Quarterbacking is THE question

It wasn't even their day - training camp begins on Sunday for Edmonton Eskimos veterans - but Steven Jyles and Kerry Joseph drew the most attention on Day 1 of the CFL team's rookie camp on Wednesday.

Jyles, who heads into camp as the No. 1 quarterback, and Joseph, designated as the backup, didn't run through drills with the slew of yellow-pinnie-wearing pivots who are taking part in rookie camp. Instead, they helped their younger counterparts with drills while familiarizing themselves with the Eskimos' offence.

"It's exciting watching these guys play," said Jyles, 29, who came to Edmonton in December as the key component of the Ricky Ray trade with the Toronto Argonauts. "I wish I could be out there throwing to them."

"It was good just getting out" said Joseph, 38. "You get that itch, though. You want to get out and try to throw the ball around. Basically, I was just seeing what was going on and trying to help the younger guys out, getting them caught up to speed on what's going on, because it's going to be new for them.

"I almost turn into a coach right now, helping those younger guys."

In trading Ray and not writing a starter's name in stone out of the available quarterbacks - Jyles, Joseph, Eric Ward, Matt Nichols, Jeremiah Masoli and, now, Brandon Summers - the Eskimos head into their main camp with the player behind centre casting a big question-mark-type shadow on the field at Commonwealth Stadium.

"I'm not going to get tired of that question," Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed said. "That's the question coming into camp. We, as a coaching staff, decided that we're going to not allow those guys (Jyles and Joseph) to throw in the rookie camp because we know that they're going to take the vast majority of the reps in the (main) camp."

Reed said that Jyles and Joseph have developed a good relationship in the off-season. With Jyles training in Texas and Joseph in Louisiana, the two were able to get together and work out.

"It's going to be a very competitive (relationship) between the two of them," Reed said. "Steven will come in, obviously, No. 1 on the depth chart, but we expect that Kerry is really going to make him work to keep that spot."

If nothing changes through training camp, that would leave the other four quarterbacks fighting for practice-roster spots. Last season, the Eskimos used Ward, 25, as the third-string quarterback and place-holder on field goals. Nichols, 25, went from the one game to the nine-game injured list, but was around the team every day last year.

Summers, another 25-year-old, signed with the Eskimos on Tuesday. He was active for one game last season with Winnipeg and spent most of 2011 on the Blue Bombers practice roster.

Reed said rookie camp is a good opportunity for the four young quarterbacks.

"It's trying to help them get acclimated to the game before the veteran guys come in and have that distinct advantage," Reed said. "This is an opportunity for the guys to have three days where everyone is on the same page and get acclimated together and also get the language down.

"A lot of guys, there are some nuances in terms of terminology coming from the States and coming from CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) and, hopefully, this opportunity to have an intimate time with the coaches will allow them to get fairly up to speed with the veteran guys."

It's also a chance to get Reed and offensive co-ordinator Marcus Crandell's attention before the reps dry up next week.