Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca
OTTAWA — Legendary Toronto Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray pointed to his team’s identity and work ethic in the aftermath of Toronto’s 27-24 victory at the 105th Grey Cup presented by Shaw on Sunday night.
“It felt like this team was too special for it to end any other way for us,” said the 38-year-old CFL legend. “We had something going that just deserved to win the Grey Cup this year, and it happened.”
The fact the Argos roster — compiled by the newly-minted management team of general manager Jim Popp and head coach Marc Trestman — comprised a number of players who’d been cut or traded by other CFL teams made the victory all the sweeter.
“This team’s made up of guys that faced a lot of adversity in their careers,” said Ray. “Last night when we had one of our last breakdowns, we talked about (how) we were all put here for a reason — whether you were traded here, released or signed here, it’s not a coincidence that you were here.”
RELATED
» Boxscore: Toronto 27, Calgary 24
» Through the Lens: The 105th Grey Cup presented by Shaw
» Posey named Grey Cup MVP | Stamps’ Messam MVC
Ray managed to throw for 297 yards and a second-quarter touchdown despite nasty conditions in the nation’s capital. (Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca)
While many wrote off the Argos against the powerhouse Stamps, Ray and teammate DeVier Posey announced their intention to flip the script with a ridiculous, Grey Cup-record 100-yard touchdown connection on the first play of the second quarter.
“We’d taken some deep shots all year when we’ve been backed up — we hit DeVier on the same route against Winnipeg late in the season, and we called it again,” explained Ray. “Their DB kind of jumped up, and when I saw Posey make the catch, I was just saying ‘go Posey, go Posey’ and he was able to take it to the house. What a great play for us in the game, to show we could score big on them.”
Posey, who was named Grey Cup MVP following a seven-catch, 175-yard performance, pointed directly to Ray.
“I don’t know what fourth quarter stats look like with under three minutes…but Ricky Ray has to be the leader in game-winning drives,” beamed Posey following the win. “He’s so calm, his vibrations echo through the whole offence — no matter what down it is, he’s our leader, never gets frazzled.
“We’re always confident in him. All we have to do is get open and he’ll find you.”
On Sunday, they did get open — and he indeed found them.
