ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
TORONTO – A year ago today, the fate of the Toronto Argonauts franchise changed: the captain of the good ship Argonaut made a call; he turned the boat around and pointed it in a new direction, towards the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto.
There were many moves made by GM Jim Barker that can be seen as catalysts for the Argos Grey Cup run. Bringning in Head Coach Scott Milanovich and Defensive Coordinator Chris Jones, addiing defensvie studs like Brandon Isaac, Patrick Watkins, Marcus Ball, Armond Armstead & Robert McCune to shure up the unit and give Jones the tools he needed.
Even a midseason decision to cut then CFL leading rusher Cory Boyd and hand the reins over to Chad Kackert was questioned by many, but Barker got the last laugh as Kackert was named Grey Cup MVP.
However, no move was more monumental then a blockbuster trade which was consumated one year ago today on December 12th, 2011. It was the move that saw the Toronto Argonauts add future hall of fame QB Ricky Ray to the mix in exchange for QB Steven Jyles, K/P Grant Shaw and a first round pick in the 2012 draft. Edmonton would eventually move that pick to BC who then selected DL Jabar Westerman from Eastern Michigan.
In Ray, the Boatmen finally got what they lacked for so many years: confidence and consistency under centre.
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BIO: Ricky Ray |
After a turnstile approach to their Quarterbacking situation in previous seasons, the Jyles-Joseph-Lemon-Bishop-Pickett-Bell era was over, and the Ray era had begun.
Ray would go on to have a spectacular season in Double Blue finishing with 4,059 passing yeards, 20 touchdown passes and an Argos all-time record 68.9% completion percentage. Ray amassed such a season all while missing three games in October with a knee injury.
Prior to Ray being injured, the offence still had a plethora of questions floating over their heads: Why was the red-zone efficiency so inefficient? Why, with a handful of playmakers, an offensive minded Head Coach, and an All-Star QB, were the point totals so low?
These questions were answered quickly and efficiently once Ray returned to the lineup. In two games, Ray threw for over 650 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. He later admitted that the opportunity to watch from the sidelines during his injury helped immensely in finally learning the offence.
The offensive explosion continued during the Argos playoff run, as Ray continued his spectacutlar play completing 69 of 97 passes (71%) for 869 yards, five touchdowns and one interception over the three games. Ray’s stoic and calm demeanour was paramount in keeping the offence and the team collected and calm during an emotionally charged Grey Cup game, at home, in front of over 50,000 fans, most of whom were cheering for the hometown Boatmen.
The game started off on the wrong foot, with Ray throwing an interception on his first pass; however, if you ask any of his teammates or coaches, there was never any doubt that he would bounce back. Ray finished the game completing 60% of his passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns to go along with that one interception, and he led his new team to a victory that midway through the season did not seem feasible.
The Argos have their man behind centre for the foreseeable future, and on 12/12/12, we pay homage to the man that dons #15 for the Double Blue.