He’s a good teammate who is respected across the Canadian Football League both for his work and for his lack of ego in a business overflowing with me-first types.

And that, in part, might explain why B.C. Lions quarterback Travis Lulay has been THE story in the CFL over the past six days, ever since he came out of the bullpen to lead his squad to a win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been tipping their hats and saluting the veteran pivot out of respect all week. Lulay is expected to take the first snap Friday night against the Bombers in place of Jonathon Jennings, who strained his shoulder in the Lions first offensive series last week.

It will be Lulay’s first start since the 2015 season.

And now – just because this is how football works – as much as they acknowledge how great the story is, the Bombers have intentions on hitting ‘STOP’ – or, at least, ‘PAUSE’ – on all this Lulay love.

“He’s a great passer and he’s been a great mind in this league for a long time,” said Bombers defensive end Jamaal Westerman after practice on Wednesday. “You watch the TV copy of some of their games and it’s just the way he is on the sidelines… there was that game earlier where he saw something on the IPad and it led to a penalty being called that helped them on review. It shows how engaged he was on the sidelines during a game. He’s an example for anybody who is not in the game to act and prepare like they are going to be the starter.

“He stepped into that game last week and there was no drop off.”

Westerman has lined up across from Lulay just once since joining the Bombers in ’15 – a July 30^th win in Winnipeg in which the veteran pivot was intercepted three times.

In the four meetings since then, it’s been all Jennings, all the time against the Bombers.

“I haven’t seen much of Lulay in the last couple of years,” said Westerman. “Jennings is more athletic, can move the pocket with his legs and is probably a little bit better scrambler than Lulay.

“But we actually watched some film from 2013 of Lulay and we saw him run around and make guys miss, so he does have some scrambling ability.”

Lulay is a former recipient of the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player award – he won it in 2011 while leading the Lions to a Grey Cup victory over the Bombers – but threw only 32 pass attempts last season before last week’s heroics.

What he and Jennings both like to do is get the ball out there to a talented group of receivers and have them make plays. Example: in last week’s win over Hamilton, six of Lulay’s 29 completions were for more than 20 yards.

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said Wednesday the similarities in the skillsets of Lulay and Jennings means their won’t be a whole different defensive gameplan Friday night.

“We prepare the same way regardless… they’re both mobile quarterbacks,” said O’Shea. “I don’t think systematically, defensively, you change a ton when a quarterback changes. It might be when you go from a mobile quarterback to a non-mobile quarterback. You might pull out something you might have available for that scenario.

“But for the most part, their system is their system and Travis can run their entire system, there’s no doubt about that – especially given the game he had last week – and they’ve got weapons all over the place.

“They’ll be who they are, regardless of their quarterback, and we’ll be who we are.”

BOMBER REPORT – July 19, 2017

The Blue Bombers held a closed practice on Wednesday at Investors Group Field, their final full workout in advance of Friday’s game in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions.

Here are three things you should know before the club heads to the West coast Thursday afternoon…

FOR THEIR EYES ONLY: The Bombers decision to close practice this week – it is the second time this season they’ve done so – came in a stretch where the benefits of the tactic have been discussed throughout the CFL.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders opted to close practice this week and will continue to do so, as head coach Chris Jones suggested the Hamilton Tiger-Cats had some ‘inside’ intel they used when the two teams met earlier this month. On Wednesday, Ticats head coach Kent Austin responded.

“Oh Chris… that’s absurd,” Austin told reporters in Hamilton. “God forbid that we actually prepared our players and coaches.”

Calgary’s Dave Dickenson is opting to do the same thing this week, worried that there may be Rider spies in attendance at one of their practice sessions.

Asked Wednesday if the team had accomplished what they wanted to behind closed doors, Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea grinned .

“Everything,” he said. “It was unbelievable.”

When pressed as to what is different with no fans or media in attendance, he added:

“Not a lot. It’s hard to describe… maybe it’s a little of the mood and the players being a little bit more of themselves, whatever that is. It’s more for the coaches, too. I don’t know if the players notice a great difference.

“It changes week to week. Any decision you’re going to make to close practice, there’s reasons behind it. Sometimes it’s just because that’s what you’re choosing to do. Just like a gameplan, just like a roster, those reasons (for closing) will vary.”

VIEW FROM THE WEST COAST: The Lions opened their 2017 season with a 30-27 home loss to Edmonton before winning three straight on the road against East Division opponents. Their next five, including Friday against the Bombers, are against their West Division rivals.

Lions defensive back T.J. Lee – like Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols, a product of Eastern Washington – can’t wait to get into the middle of this rivalry after missing all but three games last season due to injury.

“I can’t control what happened last year and I am saddened that I missed it, but now I have an opportunity to face a fellow Eastern Washington alum like Nichols,” Lee told Matt Baker of bclions.com. “I just want to make his day hell, have a good day and get a win.”

Lee did speak glowingly of Nichols. He was a redshirt at Eastern Washington in 2009 – the same year Nichols was Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

“I saw how he worked, saw his leadership capabilities and what he brings to the team as a quarterback,” said Lee. “He’s a mentalist when it comes to being a quarterback. He’s smart, he’s a veteran and he is not going to go out there and take too many risks. Matt will take what the defence gives him and hopefully he’ll throw a couple balls up there that we can grab.”

GET WELL SOON, KNUCKS: Bomber fans have been quick to offer their support for CJOB’s Bob ‘Knuckles’ Irving, who will miss calling his first game since the 2008 season Friday night after undergoing a heart procedure today.

Knuckles, a member of the Bombers Hall of Fame and the Football Reporters of Canada wing at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame – not to mention the recipient of numerous other awards and honours that would take us a day and a half to add here – missed a game in ’08 after undergoing another procedure and had to step away for a chunk of games during the 2000 season after having open-heart surgery.

Veteran play-by-play man Kelly Moore and Doug Brown will handle the call from Vancouver on Friday.

‘Knuckles’ and his family asked that the club and yours truly not make a big deal of his absence and he vows to be back at his post ASAP. Consider it done.

During practice Tuesday, FYI, we asked him if he was nervous about the surgery. And in his typical humour, he said:

“Not really. I just hope the doctor has a good day at the office.”

And as an update, Knuckles and his family sent texts to the club early Wednesday afternoon after surgery.

“Not quite ready for a beer, but it seems to have gone well.”