01-16-2020, 06:42 AM
Toronto Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray is entering his 12th year in the CFL and his third with the Argos. Hes coming off a season where he was injured twice, missing eight games, but still put up some eye-popping numbers. Ray passed for just under 2,900 yards, completing 77 per cent of his passes. He threw 21 touchdowns against just two interceptions, finishing with a mind-numbing QB rating of 126.4. Ray sat down on Saturday for a chat with Mike Hogan, the play-by-play voice of the Argos on TSN 1050. MH: Whats different about camp this year? RR: The same basic philosophies are still there that coach (Scott Milanovich) carries on about how we practice, our tempo and what he expects from us, but there is a new feeling. We have a new defensive staff, a lot of new guys on defence. Offensively, were returning a lot of guys and coaches so it feels pretty similar. MH: On your side of the football, its good that you have the continuity that you do (Chad Kackert, Dontrelle Inman and Joe Eppele are the only 2013 starters not back this year). Can you put into words how important that is at this stage? RR: It just makes things so much easier. Thinking back to the first year here, there was so much to learn, trying to get used to a new system and trying to get used to all the guys around you. Last year and this year, weve all played together and have a lot of game experience together and were still running the same stuff out there, so youre not trying to get used to everything and you can go out there and try and improve on things from the previous year. MH: Whats your relationship like with Coach Milanovich in the off-season? Do you keep in contact continually trying to tweak things, or do you go home to Northern California and just ignore football for a couple of months? RR: I pretty much go home and get away from football. Hell call me every now and then and tell me whats going on, say if they have any new ideas and really just see how the off-season is going, but its only a couple of times a year. Other than that, I try to get back and relax and just get refreshed for the new year. MH: Your first two seasons in Toronto saw very different results. The first year couldnt have gone any better, winning the 100th Grey Cup. Last year, everything was going fine when you were on the field, but you had to deal with a couple of injuries. When you look back at last season, just how frustrating was it? RR: It was, just missing so much time and having to watch and rehab and do all that. It was fun to watch the guys play, to go out west and have that four-game winning streak, but not so much fun because youre sitting there watching and cant be out there playing. It was a weird year. We wrapped up first place and were just waiting around to see who we were going to play and had such high expectations and just werent able to get it done in the playoffs. MH: After the Argos were beaten badly in the 2010 Eastern Final by Montreal, some of them took it very hard, thought about it a lot in the off-season and used it as motivation. Did you think about losing last years Eastern Final often? RR: You think about it a lot, especially when you feel like you had a great opportunity to win the game. Sometimes when you get beaten pretty badly, its easier to swallow those than the ones that are close games where you had an opportunity to keep moving on. Its funny because were getting ready to play Hamilton in our next game (Thursday at Varsity Stadium), putting that film back on and then watching it (laughs) brings back a lot of not-so-good memories. So ya, that keeps you motivated. When you think about it, you try and work harder and you think about the next time you do get an opportunity like that to try and seize it. MH: There are still four running backs competing for the starting job. (Steve Slaton and Jeremiah Johnson are the new imports, up against returnee RB Curtis Steele. Also in the mix is University of Manitoba rookie Anthony Coombs) All of them seem to add something different to the mix. How would you assess the group? RR: Its been pretty fun watching them in camp. Curtis has a pretty good feel for what were trying to do out there. He gives a ton of effort on every play. The new guys are both very gifted athletes. Thats the position that we expect the most out of, with pass protection, running and catching out of the backfield and weve got three guys that can do it very well. Then you put Coombs in there and watching him, especially in one-on-one drills, he runs routes almost like a receiver, so hes going to be a good weapon for us. MH: Grey Cup or bust? RR: Thats what it is every year (smiles). Thats the expectation that (General Manager) Jim Barker and Coach Milanovich have put on us. Theyve built a great foundation here and we feel like we should be able to go out and win every year and have a chance to get to the Grey Cup. Discount Air Max 97 .com) - The Carolina Hurricanes hope to remain perfect at home in January on Friday night as they welcome the Vancouver Canucks to PNC Arena. Air Force 1 Online Store . - Considering where Jeff Gordon was after Richmond, left out of the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship in part due to some late-race shenanigans, he couldnt have been happier on