Ray and Reilly could head Most Outstanding Player voting

TERRY JONES Mike Reilly versus Ricky Ray. To d a y ’s g r e a t E d m o n t o n Eskimos quarterback versus yesterday’s great Eskimos quarterback — the one GM Eric Tillman traded away to Toronto in an act of temporary insanity and arguably the dumbest deal in CFL history.

Mike Reilly is leading the injury-devastated Eskimos in a third straight refuse-to-lose late season charge and putting himself up there with all those other great quarterbacks the Eskimos gave the league like Bernie Faloney, Jackie Parker, Warren Moon, Matt Dunigan, Damon Allen, Tracy Ham and Ray, who will go up on the Eskimos Wall of Fame the minute he announces his retirement.

So much is involved in what is going to make this so interesting if it comes to be Ray versus Reilly during Grey Cup week in Ottawa.

Maybe it’ll even be Edmonton versus Toronto in the Grey Cup game, too. Or it could just as easily become the Eskimos versus the Argos in the East Division crossover semifinal in the crazy finish to the season. With their possible record 366-plus man games lost to injuries, record $1 million plus spent on injured players and 86-and-possibly-still-counting different players having worn their green and gold uniforms this year including 54 different starters, the Eskimos go into the last week knowing they could still play their first round playoff game in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa or Toronto.

However it all works out, Reilly versus Ray for Most Outstanding Player would create great debate.

Just on the face of the season statistics it shouldn’t.

Reilly has had a dozen 300yard passing games and leads the league in yards passing with 5,536 and touchdowns with 30. Ray is second in yards passing at 5,205 and fourth in touchdown passes with 25. Reilly is also 11th in the league rushing with 361 yards, five yards out of the top 10. Ray ranks 51nd with 52.

But there’s much to argue for a vote for Ray who missed a game due to injury in which the Argos lost big in Montreal Aug. 11. Ray has matched Reilly’s dozen 300yard passing games, one of those for 506-yards, the only 500-plus passing game in the league so far.

Sacked more often — 38 times so far — than any other quarterback in the league, Ray has had a long history of having had to take a licking and keep on ticking due to a lack of protection. He has missed significant time in the last few seasons leading to his considering retirement until Marc Trestman came along as head coach and made his first order of business to state Ray was his No. 1 QB.

Ray this season became the only player in CFL history to have 100plus touchdown passes with two teams, having thrown 210 of them in Edmonton.

Just turned 38, Ray has never won a CFL Award as Most Outstanding Player despite this season reaching the 60,000-yard passing milestone.

Sometimes these awards end up being heavily influenced by career considerations. The guy deserves to win one.

No problem short term for Reilly, 32, especially in the leadership category. Two years ago he returned from injury to win the last 10 games of the season including the Grey Cup. Last year Reilly won five of the last six in the regular season and the crossover Eastern Semifinal. Now he has won all four in October.

With Brandon Zylstra setting an Eskimos record with his 10th 100-yards receiving game and put away the league receiving title, Reilly has also been quarterback for four league leaders in his five seasons as Eskimos starter.