ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
TORONTO—Even the truest Double Blue fan may find it difficult to keep track of all of the new faces in 2012.
It has been well documented that GM Jim Barker has had a busy off-season, culminating with the acquisition of arguably one of the top three quarterbacks in the entire CFL in Ricky Ray. What needs to be understood, however, is that it will not only be the man behind centre that is new to the Double Blue uniform.
The changes started early in the off-season, as a few defensive stalwarts swapped positions. For example Jordan Younger, who has moved to safety for 2012, will provide much needed leadership from the position for what is expected to be a fresh, young, aggressive secondary under new Defensive Coordinator, Chris Jones.
On the defensive line, the four starters from last season in Ronald Flemons, Kevin Huntley, Claude Wroten and Ricky Foley seem to have their positions in their hands to lose. Then again, training camp tells a lot of different stories sometimes.
As for the rest of the defence, the coming weeks of training camp will tell the tale of who starts come June 30. Jones will insert the players that play the way he wants them to so expect plenty of position battles forthcoming in the next month.
On the offensive side of the ball, there is no questioning the impact that Ricky Ray will have on this unit moving forward. Based solely on his reputation alone, it will open a lot of options for the players who share the field with him.
One player who stands to see more footballs coming towards him in the air, as opposed to slammed into his chest, is all-star RB Cory Boyd.
During the past two seasons, Boyd has averaged 206 carries. That number, from the mouth of Scott Milanovich, stands to drop off significantly.
To compensate, watch for Boyd to catch a lot more balls out of the backfield during training camp as Milanovich tries to implement his power running into the open field.
In Jason Barnes, the Boatmen now have a legitimate long ball threat that has played with Ricky the past three seasons in Edmonton. As comforting a thought as that is, Argos fans should be equally excited at the prospect of Barnes’ presence opening up new avenues for third-year speedster Spencer Watt. As the Argos’ only true deep threat last season, Watt struggled to find consistency. With defences now having to worry about both Barnes and Watt down the field, the Simon Fraser product is poised for a breakout year.
The coming month of June stands to be a very interesting and exciting time for Argos fans, as all the right pieces will be put in place to try and ensure that, come November, the 100th Grey Cup holds just a little bit more significance.