Inside the CFL: Lulay can still get it done for Lions

By None on July 17, 2018.

B.C. Lions quarterback Travis Lulay, right, is chased by Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Adam Bighill before completing a pass to Bryan Burnham during the second half of a CFL football game in Vancouver, on Saturday July 14, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

After beating B.C. 41-19 in Winnipeg, the Blue Bombers swaggered over-confidently into the Lions’ den only to find that kitty has claws. In contrasting halves, the Red River boys continued their dominance by running up a 17-0 lead after 30 minutes. Then a rusty pivot with red hair, Travis Lulay, engineered 20 unanswered points to win. Gimpy knee, at 34, an ancient body by football standards, the old warrior proved what a difference a quarterback makes.

General manager Ed Hervey assembled the 2018 edition of the West Coast club. When I asked Wally Buono if he still had final say over football personnel, he said, “no.” In B.C.’s lopsided losses to Edmonton and Winnipeg there was nary a rookie in the lineup. Hervey said it takes time for the guys to get to know each other. Buono pointed out there were no rookies in the line-up so no excuses were allowed.

The major concern was quarterback. Jonathon Jennings came to the Lions in 2015 to back up Lulay, who led the Leos in 2011 to a Grey Cup victory over Winnipeg. He won the Most Outstanding Player Award in the process. That was the only year Lulay played an entire season. He missed 2016 entirely and only started four times last year. Clearly Jennings was the man of the future.

Starting all 18 games in his second year, he finished with a record of 12-6, and was ranked third in the league. Buono saw room for improvement. “It has been a matter of feast or famine with him. I want him to be more efficient in the red zone, more deadly. He’s looked really good or really bad. Let’s look for more really good.” Instead Jennings was the worst-ranked starter in the CFL last year.

Given that Lulay was still recovering from a devastating knee injury, Buono had no choice but to stick with the youngster. When he was awful his first three starts and Lulay assured him his knee could stand the punishment, the change was made.

How do they compare? In experience, Lulay has 74 CFL starts, Jennings 41. Lulay is quicker than his rival, a crucial difference in a game that has become much faster than even a couple of years ago. The most important difference between the two is leadership.

Your starting quarterback must be the leader, put his team on his shoulders and will them to victory, like Mike Reilly does in Edmonton. His mates must have faith in his ability to do this. “We’re struggling,” they say, or, “we’re in trouble.” They look to the quarterback to get it done. After a strong start in 2016, Jennings has regressed. There is little reason to believe he’ll improve. Some have said trade him to Montreal for a starting Canadian defensive player but that would be unwise considering the backup would then be Cody Faljardo. Buono needs to bring in a quarterback whisperer to work with Jennings, who turns 26 on Saturday. It probably wouldn’t help because I’ve seldom seen a case where once a quarterback loses his confidence, he ever gets it back again.

Pundits were of the opinion that quarterback was only one of the team’s problems. The defence was terrible and the O-line suspect. Funny thing, when that much maligned group had confidence in the man calling the signals behind them, their play improved dramatically. They know Lulay is a winner. In his 74 starts, including post season, his record is 44-30. At B.C. Place, he is 26-9. They doubt Jennings whose mark is 40-41. Although they both have an efficiency rating of 73.8 per cent, Lulay makes the big plays in the red zone.

Last year Buono said Jennings had to be a fraction of a second faster. Timing is so important. When the offensive linemen trust the quarterback, there will be no hesitation in their play. They’ll fire off the line or drop back into protection. The Lions are 2-2, in 4th place behind Saskatchewan and Edmonton and there is lots of time left. If Lulay can stay healthy, they can contend for a playoff spot.

Now that Wally Buono has solved the quarterback situation, is there anything he can do about those awful uniforms?

Graham Kelly has covered the CFL for the Medicine Hat News for 46 years. Feedback for this column can be emailed to sports@medicinehatnews.com.