Travis Lulay talk and opinions

[Blitz]

I have been much more reserved about Travis Lulay than many on Lionbackers. I also think that there were some fans who disliked Printers so much that any quarterback would receive more than the benefit of the doubt and extra fanfare.

Travis Lulay has a positive personality, has leadership qualities, is a hard worker, is very mobile, and he's intelligent and well spoken.

Lulay has put up very good passing numbers in a number of games. His mobility is also an asset. However, in many games he has not played well early and he has also not been able to get the job done at crunch time, where a quarterback establishes himself.

Lulay has been given a lot of rope due to his 'inexperience'. However, when you look at Casey Printers first season as a sterter in 2004, in Buck Pierces early days as a sterter in 2005 and 2006 and early 2007, and you look back at Jarious Jackson's first season as a starter in 2007, and all of those former quarterbacks not only played better but they also were able to make big plays at crucial times.

There is no question that we have been blessed by very talented quarterbacks during Wally's remime here in B.C.. Dave Dickenson was a very smart quarterback. Casey Printers oozed talent in 2004/2005, Buck Pierce was a young gun could get it done early in his career here in B.C. and Jarious Jackson had ice water in his veins when he led us to some incredible come from behind wins in 2007.

There is no question that our offensive structure and play calling have been an anchor to carry for our quarterbacks here in B.C. That became more than obvious during the 2005 season, when Chap took over for his first full year as offensive coordinator. An 11-0 start that season obscured the weakenesses in our offensive scheme due to Dickenson's intelligence and experinece, Printers ability to make something out of nothing, and Dave Ritchie coming in that season to create a multi-dimensional aggressive defense that caused turnovers, sacks, and gave our offence great field position,

However Dickenson took a beating that season as our scheme did not have effective anti-bltiz strategies, our offence was so predictable that Sasakatchewan players were calling out our plays before we ran them during the final game of that season. In the 2005 Western Final, a third place Edmonton team shut down our offence, with Dickenson at the reins due to its predictability, its lack of balance, and inability to exploit the weaknesses of its opposition.

Lulay czrries the same anchor and can't be expercted to shoulder the blame for our 0-5 start. However, we are not winning with Travis and he has had many opportunities in the fourth quarter to lead us to vicotry and he has failed to do that. Yes, he's had some drops at key times but he's also missed some throws at key times too.

I believe Travis is at the point where he needs to be pulled for a few serios during a game and be able to watch from the sidelines. He needs some pressure taken off. It might even be a good thing to start Jarious for the first three series of a game and then have Travis come in off the bench. Better still, Jarious has proved to be a guy who could come n off the bench at crunch time and really play well in those situations and we should consider doing for future games to try to get us back into the win column. We need to turn a corner.

However, what ails this team is not Travis Lualy nor was it Casey Printers last year, nor Buck the year before. Lets face it, Dickenson couldn't get in done in three different playoff years with this offence. Its not the line, its not the receivers, its not the running back, and its not the quarterback that is the main problem even though all have not executed this season at times as we had hoped.

Even during seasons when our offence was the most talented in the league wasn't enough during the playoffs to overcome our tired and ineffective offensive scheme. Chap is trying new things, experimenting with new plays, copying other CFL plays but its now like pulling things out of the air to add in.

The fact is that we need a change in the leadership or our offence and quarterback is not the place that ails us most. After all, we've heard enough times that Wally and Chap want our quarterback to 'execute' the offence and nothng more. However, they are trying to 'execute' something that's an Edsel rather than a Lamborgini and that makes it an uphill climb.

Is Lulay the right player at quarterback? He hasn't proved it yet and he's been given a lot of chances. Perhaps it would be a good thing to give Jarious some play time and have a glance at Reilly. Does that mean that we should abandon Lulay. The answeris NO but perhaps we shouldn't be riding him so much at quarterback at this juncture and with an 0-5 start also.

We havent' won many games with Lulay as our starter. That may not be mostly his fault but he also bears some responsibility. Sometimes changing the chemistry can pay big dividends. It's at least worth a look, based upon where we areaat right now.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Winl ... story.html

From the article by Mike Beamish ...

