VANCOUVER — The 2016 season is still two weeks away from its official midway point but there is already a matchup brewing with playoff implications. A win Friday night by the BC Lions not only would keep them in striking distance of the first place Calgary Stampeders but put the controls in the hands of Jonathon Jennings and his squad by owning the season series; something that could prove vital as teams wrestle for positions in their division later in the year.
Jennings, the Leos upstart quarterback who has his team atop the CFL in points scored (226), joined ‘The Waggle’ Podcast earlier this week and despite not wanting to overplay the significance contest, spoke to the fact that a win would set his team up well down the line.
“It’s big in the sense that we need to take advantage of this opportunity to be in first place,” Jennings told host James Cybulski. “We’re not going to make it any bigger than it is and we’re not going to make it any smaller than it is. It’s a good opportunity to go out there and put our foot on Calgary and gain control and put it in our own control. I think we have the guys in here to do it and we’re looking forward to that opportunity.”
Listen to the complete interview below:
Jennings is enjoying an impressive follow-up to his rookie CFL season, tied for second in the league in touchdowns with 11. Doing a lot of it under the tutelage of veteran pivot Travis Lulay whose relationship with his predecessor has been well documented.
“The big thing is how mature and how great of a person Travis is and that says so much about him,” Jennings also told Cybulski. “It’s not an easy situation for him, I guess you could say, but at the same time, I think we’re both in the mindset that we’re going to prepare just like we’re both starters and the rest is up to the coaches.
“There’s no sense in us not liking each other based on a coach’s decision. It’s the nature of the business. If the roles were reversed, I wouldn’t’ have any hard feelings towards Travis just as I didn’t last year. It’s a little different but at the same time there’s only one quarterback.”
Earlier in the year CFL.ca’s Brodie Lawson spoke with Jennings and Lulay about the unique relationship between the two quarterbacks and how they balance competitive instincts with the need to be good teammates. That interview can be seen below.
