Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Most people purchase insurance – whether it be for their home, automobile or health – in the hopes they never need to use it.
The BC Lions will cash in on an insurance policy they had hoped to avoid when Travis Lulay starts at quarterback Friday night against the Montreal Alouettes at BC Place Stadium.
When the CFL season began Jonathon Jennings was the Lions’ undisputed starting quarterback. Lulay, a nine-year veteran, accepted his role as backup. His function was to mentor Jennings, offer advice and play if needed.
“He’s been the insurance policy, the mentor, the coach,” said Wally Buono, the Lions’ head coach and general manager. “All that stuff.”
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Jonathon Jennings (left) has struggled in his last three starts giving Travis Lulay (right) the opportunity to take back the offence this week (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
A three-game losing streak has changed that scenario. After winning three of their first four games, the Lions (5-5) find themselves battling Saskatchewan (5-4) for a possible crossover playoff spot. BC has scored the least points in the West Division (269) and allowed the sixth most in the league (274).
With the Lions coming off a bye, Lulay hopes to bring some consistency to the BC offence.
“You just want to get the ship pointed back in the right direction, as quick as you can,” said the former league and Grey Cup MOP.
“When we’re good we can beat anybody. When we’re balanced, when we are good on first downs, we’ve been very efficient offensively. When we haven’t been good on first downs . . . it slows you down.”
Things began to unravel for Jennings when he missed four games with a shoulder injury. In the three games he’s started since returning to the lineup the Lions have been outscored 93-49. During that span Jennings threw for over 200 yards once. He has four touchdown passes against seven interceptions.
Lulay was 3-1 in the games he replaced Jennings. The 33-year-old twice threw for over 400 yards. He tossed eight touchdowns and six interceptions.
In the Lions’ most recent loss, Lulay came off the bench in the second half and helped rally BC from a 31-3 deficit with a 21-point fourth quarter before losing 31-24 to the defending Grey Cup champion Ottawa REDBLACKS.
With Lulay at quarterback the BC offence roars like a Ferrari. With Jennings at the controls the Lions sputters and wheeze like a 1971 Ford Pinto.
“He today is much more definitive, much more definite,” Buono said about Lulay. “He just operates the offence with more efficiency.”
Receiver Bryan Burnham said Lulay brings poise and confidence when he steps on the field.
“They are both great quarterbacks,” said Burnham, the Lions’ leading receiver with 40 catches for 658 yards. “Travis has been doing this for longer than some of us have been playing football. He’s seen this over and over.
“Jennings is a young guy who can make plays with his feet, get the ball down the field. Travis is that old, savvy vet. Jonathon will get there but Travis has a lot of time behind him.”
Critics suggest the Lions’ troubles go deeper than who plays quarterbacks. There are questions about an offensive line that has allowed 25 sacks, a defensive front that has the least quarterback pressures (50) and a leaky secondary that has been burned for some big plays.
Buono bristles at any criticism of the offensive line.
“Our offensive line isn’t any better or any worse than most teams,” he said. “Yes, we had two games where we struggled. In my mind that was because we played with players who were injured. They weren’t sometimes up front with the injuries. It affected them and it affected us.”
The right quarterback can also make the offensive line look better.
“The better the quarterbacking, the better the communication is, usually the better the offensive line is,” Buono said.
As for the defence, Buono said some miscommunications has resulted in mistakes.
“We’ve had injuries in the secondary,” said Buono. “We’ve had to move people around almost every week.
“Every time you move people communication becomes a bit of an issue.”
Buono would like to see speedster Chris Rainey, who often comes into the game as a running back, see more passes thrown at him.
“If he’s in the game 10 times and he only comes in as a running back, you might as well put a red beacon on him,” said Buono.
“You have to make a decision on how he can be most effective as an offensive player. Once we make that decision, then we’ve got to train him on it and build on it.”
Buono wants to see Chris Rainey have more of an impact in the offence this week when the Lions host the Als (CFL.ca)
The next four games will be interesting for the Lions. After facing the struggling Als (3-7), the Lions travel to Calgary. They then return home for games against Hamilton and Ottawa.
“There is a sense of urgency,” said Lulay. “We want to get some momentum going for this back half of the season.”
Burnham thinks the Lions need some tinkering to get back on track, not a major overhaul.
“Little things here and there, little details,” he said. “Just a few adjustments and we’ll be good.
“This is a great football team. We’ve won a lot of games. All we need to do is go out there and play hard.”
For Jennings, it will be interesting to see how he responds to being replaced by Lulay. Buono prefers to look at the big picture, not just how one player is coping.
“It is an important phase for the BC Lions,” said Buono. “If you want to evaluate that with him, you can.
“We have eight games left. As you see in the West it’s very competitive. We have to start winning games.”
