Jonathan Jennings Thread

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CardiacKid
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Belize City Lion wrote:
David wrote:Not sure if any of you caught Travis on his weekly interview on TSN1040 this morning at 7:10am, but I sure didn't like the way it was handled.

Pratt and Bro Jake basically taking turns going ga-ga over Jennings. Jennings this, Jennings that. "Does he remind you of Russell Wilson, Travis?" Basically saying, what do you think of our new star quarterback, Travis? Then Pratt goes, "so the $64 million dollar question (I guess that's the $64,000 question with inflation), where does this leave Travis Lulay?" I could tell he was a little shocked, probably a little hurt but handled it all with exceptional class, and had nothing but praise for the young QB.

While I am elated that Jon Jennings is emerging as a future star....I just don't want to see the former MOP who led us to a Grey Cup and worked like hell to re-hab a bad shoulder get treated like yesterday's news. Show some respect. Let's not forget, JJ has been around Travis since Day 1 soaking it all in like a sponge. Travis has been very gracious about sharing the tricks of the trade.


DH :cool:
Same Bro Jake who called him JOSHUA Jennings last week. Jake knows nothing about sports in general and even less about CFL football....
Bro Jake has to be some sort of exalted CFL prognosticator / prophet / pontificator / predictor / blah blah blah..... The man has his own bobble head for christ sakes! :wag: :wag: :wag: :dizzy: :dizzy: :dizzy:
m5MsPcqB4Yi23S9mLWMv85A.jpg
In fact it is looking down at me from my Lions collectibles as I type this. :tease:
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sj-roc
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David wrote:Not sure if any of you caught Travis on his weekly interview on TSN1040 this morning at 7:10am, but I sure didn't like the way it was handled.

Pratt and Bro Jake basically taking turns going ga-ga over Jennings. Jennings this, Jennings that. "Does he remind you of Russell Wilson, Travis?" Basically saying, what do you think of our new star quarterback, Travis? Then Pratt goes, "so the $64 million dollar question (I guess that's the $64,000 question with inflation), where does this leave Travis Lulay?" I could tell he was a little shocked, probably a little hurt but handled it all with exceptional class, and had nothing but praise for the young QB.

While I am elated that Jon Jennings is emerging as a future star....I just don't want to see the former MOP who led us to a Grey Cup and worked like hell to re-hab a bad shoulder get treated like yesterday's news. Show some respect. Let's not forget, JJ has been around Travis since Day 1 soaking it all in like a sponge. Travis has been very gracious about sharing the tricks of the trade.


DH :cool:
It was kind of cringe-inducing to hear Lulay being asked about the future of his role as a player, as much for the way it was asked as anything else. He could have worded the question more diplomatically, prefacing it with something like, "This is something that's not easy for me to ask, it's a tough question, but the fans out there must surely be wondering about this, so...", and then lead into it with a more sombre tone instead of just spitting out the question after a light chuckle (I see a parallel of sorts to how the reporter at the Argos sale presser in May brought up the breaking news of Babcock's hiring).

Up to that point of the interview, I thought he came off sounding almost like a coach the way he spoke of Jennings in his responses.
Sports can be a peculiar thing. When partaking in fiction, like a book or movie, we adopt a "Willing Suspension of Disbelief" for enjoyment's sake. There's a similar force at work in sports: "Willing Suspension of Rationality". If you doubt this, listen to any conversation between rival team fans. You even see it among fans of the same team. Fans argue over who's the better QB or goalie, and selectively cite stats that support their views while ignoring those that don't.
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Belize City Lion
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The only way Jonathan Jennings could draw more comparisons to Russell Wilson right now is he started having a celibate relationship with a smoking hot pop star.
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Hambone
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[quote="JohnHenry]After the Ticats beat the Buffalo Bills in 1962, the American leagues refused to play the CFL again. Much like the War of 1812, when a ragtag group of British, French and Indians had the massive American invasion force in full retreat. The Canadians, despite being outnumbered 10 to 1, chased the Yanks back to Washington and proceeded to burn their capitol to the ground. The U.S. never again dared to invade Canada despite it being the longest "undefended" border in the world. Same as the NFL Bills invasion of Canada. The populous spoke loud and clear. Yankee go home. Canada is CFL country! :yahoo:[/quote]

