Argonauts.ca Staff

TORONTO -- Should Stephen Reaves dress Friday, his teammates would see nothing unusual when they look over and see the 24-year-old pivot signaling in plays – he has been there all season long.

Depending on the injury status of QB Cody Pickett, Reaves could dress in his first CFL game Friday night versus the Edmonton Eskimos after spending the entire season on the Argos’ practice roster.

Traditionally, the roll of a practice roster player, especially one who spends significant time on the list, is to learn, practice and take in the game mentally come game day.  Reaves, however, has found himself in a rather unique roll with the Argonauts this season, making the transformation from quarterback to coaching assistant on game day.  Throughout the season, Reaves been close by head coach Bart Andrus’ side, sending in signals from the sidelines to both Pickett and veteran QB Kerry Joseph.

A student of the game, Reaves’ experience as a coach began prior to joining the Boatmen when he signed this past May.  Last season, the Tampa Bay native moved from one sunny destination to another, relocating to Oakland to serve as a coaching Intern with the Raiders of the National Football league.

His season with the Raiders coaching staff began following a four-year college career that saw him play the 2004 and 2005 seasons at Michigan State before transferring to Southern Mississippi for the ’06 and ’07 campaign.

Reaves played well in extremely limited time for the Argos in pre-season play in June, generating 83 yards and completing 60% of his passes in the third quarter of the club’s first exhibition contest versus the Montreal Alouettes.

Reaves beat out QB Kinsmon Lancaster as the third-string pivot in training camp, which afforded the Argos the opportunity to take a look at Lancaster at wide receiver before he was released shortly thereafter.

The Argos have, unconventionally, dressed only two quarterbacks (Joseph and Pickett) for the entire 2009 season and parts of the 2008 campaign.  The versatility of WR Reggie McNeal, who spent significant time at quarterback in college, allowed the Argos to take a chance and dress McNeal at receiver while also counting on him to step in a QB if needed. However, with McNeal hurt and Pickett on the mend, Friday may allow Reaves to take the headset off and put the helmet back on.