The Toronto Argonauts will reveal on Friday the full extent of newly-acquired quarterback Steven Jyles’ progress from off-season shoulder surgery.
Argo general manager/head coach Jim Barker told sportsnet.ca that Jyles underwent a complete physical on Thursday and the team should know by noon on Friday the full extent of the results. The Argos will reveal that information later in the day at a news conference in which Jyles will formally make his first appearance for the team since it acquired him from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on March 30 for two draft picks, including a first-rounder this year.
Jyles had surgery to repair ligament damage in his throwing shoulder, which he injured in the second-last game of the 2010 season, coincidentally in a game against Toronto. Jyles had a 3-7 record as a starter for the Bombers, inheriting the job after Buck Pierce was sidelined with his second injury of the season. The Bombers are confident the oft-injured Pierce can return to health, although there are some fans of the team, which finished with a league-worst 4-14 record last year, that are not as confident. Combined with a host of other pivots under contract, the Bombers felt they could deal Jyles, who had been signed as a free agent last year by the Bombers after two seasons in Saskatchewan in a backup role.
This will be Jyles’ fifth Canadian Football League team in six years. The 29-year-old had his best season so far in the CFL last year, completing 196 of 318 passes for 2,804 yards and had a quarterback rating of 100.9, one of the best in the league. He threw for 19 touchdown passes and tossed only seven interceptions. He also rushed for 452 yards on 65 carries, recording four touchdowns but fumbling eight times. He played only sparingly in his previous four seasons.
Barker said the Argos made no provision in the trade for Jyles passing a physical at any point. They were convinced he would be able to play at some point this year – likely by the start of the regular season on July 1 – based on research and evaluation of their medical staff. The Argos are scheduled to hold an organized team workout the last week in April, but it’s uncertain if Jyles will be anything more than an observer.
“I’m under the impression he’s ahead of schedule and it’s not an issue,” Barker added. “If the doctors had said he’s behind schedule and is still not throwing the ball, we wouldn’t have made the deal. But based on what doctor and therapists said, he’s been in four times a week and is ahead of schedule.
“We’ll watch him and see where he is right now and make a determination. It’s like anything. There’s a protocol how much time this type of surgery takes as far as the place he should be right now. He’s either ahead or behind that schedule. It wouldn’t be fair to work the kid out (before making the trade) and then say, ‘No, we don’t think he’s ready so we’re not going to do the trade.’ Now they’re stuck with the player.”
Barker’s decision to trade for an injured player, specifically one with a shoulder injury, is not unusual. Toronto Maple Leafs’ general manager Brian Burke made a similar type trade with Boston for Phil Kessel midway into the start of the 2009-10 season. Kessel had shoulder surgery in the summer of 2009 and did not return to play until the following November.
Barker said the team is not as concerned about Jyles’ throwing status as they were about that of B.C. quarterback Jarious Jackson. They were reluctant to sign him when he was available as a free agent in February because of concerns about his ability to throw following rotator cuff surgery in 2009.
“I’ve seen (Jyles) play healthy,” Barker said. “I don’t know the extent of everything with Jarious. I know the extent of what this guy has. The biggest problem for me was just Jarious coming back and being able to see he wasn’t right.”