Did some digging on that. The last exhibition game was in August of 1961 between Hamilton and Buffalo with Hamilton prevailing in what was the only CFL win against an NFL or AFL opponent. Buffalo was then a member of the fledgling American Football League. This game was played prior to the AFL and the Bills opening their second season of existence. The Bills were basically an expansion team amongst a league full of expansion teams. The Bills weren't very good. It's hard to imagine what the calibre of football was like in the inaugural days of the AFL. The Bills did muster a 6-8 record in 1961 despite none of their 3 QBs being able to complete more than 46% of their passes. Hamilton on the other hand had been a CFL power who curiously stumbled in 1960 only to rebound in 1961. They finished first in the East in 1958 (10-3-1), 1959 (10-4-0) then dropped to the basement in 1960 (4-10-0). In 1961 they bounced right back up to first at 10-4 and would finish first from then thru 1965. Hamilton was a league powerhouse in those days going to the Grey Cup 8 times in the 9 years from 1957 thru 1965.
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peeby
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Hamilton a powerhouse??? A pretty good team, but there was a better one. The Blue Bombers of the late 50s and early 60s beat the Ticats 4 times in the Grey Cup. Bomber fans always thought the team could have won 5 in a row if Kenny Ploen hadn't been injured in 1960.

Best player Bud Grant ever coached, CFL or NFL? Leo Lewis of the Blue Bombers.

By the by, Kenny Ploen handing the ball to Leo Lewis, then catching a pass from him was a play the Bombers used a number of times. Not quite as fancy as the Lions trick play, but it worked.
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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.theprovince.com/sports/footb ... story.html

Very nice article by Ed Willes. Some excerpts ...
Neil McEvoy could see the kid had skills — hell, anyone could see that — but as he stared at the game video sent by the player’s agent a year ago, a couple of thoughts ran through the head of the B.C. Lions director of football ops.

First off, the young quarterback who looked so impressive was playing for that noted football factory Saginaw Valley State and, as McEvoy says: “A lot of guys look phenomenal in Division II.”

The video was also two years old and McEvoy had no idea what this prize recruit had been up to. He knew he’d failed tryouts with Kansas City, Detroit and Green Bay in the NFL and had even attended a Saskatchewan Roughriders’ free-agent camp. But McEvoy didn’t know if he was still in game-shape or “weighed 600 pounds.”

Still, the Lions had their own free-agent camp in Atlanta in a couple of months and, at the very least, needed a quarterback to throw to the receivers. An offer was made contingent on the kid showing up in Atlanta, and it was accepted.
Good job, McEvoy.
“(Lions head coach Jeff Tedford) saw the film and kept saying: ‘Who’s this guy?’” McEvoy recalls.

“I told him: ‘He’s a guy we’re going to see in Atlanta at the end of April. He may not show up. He might be good enough.’
Good job, Tedford.
“I was always confident I could play,” Jennings says. “I just didn’t know if I’d get the right opportunity, and there’s a lot of guys in that position. When you’re from a Div. II school, you never know if you’re going to get that chance.”

The Lions offered him that chance. Now they’re sitting on a winning lottery ticket.
:thup:
“But you have to see it when the live bullets are flying,” says Tedford. “There’s a lot of guys with big arms who can run. The critical thing at that position is their composure, their poise, their intelligence. You need to be around them to learn that stuff.

“Obviously, he’s athletic and he’s got a quick release. But, with quarterbacks, you have to get to know their makeup.”

What Tedford came to know is that the intangibles Jennings brought to the game were even more impressive than his physical gifts. He was confident but humble and grounded. He always seemed to be in control and never panicked. He was 23 and had zero professional experience, but he was a leader.
:thup:
“He plays the same as he practises, and that’s a rare quality,” says Lions receivers coach Khari Jones, himself a former star CFL quarterback from a Div. II school.

“Usually the enormity of the game and the speed of the game gets you playing outside your comfort level. But he’s just as calm, just as composed as he is in practice. Once you see that, you think this kid has got something.”
It was put to Jennings that it’s easy to stay grounded when you’ve flunked three tryouts with NFL teams and you were working in a warehouse.

He laughed, then said: “I was raised the right way. My parents (mother Brenda, who attended Cornell, and father Calvin, a U.S. postal worker) taught me about hard work. I come from a blue-collar background.”
:thup:
“I was (in the warehouse) for three months (in late 2014) but this was their life,” he says. “This is what they did to put food on the table and a roof over their family’s head, and they worked hard. I have so much respect for those guys.”
This fan is enormously impressed with this young man. And this is why I love the CFL. The people. The stories.

