Argos return to Ricky Ray, but will they decide on him or Harris long-term?
The Toronto Argonauts suffered the CFL weekend's most lopsided loss, falling 34-2 to the Montreal Alouettes Friday in front of just a few of their fans in Hamilton, and they've decided to take major action afterwards. On Sunday, Toronto head coach Scott Milanovich announced that the team will be changing starting quarterbacks Friday when they host the B.C. Lions, giving veteran pivot Ricky Ray his first start of the season. Moving from Trevor Harris to Ray is an interesting decision, and one that carries significant implications for both this year and the future. However, it's not necessarily indicative that Ray will be the guy going forward.
Both quarterbacks played in that loss to Montreal, and neither was particularly effective. Harris started te game and completed 11 of his 14 passes, but threw for just 102 yards and tossed an interception. Ray appeared in relief and was a little better, completing 12 of 15 passes for 107 yards, but he still wasn't able to put points on the board. Thus, while this might be slightly based on showings Friday, it's not entirely about that. In fact, Milanovich said on Oct. 14 one bad game wouldn't demote Harris:
“It looks at this point we’re going to ride him," said the head coach, who won a Grey Cup with Ricky Ray as his quarterback in 2012.
Milanovich has said all along Harris will continue to be the guy if he continues to play well.
...It’s not an interception here, an interception there that’s going to cause a difference," Milanovich of Harris said. “He’s going to have to have multiple poor games before I’m willing to make a move."
“He’s not been perfect, but he’s playing at a fairly high level overall. He’s the one who brought us here.”
Since then, though, Harris has delivered two mediocre-at-best showings in a row. Last week, he threw for 264 yards and a touchdown in a 27-15 loss to Calgary, but tossed three interceptions and completed just 26 of 44 passing attempts (59.1 per cent). Combining that with this most recent performance and a less-than-perfect one the week before in a win over Montreal (16 completions on 21 attempts, but just 182 yards with two touchdowns and an interception), there's a case to be made that Harris is in a bit of a slump. Whether Ray will be better is an open question, though, as Friday's game was his first action of the season; he's missed most of the year recovering from shoulder surgery. Milanovich said Sunday that this move is also to evaluate where Ray's at:
"We need to find out what Ricky is capable of doing before we get into the playoffs," Milanovich said. "Then we, I, need to make a decision as to who gives us the best chance to advance when we get there.
"Part of this is a function of that. When I spoke with Trevor (on Saturday) I told him he needs to be ready."
So, this may only be a one-week move if Ray underwhelms, and Harris could be quickly be called upon again. What makes this even more notable is that both quarterbacks are pending free agents, so the Argos may have a difficult choice to make about which one to try and keep. Ray has proven to be one of the CFL's best quarterbacks when he's healthy, and he has three Grey Cup rings, including one with the Argos in 2012, but he's 35, his last several seasons have been marred by injuries, and there are questions about if he still has the necessary strength to throw deep passes. Meanwhile, Harris is 29, and he has substantial experience in Toronto's system, having been with them since 2012, and he got off to a hot start this season. There are questions about if his success from earlier this year is sustainable, though. It's going to be interesting to see which way the Argos go down the stretch and in the playoffs, and that may play a large role in determining their moves this offseason as well.
