Bombers prep for resurgent Lions QB

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This article was published 18/07/2017 (3005 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For most of the nine teams that make up the Canadian Football League, losing their starting quarterback to an injury would be a monumental problem. For others, such as the B.C. Lions last week, it meant hardly missing a beat.

On Saturday, Jonathan Jennings, the Lions’ No. 1 pivot, was hit hard on his first throw of the game, injuring his throwing shoulder on a toss that — adding insult to injury — was intercepted. After a quick assessment by the team’s medical staff, Jennings was ruled out of the game and replaced by backup Travis Lulay.

Lulay, having not played a single snap in 2017 and hardly much at all over what’s been a few injury-riddled years, promptly led the Lions to a 41-26 road victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Not only did the 33-year-old Lulay extend the Lions’ winning streak to three games, he did so in record-setting style. His 436 passing yards was a personal best over his nine CFL seasons and the most by any quarterback coming off the bench in league history. Lulay threw for three touchdowns to three different receivers and rushed for another.

As impressive as it was to witness, it wasn’t all that surprising to many players on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, especially for those who have played with or against Lulay. In fact, the common response following practice Tuesday at Investors Group Field was they expect to see much of the same from Lulay when the two teams face off at BC Place on Friday night for a Week 5 matchup.

“For anyone to have their number called in a situation like that, where you just have to come off the bench and play, it definitely was entertaining,” said defensive back Chris Randle. “I wasn’t surprised in the sense that he was capable of doing it, but that he was ready to do it right then and there was impressive.”

Randle wasn’t in the CFL when Lulay had his breakout season in 2011, having joined the league a year later. But he knows all about it. He knows that Lulay, just two years after joining the CFL in 2009, led the Lions to a Grey Cup win over the Bombers and was named the game’s MVP. Lulay was also selected as the CFL’s most outstanding player that season.

But it’s what Randle saw from Lulay over the past two season, while the quarterback stood on the sidelines looking engaged in games he wasn’t playing in, that had him convinced he’d be ready when called upon.

“He’s been getting mental reps for two years, so he better be ready,” Randle said, jokingly, before taking on a more serious tone.

“I’ve seen him on the sideline calling out plays when the DBs are roughing them or not, so I know he’s in tune to what’s going on in that offence. At the end of the day, as a professional, you always got to be ready.”

In an interview with the Free Press last season, Bomers running back Andrew Harris was asked who were among the greatest teammates he’s ever played with. With little hesitation, Harris mentioned Lulay. After all, Harris was part of that 2011 Grey Cup-winning team with Lulay and was named the game’s most outstanding Canadian.

But it wasn’t the accolades Harris admired most about his former teammate but the journey Lulay took to get there. The two broke in as rookies together in 2009, first creating a bond as part of the practice team. Where their relationship blossomed was in the meeting room, where Lulay immersed himself into game film. It was there Lulay used to help Harris run routes and understand offences better.

“He’s one of those guys that was always first in, last out and always just paid attention to the details,” said Harris.

“He’ll look out for anyone — it doesn’t matter about anyone else, it’s about the team. He’s one of those guys that will just bring everyone along and it doesn’t matter how he’s feeling or what state of mind he’s in. He’s a great pro to be around.”

“The thing about Travis is he’s an extremely hard worker,” said Bombers’ quarterbacks coach Buck Pierce, who was the starter for the Lions when Lulay broke into the league.

“It doesn’t matter if he’s starting or if he’s backing up or wherever he is on the depth chart, he’s going to work extremely hard and prepare like he’s the guy.”

Predictably, Pierce, wasn’t surprised to see Lulay break out the way he did against the Ticats. He also understands the feelings Lulay must be going through. Pierce overcame a number of injuries in his career before the toll on his body ultimately forced him to retire at the age of 32. Lulay has battled a similar fate but has managed to stick around the game despite a string of bad luck.

Lulay signed his first major deal in January 2013, inking a two-year contract that reportedly paid him $450,000 per season. That year, a shoulder injury forced Lulay to miss six games and would later require surgery. That operation forced him to miss the first half of the 2014 season but when he tried to return, his shoulder wasn’t strong enough and a decision was made to shut him down for the remainder of the year. When he tore his MCL in Week 11 of the following season, it was enough for the Lions to hand the starting role to Jennings.

“That’s pro sports,” said Pierce. “It takes a special guy — and I can say that because I know Travis personally, I know his family and we still talk now, so I can speak on him and about him on that level — to be able to do what he’s done. He’s always going to be prepared.”

Pierce said he has used what Lulay did last week as a teaching moment for his quarterbacks. He only hopes they can be motivated by what Lulay was able to do under the circumstances, that the takeaway is they, too, will see the benefits of staying ready.

“When you get opportunities you’ve got to make the most of them and be prepared for them,” said Pierce. “Just like Travis did the other night: an opportunity arises when you haven’t played in a year or so, you’re in a backup role, but you’re still expected to go win games. A lot of people should be looking at that and learning.”

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Richie Hall, the Bombers’ defensive co-ordinator, has been studying Lulay the past few days and will continue throughout the rest of the week. Hall intends to build a defensive scheme that will limit what he called a very skilled Lions’ offence equipped with a number of quality weapons. Though he is used to monitoring Jennings, who threw for a third-best but still mighty 5,226 yards last year, he knows he’ll have his hands full with Lulay.

“He’s enjoying the opportunity because I imagine the last couple of years have been pretty frustrating for him,” said Hall.

“Just hopefully he got it out of his system and he doesn’t play that well this week.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.