ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF

MISSISSAUGA – Those who are waiting to watch QB Steven Jyles take part in his first full practice are going to have to be patient. It looks like the team is working him in slowly as he recovers from a shoulder injury that required surgery followed by off-season rehabilitation.

Jyles seemed to like he was ready for training camp up until last week when he aggravated the injury while training.

The Louisiana-native participated in practice for the first time since the first day of rookies & quarterbacks camp but his involvement was limited.  He dressed in full pads and took part in all of the formations but still did not throw the football.

Despite the slower than expected start and the frustrations of having to wait, Jyles assures that he is not overly concerned with his latest setback and believes that following the coach’s orders will eventually pay dividends.

“No not at all,” he replied when he was asked if he was worried.  “I had my surgery in October. I have improved tremendously, I have all of my range back and I can toss the ball around a bit.  I just don’t want to push it.”

“[The shoulder is] just a little sore and Coach didn’t want to make things worse, and that it’s better to be safe with it.”

Argos general manager and head coach Jim Barker is one of the men responsible for easing Jyles into things. He acknowledged that although he expected the pivot to be ready to compete when camp opened, taking their time is likely in the best interest for everyone involved.

“Did we expect him to be out here today? Yes, we did,” Barker said. “We are not going to risk anything. He’s going to come out here when he is healthy and compete.  Right now, we have him taking some snaps so players get used to his cadence and he is going through the mental reps.”

“He could have gone today but we want to err on the side of caution.  This kind of injury is risky and it takes some time to come back from, but it’s a long season and he is going to have a long career.”

There is no set date as to when Jyles is expected to start throwing the ball. Barker indicated that Wednesday of this week would be a reasonable timeline so the veteran QB could get a few workouts in before the club’s Double Blue mock game.

Barker was also very clear in saying that in spite of the setback, it doesn’t make him think twice about the trade he made to acquire Jyles.

“Would I make the trade [again] today? Absolutely,” Barker affirmed. “It is important for him to be here.  He makes us a better football team and there is no doubt in my mind.”

The injury to Jyles has made certain that the other quarterbacks have had a few more reps each.  Both Cleo Lemon and Dalton Bell have looked very sharp in practice thus far and are improving with each workout.

“They are competing at a very high level,” Barker said of the two pivots. “The ball is coming out on time and both are throwing with great velocity and great accuracy.  It’s a great battle.  I could not have asked for a better today; they were both right on and it was exciting to watch.”

The team is back on the upper field at UTM at 3:30 p.m. then back on the same pitch at 7:40 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Monday.