THE CANADIAN PRESS
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — Ricky Ray never thought twice about returning to Toronto.
The Argos announced Friday that Ray, one of the CFL’s most accurate quarterbacks of all-time, had signed an extension that will keep him in Double Blue through the end of 2017 on an incentive-based contract.
Now the starting job won’t be handed to him, but the positives overwhelmingly outweighed any negatives.
“I wanted to be back in Toronto,” said Ray. “I really enjoy playing for the coaching staff and [General Manager Jim Barker] and the guys that we have on the team, so it was never my intention to go anywhere else.
“This is where I want to be . . . I’m looking forward to the chance to come back and play for Toronto.”
“We felt like it was a win-win for both sides,” added Barker. “We got a deal where obviously Ricky had the issues last year and the year and a bit, and we’re fully confident he’s going to come back 100 per cent but this deal allows us to be able to continue to move forward as an organization.”
A number of factors played into Ray’s decision to return, but surely topping the list is a relationship with Head Coach Scott Milanovich that’s about to enter its fifth year. Ray and Milanovich first started working together in 2012 after the pivot was acquired by the Argos in a trade from the Eskimos.
Together they led the Argos to a Grey Cup victory that year that’ll never be forgotten, on home turf in the 100th Grey Cup in a stadium packed with Argos fans.
After a strong first year with the Boatmen, Ray only got better under Milanovich in 2013 and 2014, leading the CFL in completion percentage and earning runner-up honours for Most Outstanding Player both years.
Off-season shoulder surgery after 2014 limited Ray significantly last season though, as Ray started only two regular season games and then a post-season game, a loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Eastern Semi-Final at Tim Hortons Field.
Ray never did get to 100 per cent in those games, but feels like he can get there with an extended off-season routine.
“I felt as the season went on every week I was getting a little bit stronger,” said Ray. “There were some weeks where it kind of plateaued a little bit, but definitely going into the playoff game I felt like my arm felt the best it had all year.”
In the past, Ray said he usually begins throwing in March to get ready for the Argos’ April mini-camp and then training camp in May. This year he’ll approach things a little differently, beginning to throw in January and building himself up longer to training camp.
“Hopefully by April I’m throwing at a full go and have two good months before training camp to really see how it’s feeling,” said Ray.
Ray, whose identity as a passer is based more on his pin-point accuracy and ability to put that extra touch on the ball, said so far all indications are his arm will be fine.
“The thing that’s exciting for me is I feel like my arm’s still improving,” he said. “I still have a little bit to go and now with this off-season I’ll be able to get it back to where I want it to be and to be even better than it felt towards the end of the year when I was playing.
“That’s what’s exciting for me this off-season is I’ve still got some room for improvement.”
While the Argos’ star pivot is excited to be back in Toronto, this third contract with the Argos will be different. This one is structured as such that he’ll be paid based on the number of starts he makes, meaning the starting quarterback job has not been guaranteed by Barker and Milanovich.
Barker said Friday that the Argos are hoping to bring back Trevor Harris, who broke out in 2015 and led the Argos to the playoffs before being replaced by Ray in the final three games of the season. Harris is a free agent and could opt to leave, but Barker’s vision has Harris and Ray competing for the starting job.
“In Ricky’s past contracts he was going to be the starter – that was the way the contract was structured,” said Barker. “This one isn’t. Because of the way Ricky’s done his contract, he knows he’s gotta earn it and he’s gotta play.”
| Creehan out; Stubler officially in as Argos’ defensive coordinator |
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The Argos made what appears to be a significant upgrade to their defence this off-season, adding a familiar face in Defensive Coordinator Rich Stubler. Stubler was with the Argos from 2003-2008 and returns after leaving the Stampeders. |
Another underlying factor in Ray’s decision to return is the new era of football the City of Toronto will usher in next season. The Argos will have new owners in January while next season they’ll move into a renovated outdoor venue at BMO Field.
Ray said he’s seen the team go through a lot in four years with the Argos, but in 2016 everything will be different.
“We’ve dealt with a lot just in my short time here with the Argos,” said Ray, “just with scheduling and facilities and all those things you wish you didn’t have to deal with throughout the course of the year.
“We have new ownership, a new stadium, we’re going to have a good schedule – we don’t have to rely on the baseball team making it or not making it to the playoffs. Our facilities are going to get better.
“Definitely that was another one of the reasons I wanted to be back in Toronto, to be able to experience of those changes and be a part of that,” he continued. “It’s going to be great for the guys and the whole organization just to be able to focus on football and not where we’re going to be playing or practising.”
It didn’t take long after the Grey Cup for the Argos to make two major off-season moves, first announcing the addition of Defensive Coordinator Rich Stubler and then addressing the quarterback position with the extension of Ray’s contract.
Barker now has two months to figure out some other key cogs, from Harris to other pending free agents like Cleyon Laing, Jermaine Gabriel and Chad Owens among others.
