

Another young free-agent option? Doubtful.

A trade for an expensive veteran? Unlikely.

“No one guy stood up and took the position but the thing is, we think there’s some talent at the position,” Bombers coach Paul LaPolice told reporters Saturday, a day after dropping a 35-32 decision to the Calgary Stampeders.

“It would be a much easier scenario if a guy played 18 games and was ‘the guy.'”

Jyles figured to be ‘the guy’ once Pierce went down in Week 10 — the third and final time he had to leave a game with an injury — but the 28-year-old never really took advantage of the opportunity.

Even with solid numbers for a first-year starter (19 touchdowns, seven interceptions), Jyles never really grabbed the reins of the offence (he fumbled eight times), and a shoulder injury in the Oct. 23 game eventually ended his season.

With Pierce, who is staying in Winnipeg this winter, the concern with his health is at the broken-record stage — as in his breaking down is directly tied to the club’s win/loss record. The continuous loop of worry regarding injury with the guy is impossible to ignore and for a team looking for security at the position, the red flags are in full view.

Pierce says his dislocated elbow is healing ahead of schedule and getting back on the field is his No. 1 priority. He talked of how the Bombers have shown faith in him and how he wants nothing more than to return the favour on the field.

“You look back and the injury was unfortunate,” said Pierce, who saw action in just five games this season.

“Obviously, I provide a lot of leadership and competitiveness out there on the football field in what I bring. I want to be a part of that more than anything and I’m going to do everything in my power to be that guy (who) they need. And I think that’s what they do need.

“That’s the main thing on my mind — giving them a product that produces,” Pierce added.

“That’s all that’s on my mind right now… be the guy that they need me to be. Don’t do it for myself, but do it for this organization.

“They know what I provide for them.”

True, the Bombers do know what Pierce brings to the table. That’s not the issue.

The issue is one of instability at the position, and how it can ultimately lead to a four-win season.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca