ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
TORONTO – Saturday’s contest between the B.C. Lions and Toronto Argonauts will mark the beginning of one era and the conclusion of another.
Following a strange week in Argoland, Toronto will fall under the reigns of veteran QB Steven Jyles who will play his first game since October 23 of last year.
» Jyles leads his team into Vancouver where the Leos will play their last game at Empire Field before moving back into newly renovation B.C. Place Stadium the following week.
Jyles takes over an offence that was inconsistent under Cleo Lemon’s watch and is looking forward to taking his first shot at getting it pointed in the right direction.
“My focus is on executing the offence, make plays for the guys and be ready to go by Saturday,” he said.
There are still numerous question marks that surround the veteran pivot heading into his first game in Double Blue. The health of his shoulder and any rust he may show are also concerns for the Argonauts. However, the 28-year-old says that he feels as healthy as ever.
“My shoulder is great,” Jyles confirmed. “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 this playing football. Getting hit doesn’t faze me.”
Toronto’s quarterback won’t be the only one making his Argos debut on offence. Rookie offensive lineman Edawn Coughman will be responsible for protecting the backside of the club’s new leader as he replaces all-star Rob Murphy who is out for a significant period of time, if not the whole season.
A 6-foot-4-inch, 309-pound hulking lineman, Coughman is about as raw a rookie as they come. Argonauts pre-season action is the only professional experience had by the young 23-year-old. In his final year at Shaw University, Coughman anchored an offensive line that led the CIAA Conference in scoring offence (42.1 points per game) and total offence (387.4 yards a game) and he was named First-Team All-CIAA.
Argonauts.ca columnist Don Landry discusses the start of the Steven Jyles era, the Argos’ special teams and defensive secondary as breaks down Week 11 vs. the BC Lions. Click here to watch video.
The Argos are facing a Lions squad that has started to come into their own as of late. Winners of three of their last four, the Black & Orange have won two straight, both in convincing fashion, including a 29-16 victory over the Argos last week at Rogers Centre.
In that win, the Leos’ defence was dominant and the team benefitted from an offence that took care of the ball, made big plays when they needed to and boasted a 144-yard game from non-import wideout Akeem Foster.
Toronto may be forced to try and slow Foster down without veteran linebacker Jordan Younger who will not play after separating his shoulder during last week’s game. GM & Head Coach Jim Barker has announced that second year LB/DB Jeremy Unertl will take his spot.
Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m. ET this Saturday from Empire Field and can be seen on TSN, heard on TSN Radio 1050 or followed live via Game Tracker on argonauts.ca
The Argos will make their only trip to Regina to take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders next week following their matchup in Vancouver before returning home on September 24 to take on the Eastern Division leading Winnipeg Blue Bombers.