I expect he is going to be just fine as a QB. But that is actually secondary to his character, where he came from, and how he sees his fellow man, as with the blue collar workers. Happy to have such a person associated with our team. :thup:
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Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

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Blitz
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Jennings has a quarterback efficiency rating of over 135 right now, which is off the map. Its based upon a small body of work....coming in relief of Beck for a little more than a half and two starts.

But its a very, very impressive start for a rookie quarterback. Those quarterback efficiency numbers will come down to earth as Jennings plays more games but he has injected life into our offence. Players are excited to play with him and are confident in his abilities. He has a strong and accurate arm, can throw the touch pass, the long pass, is mobile, and importantly, can read a defence and find his second and third reads.

Jennings also seems to have all the intangibles - leadership ability, poise, confidence, and maturity. All reports indicate that he is a down to earth young man.

Opposition defensive coordinators will be watching a lot of tape of Jennings to try to get a book on him. So far, I haven't seen any major tendencies. He scrambles out of the pocket to all sides, steps up into the pocket when under pressure as well as can escape to the outside, he can throw accurately while running left, he keeps his head up looking to throw while on the run, and he has made all the throws - the deep ball, the wide side out, throwing accurately while on the run, throwing from the pocket, going to his check down, and he has thrown the football to all his receivers on a variety of routes.

I was impressed with Jennings in the pre-season. Excited to watch him play again this weekend in his third pro start. Like you WCJ, I am also impressed with his character qualities as well as his athletifc abilities.
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Dusty
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Blitz wrote:Jennings has a quarterback efficiency rating of over 135 right now, which is off the map. Its based upon a small body of work....coming in relief of Beck for a little more than a half and two starts.

But its a very, very impressive start for a rookie quarterback. Those quarterback efficiency numbers will come down to earth as Jennings plays more games but he has injected life into our offence. Players are excited to play with him and are confident in his abilities. He has a strong and accurate arm, can throw the touch pass, the long pass, is mobile, and importantly, can read a defence and find his second and third reads.

Jennings also seems to have all the intangibles - leadership ability, poise, confidence, and maturity. All reports indicate that he is a down to earth young man.

Opposition defensive coordinators will be watching a lot of tape of Jennings to try to get a book on him. So far, I haven't seen any major tendencies. He scrambles out of the pocket to all sides, steps up into the pocket when under pressure as well as can escape to the outside, he can throw accurately while running left, he keeps his head up looking to throw while on the run, and he has made all the throws - the deep ball, the wide side out, throwing accurately while on the run, throwing from the pocket, going to his check down, and he has thrown the football to all his receivers on a variety of routes.

I was impressed with Jennings in the pre-season. Excited to watch him play again this weekend in his third pro start. Like you WCJ, I am also impressed with his character qualities as well as his athletifc abilities.
What appears to be Jennings greatest attribute is that he seems to have opened the playbook a crack. He will do well if the OC keeps the defence guessing.
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Belize City Lion
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peeby wrote:Pratt is Pratt. The thing I was surprised about when Bro Jake got the show was how old and unfunny he is. I'd heard the name before, but didn't know much about him. What I gather is that he was once glib and funny, and has some following. I find myself wondering how he could appeal to anyone nowadays as his train left the station long ago.
Bro Jake is on TSN 1040 for sales not ratings. It's a rare situation in radio where their revenues are increasing even if the ratings suffer. Jake is a big time schmoozer. If you spend money TSN Jake becomes your new best friend. The guys who pony up to sponsor shows, especially the morning drive show, soak up the attention they get from Jake. He takes people fishing, golfing, to dinner, to games, etc. He calls clients just to say "hey", asks about the wife and kids, etc. He does everything a salesman does PLUS he has the star factor going for him.

I am no fan of his show. I tune in to hear about local sports and I don't want to hear Jake talking about porn stars and telling dick jokes for half the show. Luckily he gets a ton of vacation time because when he was on holiday this summer the morning show on TSN1040 was very good.
Rodu
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Jennings won't start the second half, he'll be on a plane to an NFL team to start Sunday
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KnowItAll
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sure hope Jennings doesn't come down with a case of mcmanusitus
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TheLionKing
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I guess his performance in the 2nd half means he's not going to the NFL any time soon.
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Spud387
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Rodu wrote:Jennings won't start the second half, he'll be on a plane to an NFL team to start Sunday
You must be right because Jennings sure didn't show up for the second half :p
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