Argos’ Ray still has ‘a ways to go’

Quarterback Ricky Ray replaced his baseball hat with a football helmet Thursday, ushering in speculation his recovery from off-season shoulder surgery is going well.

Optimism, however must be tempered.

“He’s not close yet,” Argonauts head coach Scott Milanovich confirmed post-practice at York University.

The Argos activated the 35-yearold Ray off the veteran’s injured list, which means he can officially practise with the team. But he is going to keep working on individual drills, not in live drills.

Prior to Thursday, Ray was only allowed to attend player meetings and throw on his own on the sidelines. He was throwing a crisper ball Thursday, the longest going 25 yards, the maximum allowed under the football program laid out for him.

“It felt better than the first few times, so I’m making progress, which is a good thing,” Ray said. “I’ve still got a ways to go, but definitely today was a very positive day.”

Ray still gets his right shoulder iced after throwing.

The Argos open the regular season on June 27 in Fort McMurray against the Edmonton Eskimos. Ray will likely start on the six-game injured list.

For now, third-year Argo Trevor Harris is the No. 1 quarterback, with Mitchell Gale slotted in as backup.

All the quarterbacks and receivers are struggling in Milanovich’s eyes.

Gale is “up and down, like the rest of them,” the coach said. He likes Logan Kilgore, but Kilgore missed a read Thursday and threw an interception. And former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Blake Sims is “behind the 8 ball” because he missed the Florida mini-camp and the first day of rookie camp last week.

Meanwhile, Canadian defensive lineman Cleyon Laing ended his holdout and reported to camp.