Sunday. http://www.cheapshoesstorewholesale.com/ . Former two-time Olympic gold medallist Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle tested positive for the stimulant methylhexanamine in both her "A" and "B" samples, the German Olympic Committee said. Cheap Air Max Plus Wholesale . The Cottagers last victory came in a 2-1 home win over West Ham when Rene Meulensteen was still in charge. Since then, a miserable run of seven defeats and two draws has seen the club part with the Dutch coach and replace him with German Felix Magath. Air Max 97 Store . Perhaps as important, shes sending a message to 17-year-old gold medal favourite Sara Takanashi of Japan. Iraschko-Stolz relegated Takanashi, who has 10 World Cup victories this season, to second place in two of three training jumps Saturday.Womens Sport Week is in full swing, and Sky Sports looks at the growing role that women are playing in the NFL. At the start of the year, Sarah Thomas was appointed as a full-time official for this season. Although not the first female official, that honour goes to Shannon Eastin who was a replacement referee in 2012, Thomas is no stranger to breaking barriers in American football. She was the first woman to officiate in college football, as well as in a College Bowl game, in 2009. It is also a ground-breaking year for Kathryn Smith, who was hired as Special Teams Quality Control coach with the Buffalo Bills, becoming the first full-time female coach in the NFL. It is Smiths 14th year in the league, having served as an intern and administrative assistant with the New York Jets and Bills, before being appointed as a coach in January. The appointment came at the end of a season where Dr Jen Welter completed a pre-season internship at the Arizona Cardinals, coaching inside linebackers before the team went on to the NFC Championship game later that year. Welter is now a full time linebackers coach at the Dallas Revolution in the American Indoor League. Womens Sport Week Check out all the news from Womens Sport Week, including #myinspirationalwoman Jen Welter served a linebacker coaching internship with the Arizona Cardinals during preseason As the NFL continues to grow as Americas most popular spectator sport, so too does the female viewership. In 2013, the NFL recognised that 45 per cent of its fan base was female, and the viewing figures for women had grown 26 per cent between 2009-2013. We believe were a better organisation when we have diversity, and were making progress on that front, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said following the NFL International series game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts.Were seeing progress not only in coaching and officiating, but we now have four female physicians and six athletic trainers in roles with teams. But we always think we can do better, and I know we will continue to make progress because we will benefit from that diversity. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell bbelieves progress is being made as women are getting more opportunities to progress Sam Rapoport has also been brought in as the leagues director of football development, and has plans in place to support the role of women within teams, as coaches, officials, scouts and trainers as well as within the organisations head office.ddddddddddddCarson Tinker, the Jacksonville Jaguars long snapper has spoken with Thomas at training camps, and believes that as a woman she has to go above and beyond to break the stigma of a mans world surrounding the NFL.The NFL is definitely a mans world, so its awesome to be able to come in and earn the respect that they have in the game.They have to work twice as hard, know and do twice as much to prove themselves so theyre definitely deserving of their opportunity.Sky Sports NFL expert Neil Reynolds praised the steps both Smith and Thomas are making in their respective fields. These two ladies are absolute ground-breakers and its good because you dont get to the position that theyre in without proving your worth, and this is a chance for others to follow their lead, he said. The NFL is big on production - its what you bring to the table and both Smith and Thomas have shown that you dont get to that point by accident.Chatting with Sarah at the Jaguars mini-camp, she explained how much any official has to do to reach the NFL. She doesnt do interviews because officials dont do that, and its good that she isnt singled out. She wants to be treated like any other. Shannon Eastin became the first female official in the NFL back in 2012 The NFL can sometimes appear like an old boys club, when the same coaches moves around the league taking their favourite coordinators and coaches with them, but Reynolds believes that the game is changing and doors are being opened.The perception from the outside is that its a closed shop. Thats why what Kathryn Smith is doing can be blazing a trail, and why not have more women coaching in the NFL.The only way now is for these role models to prove their ability at the highest level and if they can do that, then it will only create more opportunities for others. You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: NFL week four highlights What is Womens Sport Week? Womens Sports Week Headlines NFL week five: what to watch ' ' '