THE CANADIAN PRESS
Ricky Ray has thrown all of three passes in the 2016 preseason and yet the excitement in Toronto surrounding the Argos’ number one quarterback is palpable. Even at 36, a healthy Ray is one of the league’s most efficient and dangerous quarterbacks. Well, for the first time in a while, Ray enters a season at 100 per cent and the Argos couldn’t be more stoked.
Welcome back
“Ricky’s arm looks better than it has in two years to me. It’s back to the way it was when he first got here.”
That quote from Argos Head Coach Scott Milanovich is pretty telling and if it ends up being accurate, the rest of the league needs to be on alert. As a refresher, Ray’s first season with Toronto as referenced by Milanovich was a rather memorable one. That year, the future Hall of Famer averaged 290 passing yards per game and led his team to the 100th Grey Cup. I don’t think anyone in Toronto would be opposed to a return to form like that.
Since that 2012 season, though, Ray has struggled with shoulder and elbow injuries. He’s missed 25 starts and, even when on the field, has rarely been at full strength. His health alone is spurning a ton of optimism among Argos fans for the 2016 season. It goes beyond just that, though.
» MAKING MOVES:Tracking final cuts around the CFL
Riders pivot Brett Smith was among some surprising final cuts across the CFL (The Canadian Press)
Ray changed his off-season routine fairly dramatically and entered camp a few weeks ago way ahead of the curve compared to recent years. A big part of that is Ray’s work with Tom House.
If you’re asking who that is, I don’t blame you; House isn’t a household name (excuse the pun). But for those who use their arm for a living, House is as familiar as it gets. After retiring from Major League Baseball, he moved on to a successful career as a pitching coach and even had Bill Paxton portray him in 2014’s Million Dollar Arm.
More recently, though, House has turned his focus to football and, and more specifically, quarterbacks. He’s worked with the likes of Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Carson Palmer who all had to make adjustments after major injuries. Add House’s tutelage to Ray’s health, and well, you can understand the high level of optimism right now.
Having Ray at top-notch form is important in any year for the Argos, but even more so in 2016. With Trevor Harris no longer in the fold, Ray is Toronto’s meal ticket at quarterback. That’s no knock on newly named backup Logan Kilgore, but the 26-year-old has never thrown a meaningful professional pass.
The Argos are going to win and lose on the back of Ray this season, and all indications are that’s going to be a good thing.
Earning his stripes
Speaking of quarterbacks, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats won’t have their desired guy under centre to start the regular season on Thursday when they open the 2016 season against the aforementioned Argos. What they will have at quarterback, though, is a guy who has busted his hump for a Week 1 start.
With Zach Collaros on the shelf to start the season the Ticats will hand the ball to Jeremiah Masoli to start the season and it is a nice reminder not to judge a book by its cover. I remember being in the building watching Masoli’s CFL starting debut and suffice to say that night was not a harbinger of things to come.
Don’t miss the opener
» Buy Ticats at Argos tickets
The Argos will play their first regular season game at BMO Field on June 23 (Johany Jutras/Argonauts.ca)
Masoli’s first CFL start came at McMahon Stadium against the Calgary Stampeders in Week 4 of the 2014 season and it was dreadful. He completed just nine passes on 20 attempts and was never once a threat. Skip ahead almost two years and the former Oregon standout is getting a starting call on merit.
Masoli won the job outright over Jeff Matthews out of training camp after solid performances in preseason outings against Toronto and Ottawa. He’s also coming off two impressive performances in the post-season and was a miracle play away from potentially getting the call against Edmonton in the Grey Cup. The guy has come a long, long way and deserves a ton of credit for it.
Collaros is still Hamilton’s ideal choice at quarterback and the Ticats will install him as the number one as soon as he’s healthy. For the time being, though, Masoli is a viable option gives them a decent chance to win. I wouldn’t have believed you had you told me that two years ago.
Déjà vu
Training camp for star Edmonton Eskimos players has been rough in recent years and now the team will be without one of its most important players for the entire 2016 season. Much like number one tailback John White in 2015, all-star corner John Ojo ruptured his Achilles tendon early in camp and won’t be able to help the Esks defend their Grey Cup.
This is a huge loss for Edmonton. It was only a few weeks ago we named him to our MMQB fantasy team after his breakout 2015 campaign. Only a handful of players at corner can change a game like Ojo can and to lose him for all 18 games is devastating.
» RELATED: Achilles injury sidelines Ojo for 2016
The loss of John Ojo is the latest hurdle for the Esks’ depleted secondary in 2016 (The Canadian Press)
Now, the Esks were able to more than withstand the loss of White last year. Even with a committee of running backs, Edmonton won games with a dynamic passing attack and a terrifying defence. I’m not sure Ojo’s loss is as easily absorbed.
Not only is Ojo one of the league’s best corners, he was also set to be counted on even more this season. The Eskimos lost Aaron Grymes to NFL aspirations this off-season and also saw Otha Foster bolt to Saskatchewan in free agency. That left them without two important defensive backs from their title-winning season. Now you can make it three with Ojo being arguably the biggest loss of all.
I’m not saying Edmonton can’t deal with this. After all, the Esks are the defending champs and will be the king of the mountain until someone else knocks them off. With the likes of Marcell Young and Pat Watkins, this group still has some solid presence in the backfield.
For me, though, Ojo’s injury is another subtraction from a group already in transition. On the sidelines and on the field, Edmonton saw a lot of players head elsewhere during the off-season. Losing one of their most important returnees was not something they needed to see before they’ve taken one meaningful snap in 2016.
