Courtesy Edmonton Journal:

It is not an official quarterbacking prerequisite with the Lions, but it only took three offensive series in their last game for Travis Lulay to prove he’ll fit in well with this CFL team.

The evidence came when he took off, put his head down and absorbed a shot that knocked him out of his first meaningful chance during the Lions’ win over the Toronto Argonauts.

On a team that has lost starter Buck Pierce for reasons totally associated with wanting to do the right thing, it would seem as if Lulay has moved to a place he may eventually be able to call home for a while.

As of now, he has become the first understudy to Jarious Jackson as a result of the injury suffered by Pierce in Toronto when the back of his head came in contact with the turf.

And the way quarterbacking seems to work with the Lions it will be only a matter of time before there are calls to make Lulay, the 25-year-old Montana State product, a starter.

Lulay was by no means dazzling in his first meaningful three offensive series. He had three scramble runs after he was unable to locate an attractive receiving target. He threw low to Paris Jackson on his only attempt, although he did step up to pass in the pocket, something GM/coach Wally Buono has been trying to get Jackson to emulate.

“I felt fine in what I was seeing and doing. It’s just disappointing I wasn’t able to do my job,” Lulay said in self-assessment of his cameo appearance. “You’re playing against [first-stringers] and it’s different.”

That’s the take Buono has on Lulay as well. He may not be ready for prime-time. But there is an intangible associated with how he conducts himself off the field to make Buono think the Lions do not have simply have on their hands another well-armed specimen who missed out on his NFL chances.

“I have absolutely no reservations when it comes to Travis,” said Buono on Sunday. “He’s poised, makes good decisions, throws well and is sharp. There’s a lot more that goes into saying that than what he does in the games. The way he carries himself is quite impressive.”

The discussion on Lulay was not a suggestion that the Lions have turned their back on Pierce, but with only the coaches at work Sunday the only alternative for Buono was to piece together a QB plan for the Blue Bombers on Friday at B.C. Place .

Buono did receive a formal recommendation from the club’s medical staff to sit Pierce, a formality. And with a bye week upcoming, it’s expected the Lions will follow normal protocol associated with head injuries and wait until Pierce has seven straight symptom-free days before assessing what to do next.

“He needs a helmet which has a little more protection,” said Buono.

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NOW YOU’RE TALKING!

“dirty30″ is steaming mad about the B.C. Lions:

“While I’m clearly not a medical expert in concussions — and I’d be happy to be proven wrong — I can’t see Buck Pierce recovering sufficiently from the pattern of head-wobbling injuries that he has begun accumulating recently, to evolve into the elite CFL QB that Wally Buono and many of us were hoping he’d become.

“Nor can I see the Lions having a reasonably-successful outcome to their campaign with Jarious Jackson at the helm. As Lowell Ullrich and Ed Willes have so clearly documented, JJ’s unequivocal legacy has been inconsistency as well as his propensity to fumble the football in critical situations.

“So, in many respects, the Lions are back to square one offensively. Unless he pulls a rabbit out of his hat, JJ is not going to be the long-term remedy. That means Wally needs ultimately to turn to Travis Lulay or, dare we say it, revisit his past dysfunctional relationship with Casey Printers.

“Interestingly enough, the Blue Bombers, checked out Casey P earlier this spring and decided to go with Michael Bishop instead. Bishop, like JJ, has had several opportunities to show that he can be the No. 1 guy but has failed to show that he can be relied on to carry the mail with consistency.

“So who will be the first to bite into the fruit known as Casey? My guess is that we’ll have a better idea after the dust settles on Friday night, when ERRATIC JACKSON battles INCONSISTENT BISHOP.

“The losing head coach will likely have a lot of pressure to upgrade at the QB position. Like Mr. Willes writes, it may not be a pretty sight on Friday for Lions (or BB) fans, but it should not prove boring.”

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