Morris: The balancing act continues for Jonathon Jennings
Considering all the things he did right last season, BC Lions quarterback Jonathon Jennings also understands what he did wrong.
Jennings has already earned a reputation as someone who won’t settle for a little when there’s a chance to grab a lot. He was one of the reasons the Lions finished 12-6 last season and won their first playoff game in five years to advance to the Western Final.
Where another quarterback might be content to dump off the ball, Jennings always wants to send it deep down field. Instead of stepping out of bounds, he will continue to scramble, trying to gain that little extra time for a receiver to get open.
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Jennings became just the fourth QB in Lions’ history to eclipse 5,000 passing yards (CFL.ca)
Risk and reward is always a balancing act. Part of Jennings’ maturing process is understanding that sometimes the reward isn’t worth the risk.
“It’s a battle you are fighting all the time to balance that out,” Jennings said, while taking a break from meetings this week with backup quarterback Travis Lulay and Lions offensive coordinator Khari Jones.
“You want to be aggressive but you want to make sure you are smart at the same time. That’s the biggest thing, understanding when to be aggressive.”
Jennings turned plenty of heads in his first full year as a starter in the CFL. In 18 games during the regular season the 24-year-old completed 371 of 554 passes for 5,225 yards and 27 touchdowns. He became the fourth quarterback in Lions’ history to pass for over 5,000 yards.
Elusive as he was fearless, Jennings also rushed 68 times for 363 yards and four touchdowns. Maybe not the fastest runner, he was a master at buying himself more time to make a play. Many times, a defensive player thought they had Jennings in their grasp, only to be left grabbing air.
His refusal to ever give up on a play was both a blessing and a curse. Jennings led the CFL with 40 completions of 30 yards or more. His 15 interceptions also were the most thrown by any quarterback.
One of Jennings’ faults is he sometimes tried to force passes, throwing into coverage. He also was guilty of holding onto ball too long, resulting in him taking sack instead of throwing it away.
Reducing the number of turnovers while not restricting his creativity on the field is one of the learning curves Jennings faces this season.
“You have to continue to learn that and make sure you are conservative when the times comes and you need to be,” he said.
“It’s going to take time. You are going to have to learn certain lessons. You have to try to limit those . . . to doing it one time, not two or three times in a row.”
What’s easy to forget about Jennings is he has played just 26 regular-season games as a CFL quarterback. He’s like a third-year year university student, still studying, still learning as he goes.
In Lulay, Jennings has a great mentor. The two men are teammates and friends off the field. That allows Lulay to be honest in both his praise and criticism.
“That’s added an element to our on-field chemistry,” said Lulay. “Jon knows I can talk openly with him. If I say ‘that was a poor read’ or ‘that was a great play’ he knows I’m not blowing smoke, I’m just not telling him things.
“I can be frank with him and he appreciates that. He doesn’t want me to tell it how he wants to hear it. He wants me to tell it like it is.”
Jonathon Jennings and Travis Lulay form one of the CFL’s top quarterback duos (BCLions.com)
The more he plays the game, the more different it looks for Jennings. He is beginning to get a better grasp of what defences are doing. The plays no longer come at him at light speed.
“Once you can slow the game down and understand everything that is going on, you’re going to be a better football player,” Jennings said. “That’s been my biggest struggle with turnovers and everything, understanding what defences are doing.
“Things happen quick and you have to make quick decisions. You learn a lot of lessons. Once you get a feel for that over time it allows you to understand the game better.”
In last year’s Western Semi-Final, Jennings helped the Lions erase a 25-6 deficit to defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 32-31. Jennings threw for 326 yards, including two touchdowns, and ran for two more.
The Lions were crushed 42-15 by the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Final. Jennings competed 17 of 24 passes for 206 yards.
“You just have to be better,” Jennings said about the loss. “There is always going to be a challenge in football. There is always going to be a time when things aren’t going your way.
“You have to figure out a way to overcome that and adjust.”
An already good Lions receiving corps got even better this year when BC signed free agent Chris Williams. Jennings understands the addition of Williams, plus last year’s performance, only raises the expectations for him.
“It doesn’t change anything for me,” he said. “I’m going to put that pressure on myself anyways.
“I want to be the best out there. I have to continue to grow and enhance myself to be the best.”
