Brian Helberg
Jonathon Jennings required just 16 career starts to have his name mentioned in the same breath as some of the greatest quarterbacks ever to wear the Black and Orange. Jennings eclipsed the 300-yard mark for the fourth consecutive game during Saturday’s dramatic 45-38 victory against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In doing so, he joined Doug Flutie, Dave Dickenson and Casey Printers as the only quarterbacks in Lions’ history to toss for at least 300 yards in four straight contests.
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“It’s a cool thing to have accomplished,” Jennings said. “To have my name mentioned with [Flutie, Dickenson and Printers] is an honour for me.” The Lions’ humble field general added that he is “just trying to execute the plays and do what [he] can to help this team win.”
Jay-Z once said, “Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t”. Based on this logic, Jennings is already one of the best quarterbacks in the CFL. The Saginaw Valley State alum’s 2,048 yards passing are the third highest tally in the CFL this season. Jennings’ 11 touchdown passes are tied for the second most in the league. Jennings throws a beautiful deep ball, and his 8.8 yards per completion is the second highest in 2016. He is also getting the job done with his legs, as Jennings ranks second amongst quarterbacks with 164 rushing yards. Jon is tied for the league lead in rushing majors with three.
The Leos sport the highest scoring offense in the game this season, and the stellar play of their quarterback is a key reason why. Most impressive of all is the fact that Jennings has led the BC Lions to a 5-2 record, good for second place in the highly competitive Western Division.
Jennings is playing at a very high level right now, but he was plagued by inconsistency during the early part of the season. “I was trying to do too much,” Jennings said of his early season struggles. “I was trying to think too much, trying to be more than I really was as a second year player.”
Thankfully, the 24-year-old turned the corner in a big way during the Lions’ week four win against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. After a sluggish first half, Jennings led BC to a rousing 40-27 win in Regina. He completed 25 of 40 pass attempts, set a new career high with 429 passing yards and tossed three touchdowns. Jennings also scrambled for 30 yards and scored a rushing touchdown en route to earning CFL Player of the Week honours.
Jennings was all set to turn in another stellar showing in the Lions’ date with the Calgary Stampeders in week six, but a pair of late interceptions proved costly in the 44-41 defeat. Still, it is hard not be impressed with Jennings’ stat line of 374 yards passing, three passing touchdowns, 44 rushing yards and one touchdown.
The Lions and Jennings got back on track during a 38-18 thumping of the Montreal Alouettes in week seven. The Columbus, OH product connected on 27 of 32 passes for 331 yards and one touchdown. Jennings’ 84% completion percentage represented a new single-game high water mark.
Most recently, Jennings led the Leos on an exhilarating game-winning drive during their 45-38 win last Saturday against the Ti-Cats at BC Place. He had the deep ball working as he completed 20 of 32 passes for 306 yards and three scores. Jennings used his wheels to pick up an additional 24 yards on the ground.
Jennings is a “football nerd,” and it is his blue-collar work ethic that is accelerating his development. Learning the subtleties of the Canadian game is always a challenge for young American players, but the finance major has proven to be a quick study. Of course it helps that he has a chance to sit in a quarterback room with Khari Jones and Travis Lulay everyday.
Jones serves as the Lions’ Offensive Coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The former quarterback was a star in the CFL during the 2000’s, twice being named an All-Star and winning the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award following the 2001 season.
The Lions’ faithful are very familiar with the resume of Lulay. The 32-year-old led the Leos to a Grey Cup win in 2011, and he took home the CFL Most Outstanding Player Award for his efforts that season. Lulay is now working as Jennings’ backup, and he doubles as a mentor for the youngster.
“It’s awesome,” Jennings said about having Jones and Lulay in his corner. “They’ve been through it, and they have credibility by what they’ve done playing the game.” Jennings went on to suggest that the tutelage provided by Jones and Lulay has played a crucial role in him having “a better understanding of the CFL game.”
There is no debating that the CFL is a quarterback driven league, and the Leos appear to have found themselves a player to build around in Jon Jennings. The young signal caller improves every time he steps on the football field, and hopefully that trend will continue this Friday when the Lions host the first place Stampeders at BC Place.