Lulay, Reilly friendship takes brief time out

VANCOUVER B.C. Lions quarterback Travis Lulay will put his friendship with Edmonton Eskimos counterpart Mike Reilly on hold Thursday.

Lulay hopes to outshine his former teammate as the Lions (2-4) attempt to end a two-game losing skid with a win over the surging Eskimos (5-2).

“We’ve played against each other a couple times,” said Lulay after a workout at the team’s practice facility Wednesday. “But up until last year, we hadn’t directly squared off. They got us at home last year. We got Mike coming into our house this week, so it would be fun to hang around and (compete) with him.”

Lulay and Reilly spent three seasons as Lions teammates before Reilly was traded to Edmonton after the 2012 season. Both have won most outstanding player awards — Lulay in 2011 and Reilly last season.

“When they were here, they were competitive and yet they were good friends,” said Lions coach Wally Buono. “I still think they’re good friends. Has Travis helped Mike? Has Mike helped Travis? It’s kind of like the chicken-andthe-egg thing.”

Reilly has picked up where he left off, leading all CFL quarterbacks with 160 pass completions on 241 attempts for 2,320 yards and 14 touchdowns. Lulay, who began the season as a backup after coming off a knee injury last season, has completed 72 of 112 passes for 932 yards and four touchdowns. He has tossed only two interceptions compared to Reilly’s four.

“We talk almost every week, texting actually,” said Lulay. “He’s kind of been distant this week, actually. I meant to call him up. We chat oftentimes when things come up or games happen. Sometimes he’ll call me to vent about a few things that happened in the last game. I do the same thing.”