Courtesy Regina Leader Post:

Kerry Joseph is no longer with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but Steven Jyles would like to think he does a pretty fair impersonation of the CFL’s reigning MVP.

“The guy I see (as being) similar to how I play as far as athletic skills has gotta be Kerry Joseph,” Jyles said Thursday following Day 2 of Riders rookie camp at Mosaic Stadium. “Kerry is so athletic and so fast, a lot of times he can take off and run and get more yards with his legs than he would throwing. I watch him and visualize myself playing his role.”

That’s not to say Jyles is solely a running quarterback. He also possesses a rocket arm that should serve him well on the big Canadian field.

“I try to describe myself as a balanced guy,” explained the 25-year-old pivot. “I want to throw the ball just as much as I want to run it. If things don’t work with me throwing then I try to make something happen with my legs if possible. But I love to throw the ball. When it comes to stretching the field vertically, I can stretch it pretty good.”

Jyles’ raw potential enticed the Riders to acquire him in the offseason from the Edmonton Eskimos for all-star defensive end Fred Perry, who was shipped out in a salary cap move. The trade raised some eyebrows in the Rider Nation, but Jyles is undaunted.

“People don’t always understand a lot of things that happen business-wise,” he noted. “For me, I look at it as, the coaches must see something to make a trade like that. My thing is to just come in and compete and let them know they didn’t waste the trade. Hopefully in the long run the fans and the people around Regina and Saskatchewan will see it was a great trade.”

Read More….