Travis Lulay says he won't hesitate to tread the tightrope stretched between risk and reward when the BC Lions face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday.
However, it was Casey Printers' turnovers that gave the second-year backup another chance to start at quarterback in a game with serious CFL playoff implications for both clubs.
"I'm not going out thinking, `Oh shoot, I can't turn the ball over,"' Lulay said Friday at the Lions practice facility. "I've just got to be positive and know what I need to do."
Lulay, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound pivot from Montana State, starts because the CFL's one-time most outstanding player committed five turnovers in 39 minutes over his last two games.
The sophomore signal-caller also struggled with turnovers earlier this season when he lost three starts with Printers out with a knee injury and threw five interceptions in that span.
But the red-haired Lulay says he has learned from an experience that included a game-winning intereception by Toronto.
"That's always the fine line, finding when and knowing when to take chances down the field," he said. "Being able to step back on the sidelines and see the game again has given me a little better perspective on that aspect of the game."
Slotback Geroy Simon, who leads BC receivers with 808 receiving yards and five touchdowns, said Lulay can't be too conservative.
"There's going to be a point in time where he's going to have to make some plays and put the ball out there and trust us as receivers," said Simon.
Saturday's contest is the first of two crucial home-and-home games between the clubs. The second is a Thanksgiving matinee on Oct. 11.
A sweep by either team could end the playoff hopes of the other one.
The 3-9 Bombers have lost seven of their last eight games and are last in the East Division, trailing Toronto and Hamilton, both with 6-6 records.
Winnipeg's only hope of making the playoffs seems to be as a crossover team, where they'll need a better record than the 4-8 Lions who are clinging to third in the West Division.
Lulay relieved Printers last week when the Lions led the Stampeders 9-0 in Calgary and went on to a 29-10 upset.
BC coach Wally Buono said turnovers created pressure for Printers and the only way to alleviate it was to make a change.
"When you look at Travis's handling of a volatile situation at McMahon (Stadium) last week, he did it very well," said Buono. "He was calm, he was good under pressure and I thought he did a good job handling all that.
"We want to focus on the game, not on the errors."
And while Lulay will be called on to manage the game against Winnipeg, he won't be on a short leash.
"When that message is out there, it only complicates the thing," said Buono. "I've always said that the quarterback has a role, he's got responsibilities as long as he's ... doing what we expect, the leash is always very long."
The Lions will have to contain Winnipeg's Steven Jyles -- a mobile quarterback like Lulay who inherited the starting job because of an injury to Buck Pierce.
Jyles, who threw a career-high four touchdown passes in last week's 44-40 loss to Montreal, ranks second in CFL passing efficiency with 2,038 yards. He has also rushed for 379.
In addition he has a couple of potent weapons flirting with 1,000-yard seasons.
Slotback Terence Edwards leads the Bombers with 998 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, second in the league in both categories.
Running back Fred Reid has 969 rushing yards and 1,181 yards from scrimmage, both CFL highs.
"The quarterback's really mobile," said BC linebacker Solomon Elimimian, who had 10 tackles last week and helped keep the Stamps out of the end zone until the final nine seconds.
"(Jyles) can run and they also have a tremendous running back in Reid so we have our hands full (but) it's a test that we're ready for. As a defence, we're definitely growing."
Notes: Winnipeg's last three losses have been by four points ... The Bombers won 37-10 here last year as the two clubs split the season series ... Reid had a club-record 260 rushing yards in that game ... Lions kicker Paul McCallum missed two of eight field goal tries last week but has made 32 of 36 this season.
