Ray gets another shot to steer ship for Argos
Despite a losing effort in his first start in almost a year, Ricky Ray has been named the starting quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts’ regular-season finale against Winnipeg on Friday.
The 13-year veteran completed 26 of 38 passes for a 68.4 completion rate — which is about his career average — and 227 yards in a 27-25 loss to the B.C. Lions last Friday. He threw one touchdown pass and one interception.
“He played well,” Argos head coach Scott Milanovich said. “He missed a couple of reads, maybe three max.”
Ray’s numbers were mostly put up in the first half when the Argos took a 13-12 lead. In the second half, Ray competed just eight of 16 passes for a paltry 45 yards.
That doesn’t mean that the Argos will live or die with Ray through the playoffs, the coach said. Trevor Harris could be inserted at any time.
“You’ve got to go with the best guy to give you a chance to win,” Milanovich said.
The 36-year-old Ray said he did some good things against the Lions.
“Overall, I was pleased with how I saw things,” the three-time Grey Cup champion said. “But there were some reads I missed that could have kept some drives going. And there were a couple of passes I was inaccurate with and I had one missed exchange, where I had to jump on it.”
Friday’s game at the Rogers Centre is not a must-win, so Milanovich will have a chance to rest some bangedup starters or perhaps insert Harris at some point.
The Argos, who will finish third in the East, will travel to Ottawa or Hamilton for the division semifinal Nov. 15. That opponent won’t be determined until Saturday when the Tiger-Cats visit the Redblacks.
The Ticats have to win by six or more points (the differential from Sunday’s 12-6 Redblacks victory in Hamilton) to wrap up first and the bye. Otherwise, Ottawa will win the East and the bye, and Toronto will travel to Hamilton for the semifinal.
Milanovich doesn’t care who he faces because at some point the Argos will have to beat each team to get to the Grey Cup game in Winnipeg on Nov. 29. But the last thing Toronto wants to do is go into the playoffs riding a four-game losing streak.
This will be the last game the Argonauts will ever play at the Rogers Centre as they take up residence next season in BMO Field. Notes: For the first time in Scott Milanovich’s head coaching career, he will close down practice to the media and public on Tuesday at Downsview Park. So expect some new wrinkles in the team’s playbook. Milanovich is already wary of strangers. When he didn’t recognize two men at the walk-through on Monday, he came to the sidelines to ask the team’s public relations chief to inquire. He was told they were player agents.