Bombers, Eskimos both have a lot to prove

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/07/2012 (4833 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — It’s only the third game of the season but the stakes are high for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos when the two clubs tangle at Commonwealth Stadium Friday night.

Winnipeg (0-2) comes into the game looking for its first win of the season, after two straight losses on this season-high four-game road trip to open the 2012 schedule. Edmonton, meanwhile, is hopeful its offence can bounce back after a disastrous showing last week in Regina, when quarterbacks Steven Jyles and Kerry Joseph could only muster 137 yards in a 17-1 loss to Saskatchewan.

Winnipeg wants to avoid going oh-for-three; Edmonton (1-1) faces the next two games on the road. We’re still in the first month of the season, true, but neither club is interested in falling deeper behind in their respective divisions.

“In a league with eight teams, the talent is comparable, yeah, we’re certainly interested in getting a win to get on the right track,” Bombers head coach Paul LaPolice said Thursday. “And they’re coming off a loss (where) they want to prove they’re a better football team. So we have to be focused to play a game on the road against a pretty good football team.”

While the Bombers appeared to sort out some of their issues on offence last week, the same cannot be said for the home team. Edmonton has scored a league-low 20 points in the first two games and Steven Jyles is taking the brunt of the heat from both the fans and media. The temperature on Jyles, the former Winnipeg quarterback, increased this week after Eskimos GM Eric Tillman told an Edmonton radio station Tuesday that if he had a chance to go back in time, he would think twice before making the move that traded longtime starter Ricky Ray to Toronto for Jyles.

To his credit, Jyles took the comments in stride Thursday.

“It’s always easier to stay status quo,” he said, telling reporters he wasn’t taking Tillman’s comments personally. “A change shakes things up and at times it can get scary, but we just have to persevere through everything. To say we performed badly at the quarterback position, I couldn’t say so.”

Jyles is 31-of-55 for 327 yards with no touchdown passes and one interception this season — numbers that compare to Bombers starting quarterback Buck Pierce (21-of-35 for 266 yards, one TD, one interception). Jyles get the start again for Edmonton Friday, but he’ll be without the services of Adarius Bowman, who suffered a knee injury against the Riders last week.

Winnipeg is also feeling the pinch injury-wise. The team will be without the services of defensive back Alex Suber, linebacker Brandon Stewart and running back Anthony Woodson. All three players were injured in the 41-30 loss in Montreal last week and have been put on the one-game injured list. Running back Chad Simpson, who has yet to play this season, has also been added to the one-game. Another notable injury transaction saw defensive end Kenny Mainor put on the nine-game injury list.

Additions to the roster include defensive backs Darrell Pasco and Jeremy McGee, along with fullback Jordan Matechuk and running back Nathan Riva. Both Pasco and Riva are expected to be on the 42-man roster at kickoff (8 p.m., TSN, CJOB).