If Buono's teams had an edge, in the past, it was at quarterback. He doesn't have that yet, with Travis Lulay, although it may evolve to that point in time. Lulay is talented, strong and tough-minded. But game after game, he's being placed in situations that reveal his weaknesses as much as his strengths.

Isn't it time to take him out of the pressure cooker and have him observe, even for just a little while, the flow of the game without the heavy burden of leadership? Isn't it time Buono considered giving his team a different look with Jarious Jackson, the laid-back veteran, and see how it responds?

No doubt, it has to be an option worth considering, though Buono doesn't sound too convinced it is.

"In the heat of the game, did you feel that Travis was out of it?" he asked. "If I felt like he was out of it, and the pressure was getting to him, or that he was woozy [Lulay was sacked six times against the Blue Bombers], I would have taken him out. But didn't see that."

How would you like to be quarterback of the Lions?

A losing team. A still predictable passing game. Young receivers dropping the ball all over the place, particularly Dropsem Collins. Until game 5, no running game, except his own pocket escapes. Pressure to perform. Pressure from the fans. Pressure from the coaches. Pressure from the situation.

I don't fault Travis Lulay for our lack of wins. IMO Ricky Ray would look inconsistent playing QB for the Lions. And Anthony Calvillo would look worse than he looked against the TiCats.

IMO Jarious Jackson or Mike Reilly would look worse than Travis Lulay playing QB for the Lions.

If we continue to lose, however, it might be a good idea to mix things up, put a different QB in there, take some pressure of Lulay, give him a chance to observe things from the sideline.

[Lions4ever]

It's DROPSOME Collins......

Yes, this is best.

[Toppy Vann]

WCJ says: "IMO Jarious Jackson or Mike Reilly would look worse than Travis Lulay playing QB for the Lions."

I tend to agree based on how I saw Jarius play in pre season and Reilly has limited experience. I was very surprised that they didn't get Jarius more time to shake off that rust he was showing as he truly wasn't effective.

Not sure what MR could do so not sure if the Lulay on the bench will fix all what ails this side. Reilly looked good vs Sask but then again so did the rest of the Lions and we know how they play now the games are real. It might be time to get some of these other QBs some time.

IF Jackson could play as well as the past I'd say yes, start him.

But we don't make the calls and JC is no doubt happy with his numbers and like WB takes solace in the stats and what might have been if they hadn't dropped some footballs.

[pennw]

IMO the receivers would be just as likely to drop too many passes from the other QB's . If there hadn't been so many dropped balls that should have been caught we wouldn't be having this discussion now and there'd be a few wins on the board . Let's get those guys catching the balls they're supposed to and then see how TL looks .

[The_Pauser]

First of all, I want to state right off the back that Jarious is not a top QB in this league. His 1 "good" season came when he was surrounded by extraordinary talent, and even then he didn't really put up great numbers. Since then he's been madly madly inconsistent and hasn't really shown he can be much more than a Michael Bishop clone. Giving him the starters job over Lulay is not going to help this team. At least Lulay shows potential.

Now, on to Lulay and his potential. I know everyone keeps repeating over and over and over again "look at Calvillo and how long it took him" well that's fine. That's one QB that took a while to develop. What about other QB's who took much less time? I'm talking about Dave Dickenson, Ricky Ray, Darian Durant, Kevin Glenn (once he was given a regular starting job). Why can't we develop a QB who comes in and plays well every night and can win us games? I'm not saying Lulay won't be a great QB, and I really really love the heart and determination he shows, but he just isn't at all dominant. You don't see him taking over a game and I don't know if that's just his skills or if that's the schemes, but something just isn't clicking. I am leaning towards schemes, because Lulay this year is looking like Casey Printers did last year...rather ordinary. I think it really all comes down to getting a quality QB coach in here, and getting in a competent OC.

[TheLionKing]

I realize the Lions coaches don't like roll-outs as "it cuts the field in half," but that's exactly what Travis needs IMO... reading 3 receivers or keeping the ball for a 10-yd scramble...not trying to read 6 or 7 receivers over the whole field...while being a sitting duck in the pocket with little blocking help.

Nothing more than a convenient excuse. Other teams do quite well rolling out. What good is having the entire field when your QB is on his back staring at the sky ?

