Buono preparing for Lulay's departure from B.C. Lions huddle

B.C. Lions general manager Wally Buono refuses to confirm whether quarterback Travis Lulay will participate in the team’s offensive mini-camp next month.
However, Buono has made another point clear. He is preparing for the day when Lulay is gone for good from the B.C. huddle.
While the team takes a patient approach to Lulay's recovery, Buono is trying to get as many alternative quarterbacks as possible ready to replace him when the time comes.
Much like this time last year, Lulay’s status as the Lions starting quarterback is in question because of a shoulder injury. Last year, he was recuperating from off-season shoulder surgery. This year, he’s recuperating from an injury to the same, throwing shoulder suffered in the lone game in which he started in 2014.
“I don’t want to say he’s going to be there,” said Buono of the mini-camp slated for three days in late April. “He’s not gonna be there if it’s gonna hurt him, or he’s not gonna be there if it’s not the best thing for him. There’s a plan in place. He understands the plan and we understand the plan.”
Lulay declined to have shoulder surgery after he was hurt in a storm-interrupted game in Ottawa last fall. He tried to recover in time for the playoffs, but could not play as expected – although he dressed for B.C.’s lone post-season game. He has been throwing in the off-season as part of a rehabilitation program devoted to strength training, but there is a nagging question of how the offensive mini-camp could affect him.
Last year, he attended the offensive mini-camp but was sidelined for training camp and the first nine games of the regular season. When it became clear that Lulay could not start the season, Buono traded a first-round draft pick to the Ottawa RedBlacks for veteran Kevin Glenn, who did an admirable job at times but also struggled in a road loss to Montreal in the East-West crossover playoff game.
Glenn has since signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders after Buono released him early in the off-season. The Lions currently have five quarterbacks, including Lulay, under contract. But only one, nominal backup John Beck, a 33-year-old former NFL journeyman, has considerable professional experience.
“The goal is to have (Lulay) ready for the regular season,” said Buono. “If him participating in the (offensive) camp is going to be part of that, so be it. If it isn’t, so be it. I don’t want you guys to be writing garbage. He’s on schedule for where we’re at. We’re very happy with it – and I think he is, too.”
The Lions also have second-year pro Travis Partridge, who spent most of last season as the No. 3 signal-caller; 2014 late-season addition Jordan Rodgers, 26, who’s the younger brother of Green Bay Packers star QB Aaron Rodgers; and rookie free agent Sam McGhee. A Howard University product, McGhee turned heads by signing with B.C. before seeing how he fares in this year’s NFL draft.
Buono said the Lions could have six or seven quarterbacks attend the mini-camp. In other words, the Lions will have enough quarterbacks to work with as new coach Jeff Tedford installs his offence and evaluates veterans and rookies alike. Buono does not want to jeopardize a potential 13 or 14 wins during the season by having Lulay suit up in the spring.
While Lulay’s presence might generate some good publicity, Buono does not want to risk his health for PR purposes, either.
“We’re not going to put him in the (mini-camp) if we think it’s going to set him back,” said Buono. “He’s a veteran quarterback. Whether he takes a throw or not isn’t going to be that important.
But finding an eventual replacement for the 31-year-old Lulay – from within the Lions roster – is imperative in the GM’s view. Accordingly, Buono ruled out a trade for a CFL veteran similar to the one he made for Glenn last year.
“We felt, at worst, (Lulay’s absence) would be, maybe, the first three to six games. By making the trade, we wanted to bring in somebody that we felt could get us over the hump. Or even during the season, if they had to come in, they could win the four games that you needed. With the loss of Thomas DeMarco (to Ottawa in the expansion draft) and Mike Reilly (in a trade to Edmonton that avoided his loss through free agency), we didn’t have the depth to overcome that. But this year, our whole focus is on Lulay.”
At least for now.
Buono has built a hall-of-fame coaching and managing career on his ability to find unheralded quarterbacking talent with the Lions and Calgary Stampeders. Last year, he contradicted his practice of developing young recruits by acquiring a CFL veteran QB, but he won’t do that again.
“I’m saying today our focus is on (Lulay),” said Buono. “We’re trying to also bring in the best young quarterbacks that are out there. I better be careful what I say here. If we bring in a guy that’s been through the mill but hasn’t succeeded, what are we doing? We just keep delaying.
“Whether (Lulay) plays a whole year or two years, we have to find the next (No. 1) guy, and this organization has done a good job of that. Like I said, we’ve lost (Reilly) and DeMarco. We were set back two, three years. So it’s going to take us a few years to catch up.
“I believe, this year, we’re catching up.”
Depending on Tedford’s wishes, said Buono, the Lions could also have six or seven quarterbacks at their main training camp in June at Kamloops, B.C.
Lulay’s health will play a large role in determining the final number.