But to beat Calgary we'll need much more than Jennings playing a good game. To beat Calgary we'll need to have good game plans and play calling, as well as execution on both sides of the football to win. Just as important, we will not be able to afford the special teams assignment break downs that have plagued us this season. We haven't had all three units play really well in one game this season. But the playoffs are a new season and anything can happen.
There's excitement in the air, as well as hope, as we get ready for the Stamps.
Posted below is an excerpt from a Vancouver Sun article that focuses on Jennings as we prepare for the Semi-Final
Jon Jennings gives Lions a chance in the playoffs
But having a healthy Travis Lulay as a backup is great insurance
By Mike Beamish, Vancouver Sun November 8, 2015
Rookie Jonathon Jennings is expected to get the start at quarterback on Sunday when the B.C. Lions play the Calgary Stampeders in the West semifinal.
The B.C. Lions and their fans have transitioned so quickly from the Travis Lulay era — embracing rookie quarterback Jonathon Jennings as their starter, in what seems like 10 minutes — that the notion of defeating the Calgary Stampeders in the West Division semifinal might not be so far-fetched.
Granted, the Lions will have to play over their heads to do it, Sunday afternoon at McMahon Stadium. But, led by their precocious quarterback, whose pocket awareness seems to be growing by the week, the Lions look to have more than a snowball’s chance.
It’s worth retracing how it came about, less than two months ago, when Lulay went down with a knee injury Sept. 3 in Montreal and backup John Beck joined him on the ‘unable to perform’ list two weeks later, damaging his pectoral area in the second quarter of a Sept. 18 game in Calgary.
Jennings, the third-stringer, came in to play because the Lions had no other alternative. Yet, immediately, he showed a lively arm and one of the rarest of gifts — at least for a young quarterback — great intuition. What his coaches and teammates liked most about his performance was how cool he remained under pressure and his boldness in attacking the defence, as if it was just an ordinary day at the office.
In his six games as a starter since then — from the period Sept. 26 to Nov. 1 — Jennings ranked third in the CFL in passing yards (behind Henry Burris and Mike Reilly), first in touchdown passes (15) and highest in quarterback efficiency (108.9) over that stretch.
You can win with him.
“I’ve done some good, I’ve done some bad,” Jennings said. “It’s been a learning experience. But I do feel I have experience now. I feel I have enough experience to go in there (Calgary) and make some plays. I’ve heard that, in the playoffs, there’s more elevated play. I welcome that. I’m ready to attack.”
In coach Jeff Tedford’s view, it was a relatively easy decision as to which quarterback gets to start the playoffs and which one was getting the night off for meaningless game No. 18. Jennings was dressed but didn’t get on the field Saturday night at BC Place, as the Stampeders closed out the Lions and the CFL regular season with a 28-7 win.
If the Lions were intent on sandbagging the Stampeders, going vanilla by demonstrating unimaginative plays, strategies and threats to an opponent they’ll face in six days’ time, the Leos succeeded admirably. B.C. did little to counter the notion that they’ll be massive underdogs Sunday. Lions fans can only hope it was partly a ploy, not the reality.
Not lng ago, the CFL was bemoaning the fact that its starting quarterbacks were getting long in the tooth and there didn’t seem to be many twentysomethings on the rise. That’s no longer true.
Only 25, Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell, already a Grey Cup winning quarterback, and Hamilton’s most outstanding player candidate Zach Collaros (before he suffered a season-ending knee injury) are leading the charge. Now Jennings, another young passer (23) who seems to visualize plays, as if he’s at the controls of Madden 16, is making quick decisions, avoiding pressure, throwing to the right spots and settling into the full-time role.
ulay or Jennings — a Grey Cup-winning veteran or the virtual rookie?
It’s an important call but one not hard to make — a decision that seemed so unlikely just seven weeks ago.
mbeamish@vancouversun.com
