STAMPS READY FOR RICKY RAY
QB switch doesn’t concern Calgary
Nobody watching the Calgary Stampeders obliterate the Toronto Argonauts on Thanksgiving Monday would have left the game thinking one roster change would have made much of a difference.
Even if that change came at quarterback and even if it was Ricky Ray who was slotting in for the Argos.
As much as Drew Willy struggled at QB for the Argonauts two weeks ago, the gulf in talent between the home team and the Stampeders goes way deeper.
The Stamps aren’t preparing for Friday night’s game (7 p.m. MT, McMahon Stadium) by making any major adjustments because Ray will be starting.
“I do think (Ray)’s got more experience and he’s a good player,” Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson said. “I personally feel like he’s their best option. I don’t coach them, though, but ultimately we have to be ready to go anyway.”
With Willy at quarterback, the Argos fell 48-20 to the Stampeders in a game that, somehow, was far more lopsided than the score indicated.
Willy completed 26-of-31 passing attempts and threw for two touchdowns, but was also sacked seven times and watched his team fall behind 35-6 going into halftime.
Willy was working with a receiving corps in which four players had been cut a week earlier, but there was nothing to suggest he was suddenly going to find an extra gear and figure out a way to punish the Stampeders defence. Enter Ray. With Willy sidelined because of a shoulder injury, the 36-yearold veteran will step back into the starter’s role with the Argos this week. While Ray may not be quite the quarterback who led the Toronto team to a Grey Cup win over the Stampeders in 2012, he still threw for 1,834 yards in seven games earlier this season.
Had a rib injury not sent him to the infirmary in early September, he might very well be among the league leaders in most passing categories this season.
“You’ve just got to expect a veteran quarterback to make smarter plays and better throws,” said Stampeders defensive end Charleston Hughes, who has four sacks in his last two games. “He’s been in the league a long time, so we know what to expect from him.
“He’s a great quarterback and we pretty much know what we need to do to win this game. We need to be solid in the back-end on coverage and get to the quarterback up front.”
Thanks in large part to injuries, it’s been a while since the Stampeders faced Ray in a game. Friday’s matchup will mark the first time Ray has lined up behind centre to face the Stampeders since Sept. 13, 2014, when he threw for 338 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-33 victory for the Calgarians.
It’s been a long time since anybody put up numbers like that against this year’s Stamps defence, which statistically has established itself as the CFL’s best.
When a team has allowed the fewest number of points of any team in the league, has sacked the most quarterbacks and knocked down the most passes, it’s clear that whatever system it’s playing is working.
So the Stamps aren’t going to try to reinvent the wheel simply because they’ll be facing Ray instead of Willy.
Instead, defensive back Josh Bell said the team spent its time this week studying Ray in the video room and trying to pick up on his tendencies and weaknesses. What did they find? “He is a mere man, he is not a god, that’s what we’ve seen,” Bell said. “Even though he is a great player, one of the greatest over the past couple years, he’s still a man. He has to catch the ball, he has to throw the ball and he’s gotta have receivers to throw it to.
“Every week we get ready to win the Grey Cup, so we don’t gotta do nothing different. Just keep doing what we’re doing, plugging and chugging.”
I personally feel like he’s their best option. I don’t coach them … but ultimately we have to be ready to go anyway.