BY FAIZAL KHAMISA – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
Five to 10 years. It’s a term often used when sentencing a criminal, but for Edmonton Eskimos head coach Kavis Read, it was the length of time he postulated it would take his team to find a quarterback with the abilities and tutelage of Ricky Ray.
After Ray lead the Toronto Argonauts to a shock win over the Alouettes on Sunday, the GM-less Eskimos’ front office is more than ever regretting their decision. But as the adage goes, one man’s, or in this case team’s, trash is another team’s treasure. Thanks to the acquisition of Ray, the Argonauts were relevant in the CFL for the first time in five years.
In an eight-team league like the CFL, you can expect parity from year to year. Nothing though epitomizes the parity of this league more so than the flip these Argonauts have made. Just one year ago, the Boatmen finished last in the East, with more questions than answers. Perhaps the most pressing, fairly or unfairly, was of the Grey Cup itself. Toronto was pegged to be the host for the 100th edition of the CFL championship, and the team looked nowhere near contending.
Just under a year after the trade, thanks to Ricky Ray, the Argonauts are poised to reach heights not seen since 2004, when Damon Allen, on his last legs, lead Toronto to a Grey Cup win over the BC Lions. Toronto’s now returning to the Grey Cup after a shock win over the suddenly vulnerable Montreal Alouettes on Sunday.
For all the talk of parity in the CFL, the one constant has been the Alouettes. They were playing in their ninth division finals in 13 years; in seven of those appearances, a trip to the Grey Cup followed. In fact, just two years ago it was once again Montreal hosting Toronto with a trip to the finals on the line. Hardly a tight contest.
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The difference this time around was the man behind centre for the Argonauts. Cleo Lemon lead the Boatmen in 2010, he of a league worst 214-yards per game average. In fact, dating back to the post Allen days, Ray’s shown to be a significant upgrade over the starters that have played in between.
2007: Michael Bishop – 2,920 passing yards, 22 TDs, 11 INTs, 87.5 rating
2008: Kerry Joseph – 4,174 passing yards, 17 TDs, 14 INTs, 82.0 rating
2009: Kerry Joseph – 2,244 passing yards, 10 TDs, 16 INTs, 65.7 rating
2010: Cleo Lemon – 3,433 passing yards, 15 TDs, 19 INTs, 78.1 rating
2011: Cleo Lemon – 1,626 passing yards, 7 TDs, 4 INTs, 91.8 rating
2011: Stephen Jyles – 1,430 passing yards, 7 TDs, 11 INTs, 66.5 rating
2012: Ricky Ray – 4,059 passing yards, 20 TDs, 11 INTs, 99.8 rating
The regular season numbers offered fans hope for the postseason. That’s the reason Ray was brought to Toronto. Ray’s journey didn’t come full circle when he downed his former franchise 8 days ago. It’s too easy to deem his season successful from a playoff win over the Eskimos. That’s not why he’s in double blue. He was brought to Toronto to win. He’s been here before. The Grey Cup. The holy grail of Canadian football.
There’s perhaps no city more starved for a winner than Toronto. Ricky Ray’s one win away from providing a shining light to a loyal fan base that will no doubt be ready for Sunday.
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