Elks' current quarterback situation has familiar ring

Rookie Cornelius being asked to do what players such as Ray, Reilly did before him

The one thing you absolutely must have to sell in the business that is professional sport is hope.

And at this point with the Whatever Can Go Wrong Will Go Wrong Edmonton Elks, the only real place to find hope for the rest of this now seriously soiled CFL season is in history — EE history.

So we take you back to 2002 when Jason Maas was the starting quarterback and was injured four games into the season.

Maas was replaced by his backup, a 22-year-old rookie who showed up in training camp at the bottom of the depth chart.

He had been playing arena football for the Fresno Frenzy for US$150 a game and $50 extra for a win while driving a Frito Lay potato chip truck for a living. His name was Ricky Ray. Frito Ray took the team to the Grey Cup game in Edmonton in 2002, losing to the Montreal Alouettes that November in Commonwealth Stadium on an ill-advised gamble by head coach Tom Higgins. He then led the league's flagship franchise to their 12th Grey Cup title in 2003 and 13th championship in 2005.

Come to think of it, what is Ricky Ray doing right now?

He hasn't been retired that long. Next week is a bye week and Edmonton's next game is in Ottawa.

Ray is younger than EE legend Jackie Parker was when he was working as an assistant coach in B.C., then replaced Paul Brothers at quarterback.

If Parker in the late '60s and even Ray in 2002 seem like a lifetime ago, we take you to 2015 when starting quarterback Michael Reilly, previously a backup in B.C. to Travis Lulay, was injured in Game 1 playing against the Toronto Argos in

the opener that played in Fort Mcmurray, Alta., that year.

Reilly missed the first half of the season and was replaced by Matt Nichols, who managed to go 6-2 to get Edmonton to Labour Day when Reilly returned and led the team to a 14th Grey Cup title. It can happen.

It didn't happen in 2019 when Harris was hurt and Logan Kilgore took over for four games without success. But Harris returned healthy and managed to get the team within one win of getting to the Grey Cup as a crossover team in the East Division playoffs. But it can happen. There isn't a quarterback in the CFL who didn't start out as a backup and seize his opportunity when it was presented. Even Warren Moon started in Edmonton as clipboard-carrying backup to Tom Wilkinson.

That's the hope that's there for the Edmonton Elks to attempt to sell with backup Taylor Cornelius, who was quarterback at Oklahoma State in college and as a pro for a handful of games in the XFL for Elks rookie head coach Jaime Elizondo, then offensive co-ordinator of the Tampa Bay Vipers. It was Elizondo who convinced Elks general manager Brock Sunderland to sign Cornelius.

Cornelius is a 6-foot-5 QB with an allegedly great arm who became the starting quarterback Thursday on his 26th birthday and wears No. 15 and would make a wonderful Ricky Ray story.

It's just that the Elks picked a hell of a time to try to sell him as hope.

The Bombers arrived in Edmonton on Friday with all sorts of swagger, looking to improve to 6-1 for the first time since 2011 when they reached the Grey Cup and since 1984 when they won it.

Winnipeg has scored the most points (136) and allowed the fewest (76) for a plus-60 differential. They've scored 16 touchdowns and given up six, have a touchdown ratio of plus-12 and have allowed the fewest fourth-quarter points with three.

Being favoured by a converted touchdown is a big number for a team on the road, even if they are the defending Grey Cup champions.

If Harris stays out for the full six games, it not only means Cornelius would have to start the three games against Winnipeg, two of them in Edmonton and two others also at home against the Hamilton Tiger-cats and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Elks' next road game is against Ottawa, a team they dominated 443 yards to 127 on net offence and 27 first downs to seven but thanks to three interceptions including a 102-yard pick-6, they somehow managed to lose to, 16-12.

Edmonton finishes up with three games on the road in a span of seven days at the end of Harris's six games on the injured list.