Two different philosophies

The Edmonton Eskimos know how to develop quarterbacks. The Toronto Argonauts don't. That's why the Argos acquired Ricky Ray from Edmonton on Monday.

Edmonton is a strong, community-owned franchise that has done well by developing one or more quarterbacks at a time: Tom Wilkinson, Warren Moon, Matt Dunigan, Damon Allen, Tracy Ham, Jason Maas and Ray.

Name the last quarterback the Argos developed for any sustainable period of time and one that had any real degree of success? Go back to Joe Theismann in 1971 and you wouldn't be far off.

The Argos tried to develop Michael Bishop beginning in 2002, but rushed him into the process and he never made it to the Grey Cup as a starter.

Ray is part of the Argos way. They don't develop quarterbacks, they acquire them, usually in their 30s, often after they have won a Grey Cup at some point in their career. It is buying what you know, not what you don't know and trying to develop it. It is going after a diamond as opposed to an unpolished gem.

In 2011 they acquired a quarterback named Steven Jyles, who was an unproven starter over the course of an entire season in other stops in the Canadian Football League. The Argos traded for him from Winnipeg while he was still recovering from off-season surgery and he didn't make it on to the roster until after the halfway point of the season. Of the games he did play, he struggled badly.

The excuse was he missed training camp, hadn't had time to work with the receivers who weren't considered very good anyway and had to make do with a patched-up offensive line. But if that was the case, why didn't they give him the benefit of a full off-season, particularly after they gave him a contract extension recently and a $75,000 signing bonus for which they have now eaten as part of their salary cap. The answer is simple: they had a chance to get a proven quarterback and couldn't take the risk with Jyles.

Or this was all part of the plan to get Ray, the cost of which is a $75,000 hit.

For all the talk that came out of the Argos about Cleo Lemon, who was a bust in a year and a half, and Jyles, who wasn't much better in half a season, the Argos didn't develop a quarterback and now have had to pay a premium for one who has won two Grey Cups and can still play at a high level.

"While we gave up a lot, we felt it was important to be aggressive and go after what we needed," Argos general manager Jim Barker said in a media release. "This trade is an investment by our organization in the future of the Double Blue and in its new on-field leader, Ricky Ray."

So why would Edmonton trade Ray? Well, they were entertaining offers, believed to be from Toronto after the 2010 season, the first full one in Edmonton for GM Eric Tillman, who historically doesn't like to pay his quarterbacks $350,000 or more. He forced Ray to take a sizable reduction to stay in Edmonton. Ray had a good season after he appeared to have exceeded his shelf life, so the market was perfect to trade him. The Eskimos have acquired Jyles for next to nothing because the Argos have already paid him a signing bonus, and his base pay isn't considered more than $125,000-$150,000 per season with some added incentive bonuses. Ray was making in excess of $325,000 a year, so if you do the math the Eskimos have just saved $200,000 on the cost of their quarterbacks. They also acquired Grant Shaw, a backup punter/kicker who is ready to start and has demonstrated good leg ability, and a first-round pick (second overall) in the deal. But overall, that may amount to no more than $100,000 for the two players. However, you calculate the exact numbers and the Eskimos now have some cap flexibility to either acquire another quarterback or address a situation they deem equally or more important. Right now they have Jyles, Kerry Joseph and unproven youngsters Matt Nichols and Eric Ward, either one of whom might be their quarterback of the future.

"As much as we respect Ricky and believe he can make the Toronto Argonauts an immediate contender, we recognized that developing our younger quarterbacks was essential for our club's future," Tillman said in a media release. "A significant factor in making this trade is the tremendous potential of our young quarterbacks, Matt Nichols and Eric Ward, who we think have the ability to push for playing time next season."

Tillman, who already has a read on Jyles from their time together in Saskatchewan a few years ago, has always found a way to acquire talent and wouldn't have made the deal without another move or two to follow. The guy didn't win Grey Cups in B.C., Toronto and Saskatchewan without knowing what he's doing. Granted, this one seems out of character because Jyles has been passed around the CFL like a hot potato, while Joseph may not even be with the team next season. If he is, it will not be for anything more than short-yardage situations. Surely, there is one or more quarterbacks on the way, and it won't be a guy with an expensive price tag. Tillman doesn't work that way. He also understands the value of Canadians and kicking, which factors into the deal more than is apparent.

Toronto is going into a season in which it is playing host to the Grey Cup, which will be the 100th edition. Never has the future of the Argos been more important than now. They flopped on the field last year, playing to indifferent crowds, many of whom totaled on average about 15,000 or so per game. But they have drastically altered their football operations. Barker reduced his load by limiting himself strictly to management, which is arguably his strength, after two years as head coach. He hired a bright, rookie replacement, Scott Milanovich, whose strength is offence, which has been the Argos' weak point for several years.

And now you know why Milanovich was lukewarm when talking about Jyles following his hiring. Surely he knew what was about to happen, but wanted to be careful how he expressed himself.

Now he can talk freely, openly and confidently about Ray, who will be his starter.

"It is our hope that Ricky is our quarterback for many years to come," Milanovich said after waxing eloquently about Ray's Grey Cup success, skill set and professionalism.

The Eskimos scouted Ray while he was struggling in the Arena League and working as a salesman for Frito Lay. He became known as Frito Ray in Edmonton, rising from rookie status in 2002 to become the starter in a losing cause in the Grey Cup that year. He won it the next year and two years later.

That's the price you pay in Toronto for acquiring a 32-year-old onetime potato chips salesman.

Time will tell with Ray in Toronto. He comes in at a time when neither he nor the team can afford to fail. The Argos have made some positive moves since the Grey Cup ended a couple weeks ago, which at least is creating a buzz. In a city such as Toronto, where Argo apathy is strong, the team simply has to make a big splash. This isn't just about 2012, it's about the Argos relevance next year and beyond.

Give Argos owner David Braley credit. He likes to keep a low profile behind the scenes, but make no mistake he is actively involved in everything. He knows the game of football and how to turn around a franchise. He made a winner out of the B.C. Lions on and off the field, now he's addressing the Toronto situation, which he may have let slide in 2011 while focusing on B.C.'s path to host the Grey Cup and eventually win it.

Braley received strong criticism in the Toronto media and fans for taking his eye off Argos football last year in his first full season of ownership, but he clearly realized the error of his ways.

There's an old adage in the CFL: you don't win without quarterbacks, Canadians and kicking. The Argos now have a solid, proven quarterback. This is what they needed. This is what the Argos always seem to need. Most times it hasn't worked.

The Argos way couldn't be more different than the Eskimos way.

Perry Lefko keeps you connected to all the news in the CFL on Sportsnet.ca.