Ray could take Argo reins for rematch with Ticats
Coaching staff will determine whether No. 1 QB fit for starting duties in Thanksgiving Day game
Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray suited up Friday night for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury six weeks ago against the Calgary Stampeders, but the three-time Grey Cup champion remained on the sidelines as his teammates lost 33-19 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Still, his presence in uniform suggests he could return to the starting role as early as Oct. 14, when the Argos take on the Ticats once again in a Thanksgiving Day rematch.
“That really is still to be determined,” head coach Scott Milanovich said after Friday’s loss.
“I need to see some improvement from him. He’s made a lot of improvements — as you guys have seen him out there throwing (in practice) — but I would like to see him get a little bit better. Thankfully, we’ve got some time.”
The10-day layoff between games for the Argos will give Milanovich and his coaching staff plenty of opportunities to evaluate Ray in practice to determine if he’s ready to take back the starting role, filled since Aug. 23 by sophomore QB Zach Collaros.
Despite Friday’s loss, the Argos have hardly been struggling without their top pivot, posting a 4-2 record since Ray’s injury, including a record-setting fourwin road trip. Collaros has stepped in admirably, earning CFL offensive player of the month honours in September.
That said, Ray was on his way to a career season — even by his Hall of Fame standards — before he went down, leading the league with a sparkling 78.3 completion rate and top QB rating of 134.
While Collaros stirred the Argos to four consecutive come-from-behind victories on the road to earn player-of-the-month accolades, the team’s offence has struggled badly in the first half since Ray’s injury, averaging just eight points in the opening two quarters over their last six games.
“Zach’s done a tremendous job,” Milanovich said after Friday’s loss. “He didn’t win five of the last six by himself and he didn’t lose this one. We have a ton of faith in him. When Ricky’s ready to go, he’s going to go. It would be great if it was next week, but if it’s not we’ll wait until he’s ready.”
With Hamilton’s win on Friday and the Alouettes trouncing Edmonton on Saturday, the race in the East tightened over the weekend. But the Argos still hold a healthy four-point cushion atop the division and could clinch first place next week against the Ticats.
What remains to be seen is who will be leading the rush.