Taking Over The Reigns

ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF

MISSISSAUGA – With Cleo Lemon’s tenure with the Argos now up, Steven Jyles says he is up for the challenge of trying to get his team’s season turned around.

Jyles led an energetic practice on his first official day as the Argos new starting quarterback.  There is no doubt that the pressure is squarely on his shoulders, one of which – when injured – had kept the veteran out for the first half of the season.

Many who follow the Boatmen were trying to predict not if but when Jyles would be given an opportunity to take over Lemon as the club’s starter.  That moment has now come, sooner than most would have expected, and Jyles seems like he is primed to add his own thumbprint to the Argos’ offence.

“My focus is on executing the offence, make plays for the guys and be ready to go by Saturday,” he said.

“There is really no pressure because all I can do is control what I can control.  If I go out there and be productive and lead the guys, make plays and create for them than that’s all I can do.  If we go out and execute as a team and we all [run] the offence to best of our potential than we will win ball games.  If we take care of what we need to take care of we will go undefeated the rest of the season.”

Jyles’ first test comes this Saturday in B.C. against a team that he had arguably the most important performance of his CFL career last season.  After being benched in favour of QB Alex Brink, Jyles came on in relief, completing 11 of 19 passes for 211 yards and two touchdowns while helping the Winnipeg Blue Bombers stage 2010’s most memorable comeback.

Now he comes into a situation where he is expected to turn an offence around that has been inconsistent, for the most part, under his predecessor’s reign and hopes that both his experience and ability to escape the pocket can put more points on the board. 

“I think the thing that is different between me and Cleo is I like to run the ball a little bit more.  Cleo is more of a pocket passer and I can be a pocket guy but I throw on the run.  I think that adds to the team and it takes pressure off of the o-line a little.”

The man behind all of the shuffling behind centre, Jim Barker, refused to elaborate on all of the reasons why the Cleo Lemon-era ended in Toronto but did say that he too thinks that Jyles’ mobility gives the offence something that it was lacking before.

“He has been in the league five years and he has great mobility.  He sees the game differently because he has been in four different systems under good coaches.  For him, this is an opportunity to take control of a team.”

Jyles’ mobility seems to be what Barker pinpoints as his biggest strength.  He recorded 452 of his 755 career rushing yards last season in Winnipeg, prompting Barker to pull the trigger on an off-season trade that would send a first round draft pick (WR Jade Ettiene) to the Bombers for the elusive pivot.

“That was the key factor to Steven Jyles, that he has great mobility and I believe that it is important in this league to be able to move around,” Barker continued.

His ability to elude would-be tacklers is evident but what is not yet is the health of his surgically repaired shoulder.  Jyles feels confident that, despite a massive setback in training camp, there is no cause for concern.  In fact, what was once a lingering and slow-healing injury has become a topic which he can now chuckle about.

“My shoulder is great.  I have been throwing for about two months now but I have just been waiting for the nine games to be over.  You are going to get his playing football.  Getting hit doesn’t faze me.”

“Sometimes I will just bounce into the wall just to see how things feel or jump on the bed or flop on the floor and let my son jump on top of me,” he said with a smile.

Jyles and his teammates will practice twice more this week before boarding a flight to Vancouver to being the second half of their season.