Beware the Bombers, says Lulay
B.C. Lions quarterback Travis Lulay says the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ defence is fun to watch.
It’s just not that fun to play against.
“They’re very opportunistic on defence and they’ll pounce on your eyes,” Lulay said ahead of tonight’s Canadian Football League game between the Bombers and his B.C. Lions.
“If I’m not disciplined with my eyes, they’ll read and react and make efforts to make plays on footballs,” added Lulay. “It’s a defence that’s fun to watch on film because you can see them staying low and looking after the quarterback and going for some stuff.”
The Bombers have earned a reputation as the league’s biggest thieves.
Led by defensive back T.J. Heath, who already has four interceptions in three games, the Bombers have picked up where they left off last year when they were tops in the league in that department.
This week will be an even bigger challenge than usual, with a highly mobile quarterback behind centre for the Lions.
Lulay can kill a defence with his arm and his legs and the Bombers have to design a game plan very differently for him than they did for Toronto’s Ricky Ray last week.
“Jonathon Jennings and him are similar in terms of their mobility and they can move around in and out of the pocket,” Bombers coach Mike O’Shea said.
“It’s not really going to change what we plan to do.”
Jennings is the Lions’ starting quarterback, but he injured his throwing shoulder on the first series last week in Hamilton. Lulay took over and all he did was throw for a CFL record 436 yards in relief while leading the Lions to a lopsided win.
Jennings is on the roster for tonight’s game but isn’t expected to play and it seems like the Lions are in good hands with the 2011 CFL most outstanding player at the controls.
Lulay is the CFL’s highest paid backup quarterback, but that investment is paying off, and he’s been the talk of the league since the impressive win over Hamilton.
“One of the challenges has been talking too much about last week in the media and not thinking about Winnipeg,” he said. “It hasn’t felt entirely different (getting ready to start), and I think that’s partly because of the process we’ve tried to set up, just in terms of our weekly rhythm at the quarterback spot.
“Everything has felt exactly the same and it’s been comforting that way.
“I didn’t know if I was going to have a different kind of butterflies. It feels comfortable and a
lot of that just comes from seeing the confidence of my teammates and that gives me some confidence. Guys aren’t looking at me cross-eyed and wild-eyed and wondering, ‘Can this guy play?’ ”
The Bombers (2-1) played well against the Lions (3-1) last season, winning 37-35 and 35-32 during the regular season before losing 32-31 in the West Division semifinal.
But this time, not only do they have to face a strong Lions offence, they have to do so with a banged-up defence.
On Friday, strong-side linebacker Moe Leggett joined an injured list that already includes linebacker Ian Wild and defensive lineman Tristan Okpalaugo. Leggett practised all week but has been battling a lower body injury.
“He’s trying to work through it. It was one of those Day 3 decisions, which is tough for him, too, because I know he was itching to play. But we’ve got some guys who will step up and fill that spot,” O’Shea said.
Leggett will be replaced on the roster by rookie defensive back Robert Porter.
“He goes on the roster and he’ll see some field time, for sure. The plan right now is to establish a little bit of a rotation and see how that goes.”
The Bombers will certainly miss Leggett, who was an all-star last season, but they believe they have the depth to get through these types of situations.
“It’s definitely a loss for our defence, considering how well (Leggett) plays, and he also has a knack for the ball,” defensive back Heath said.
“For me, as an individual, it’s tough because he’s a guy I feed off sometimes. He’s very intelligent and I can ask him any question.
“(Porter is) a young guy, very determined. He has a chip on his shoulder already. It was great to see him grow throughout camp.
“Throughout the first couple of games of the season, he’s been itching to play, and now he’s got his shot.”