Dave Campbell
CFL.ca
The Edmonton Eskimos have been known in the past as a quarterback factory in the Canadian Football League. In the fifties, there was Jackie Parker; fast forward to the seventies and you’ll find Bruce Lemmerman, Tom Wilkinson, and Warren Moon who also dominated in the early part of the eighties.
Matt Dunigan and Damon Allen arrived on to the scene later in the decade, while In the late eighties to the early nineties, Tracy Ham wowed fans of the Green and Gold.
The Eskimos then went through a number of quarterbacks until the 2002 season. That’s when a young man from Happy Camp, CA named Ricky Ray first stepped on to the field at Commonwealth Stadium. For all but one season in 2004 when Ray pursued his NFL dream, the 31-year old has been the starting quarterback for the Esks.
He debuted in Week Five of the 2002 season, taking the place of an injured Jason Maas. The B.C. Lions were the opponent and Ray threw four touchdown passes, the first of which landed in the hands of the recently inducted CFL Hall of Famer, Terry Vaughn.
Last week saw Ray produce another milestone in his nine-year career, becoming just the 11th quarterback in CFL history to throw 200 TD passes when he found Calvin McCarty last Friday night in Hamilton.
“Man, that’s pretty cool,” a smiling Ray said. “That means I’m getting a little older, I’ve been playing for a while. So, it’s nice to keep moving up and being able to play this game for such a long time.”
There has always been a great debate about Ray. Is he deserving of being considered as one of the greatest QBs in CFL history? Let’s take a look at his resumé.
Two Grey Cup titles in three appearances, the second most accurate passer in CFL history with a completion percentage of 67.3, as well as the highest completion percentage in a game with a sizzling 92. Ray is also Edmonton’s all-time leader in touchdown passes, yards and completions.
He managed to make it to the big dance in his first season in 2002, a losing effort to the Montreal Alouettes at home. The next season, he stumbled out of the gate, so much so that he didn’t start in a game against the Tiger-Cats, giving way to backup Bart Hendricks. We all know that didn’t last long. Head coach Kavis Reed says a big reason for Ray’s success is because of patience by the organization.
“That is a trademark that the league has had to have because you don’t have a plethora of quarterbacks coming into this league and survive a very long time,” explained Reed. “Kudos to this organization for being patient with Ricky Ray.”
The naysayers are quick to point out that he doesn’t have a strong arm. That’s true, even Ray himself will admit to that. In talking with many receivers and defensive players about Ray’s ability to throw the deep ball, one thing stands out the most – arm strength is way overrated.
Ray has the right touch to find the open spots downfield and he throws a ball that receivers like. As Fred Stamps put it, Ray throws the ball real “smooth and easy.”
Another criticism is Ray isn’t a running quarterback. Fans of the Eskimos are, let’s face it, spoiled when it comes down to quarterbacks who could run and throw. Ray is a dropback passer and is continues to find success, seeing as how this is still the CFL, a throwing league.
We’ve seen the likes of Nealon Greene and Jared Zabranksy receive all kinds of praise because of their running ability. Both couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, however, unless the receiver were wearing a different coloured shirt. Ray might also be the best quarterback in the CFL at standing in the pocket when knowing he’s about to take a huge hit.
Finally, the naysayers point out that Ray is an even-keeled, seemingly emotionless quarterback. You wouldn’t know whether he’s winning or losing. Let me ask you a question.
Do you seriously want a guy ranting and raving, rather than a quarterback who has calming presence in the huddle and on the sidelines? Give me the latter.
Stamps says Ray isn’t afraid to turn it on when needed.
“He’s a man of few words but you know when he means business,” said Stamps. “When he looks at you, he’s ready to turn it on. When he needs to say something like ‘pick your game up’, he lets you know.”
Can Ray one day reach the 300 career touchdown passes plateau? That’s very realistic. However, Ray knows for sure however who he’s not catching.
“We’re all chasing the guy that’s coming in this week; I don’t think anybody is going to catch him.”
Yup, Anthony Calvillo and his 409 touchdowns come to Commonwealth Stadium on Friday.
NOTES: Slotback Jason Barnes will return to the lineup on Friday vs. the Alouettes. He’s missed four games with fractured ribs suffered back on August 11 in Montreal. The Eskimos have placed linebacker T.J. Hill on the nine-game injured list with nerve damage in his neck. The club says they’re leaving the door open for a possible early return as team’s have one recall per half in the regular season.
