Jyles rattles; Burke knows it

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/07/2012 (4822 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ANYONE who has been watching game tape of the Edmonton Eskimos this season will have observed it has taken opposing defences very little effort to befuddle Eskimos starting QB Steven Jyles.

The Eskimos are 3-1, but their surprising record has had a lot more to do with the sterling play of their defence than Jyles, whom Edmonton GM Eric Tillman has already expressed regrets about trading last winter in the bewildering deal that saw him ship future Hall of Famer Ricky Ray to Toronto.

With that in mind, Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive co-ordinator Tim Burke appears, from the looks of practice this week, to be putting together a scheme that seems aimed at making life as complicated for Jyles as possible at Canad Inns Stadium Thursday evening.

Burke has always had a revolving-door defensive line, but the door this week has been spinning on virtually every first-team rep, with players substituting in and out almost constantly for each other and at positions.

That includes non-import rookie lineman Jake Thomas, who has gone from a long shot in training camp just to make the practice roster to what looks like a major role on the Bombers’ front four Thursday.

“It’s surreal. Everything has happened very, very fast.” said Thomas, an undersized 6-2, 270-pound lineman out of Acadia.

Add to all the platooning on the line another revolving door at linebacker, toss in a dime package on second-and-long that involves a more active role for cornerback Jovon Johnson, and Jyles will need a program just to keep the Bombers personnel straight.

Burke says some of the platooning is a simple function of all the injuries the Bombers are battling on defence, with four starters out of the lineup due to injury, “but some of it is also by design. We’re trying to find personnel matchups and maximize our pass-rushing abilities. And then we’ve also always rolled our defensive line just to keep everybody fresh.”

You’ve come to the right place

“I’m one of those people who like challenges. I like when things get thrown at me. I don’t like too much easy.” — newly acquired Bombers defensive lineman JT Gilmore, a 2011 pre-season cut of the Minnesota Vikings, who will likely go on the 46-man roster this week.

Odds are

The betting line for this week has the Bombers as a two-and-a-half-point underdog against the Edmonton Eskimos, and the folks at bodog.ca will take even money if you’re willing to bet no on the following proposition: ‘Will Alex Brink be the Winnipeg Blue Bombers starting quarterback in Week 6?’