[WestCoastJoe]

I realize the Lions coaches don't like roll-outs as "it cuts the field in half," but that's exactly what Travis needs IMO... reading 3 receivers or keeping the ball for a 10-yd scramble...not trying to read 6 or 7 receivers over the whole field...while being a sitting duck in the pocket with little blocking help.

Nothing more than a convenient excuse. Other teams do quite well rolling out. What good is having the entire field when your QB is on his back staring at the sky ?

So rolling out cuts the field in half? That is an arrogant coaching attitude, assuming superiority in one's thinking. Meanwhile lots of teams use roll out very successfully.

Viewed from the perspective of teams that use roll out, one advantage is you do attack that one side of the field with half of the defence stuck on the far side of the field. You make it work for you. And, by the way, while rolling out right, Casey Printers often threw the ball all the way back across the field anyways. LOL So IMO to say it "cuts the field in half" is just self serving PR bull shoot, something Wally is very good at.

IMO rolling out, with the right quarterback, gives the offence an overload advantage at the point of attack. The other "half of the field" is irrelevant.

[DanoT]

The wide CFL field negates the concept of ``rolling out cuts the field in half .`` The problem with BC coaching staff is that they refuse to adapt the game plan to suit the talent and experience of their players. Instead the players must follow the coaches style or game planning even if it exposes deficiencies as in keep the QB in the pocket because that is Chap ball, let him get sacked, and have little or no screen passes, roll outs or other plays to counter the blitz.

I am so done with this coaching staff on both sides of the ball. I have no confidence in the coaching staff`s ability to make sound decisions so I have made a sound decision of my own: I WILL NOT ATTEND ANY BC LIONS GAMES UNTIL THERE IS A COACHING CHANGE. There won`t be any changes unless there is a significant drop in attendance.

[hwgill]

Personally, I have never believed that Lulay would make a great QB...a good one, but he is incapable of becoming great.

[Irishland]

I think he looked a lot better in the first half of this weeks game. Second half he seemed to go away from what made him successful. In the last five minutes of the game he played like he played in the first half. There was a lot of progress in this game in my opinion and hopefully he can play for 3/4 of the next game or if we are lucky 4/4.

[Blitz]

As I mentioned in the post-game thread..

At this juncture last season, most thought Casey Printers was having a horrible season. Printers had a 55.% throwing average and an 81.4% quarterback efficiciency average. He was playing injured behind a makeshift offensive line that changed every week.

In comparison Travis Lulay is not hurt and is playing behind a very good offensive line achored by Ben Archibald at left tackle, last season's best offensive lineman, and he's made a huge difference in protecting our quarterback's blind side of the field. Lulay has a 55.2$ passing averge and a 78.6 quarterback efficiency average. No one thinks Lulay is playing horrible.

Yes, Travis has had some reciever drops this season but so did Printers last year and Printers had a lot less time to throw the football last season.

My comments have less to do with Printers that they do with perception. If we like the personal attributes of a quarterback we have a tendancy to rate his play more positively than he is actually performing and the inverse is also true.

Travs Lulay is a likeable guy. He played well overall, last game. Will he be a good journeyman quarterback or an enduring star in this league? Hard to say at this juncture but with Simon, Gore, Bruce, Foster, Peterson, and possibly Moore to throw to...we have some very talented receivers this season. Simon is a stronger, faster version of last season, Gore brings tremendous athleticism, and Foster is definitely an upgrade at wideout this year.

The key is the offensive line. Lulay has a much better offensive line to play behind this season that our quarterbacks did last year and Archibald really protects the blind side. Printers and Lulay early last season were sitting ducks as Dorazio went on his mad scientist venture with our offensive line misexperiment for the first half of last season.

Lulay, for the most part has had good protection this season.

[MacNews]

There is no question that we have been blessed by very talented quarterbacks during Wally's remime here in B.C..

I don't think it's fair to make the claim that Wally has won the games he has 'just' because he had HOF-caliber players at QB. I think whoever was the Head Coach of Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, will also rack up the wins accordingly. There is nothing wrong with riding a future HOF QB to victory, that's how the game is played.