Kilgore confident he can fill Ray’s shoes
For one fleeting moment early in his football career, Argos quarterback Logan Kilgore played receiver. It didn’t go well. “I didn’t touch the ball enough,” Kilgore said, laughing at the memory. “I think it was peewee football. I said, ‘I want to be the one throwing it.’ ”
Fifteen years later, the 26-year-old Kilgore will be the one throwing the ball for the Argos for the next three to six weeks while starter Ricky Ray heals from a left knee injury (sprained MCL ligament).
Ray was hurt in the fourth quarter of Toronto’s win over the Montreal Alouettes on Monday, when defensive tackle Vaughn Martin fell into Ray’s left knee. His shoulder pushed Ray’s knee sideways, forcing the quarterback to limp to the sidelines in a noticeable amount of pain.
Ray is slated to return anywhere from the Aug. 20 game against Edmonton to the Labour Day game in Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats.
Kilgore has been waiting for the opportunity to show what he can do for more than a year now; he spent last season on the practice roster before being named Ray’s backup this season.
Like Ray, he has a quiet confidence to him.
“This business is unlike a lot of other jobs, where you never know when your opportunity is going to come, but regardless you’re going to have to be ready,” he said. “Ricky’s done a great job, coach (Scott) Milanovich and (offensive co-ordinator Marcus) Brady have done a great job making sure we’re always ready.”
Much of Kilgore’s preparation came through off-season workouts. As the result of a three-month stint with the New Orleans Saints in 2014, Kilgore built a relationship with quarterback Drew Brees. The two still train together in San Diego. This past year Kilgore, who lives about 90 minutes from Ray in Rocklin, Calif., was able to work out with Ray.
“You’re trying to surround yourself with the best and whether it’s Ricky . . . I try to meet up with him as much as I can and pick his brain and get together and always ask questions. That’s what you have to do.
“It’s not a secret why guys like Ricky Ray are successful — it’s because they have a philosophy. He rarely comes off the field and says, ‘I had no idea what I saw there.’ He always has a very specific thing he saw and why he threw the ball a certain way.
“It’s just a matter of us (backups) being able to hear that and translate that to our own game.”
Milanovich is confident Kilgore can step in and excel the way Zach Collaros and Trevor Harris have done before him in Ray’s injury-induced absences.
“Logan is our backup for a reason,” Milanovich said on Monday night. “I think he’s got a huge upside and he’ll show everyone that.”
“Scott and Marcus, you’ve seen the success they’ve had developing quarterbacks,” Kilgore said. “It’s not by accident those guys are being successful.”