Ricky Ray to Toronto

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Blitz
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MexicoLionFan wrote:It is certainly a surprise, but I know Eric Tillman a little bit, and one thing Eric isn't is impatient, or foolish with his football impressions...the only way Tillman makes this deal is if he has an answer for the QB position, and if he feels that the pieces he gets back are the missing links for his club...

So before we all go running out onto the streets celebrating, I think we should be a little cautious and see how this thing plays out...

And remember one thing about Ricky Ray...between the 20 yards lines, there is likely no better QB in the history of the CFL, but inside the red zone, he simply doesn't get it done anywhere near consistently...Tillman wants a Grey Cup title, and not a strong 2nd place year after year...
Tillman is a smart football guy and you can bet this has been very seriously consdered. I also believe the timing to trade Ricky Ray is good. While Ray has some very good stats the fact is that if Edmonton wants to win a Grey Cup, rather than just being competitive, they need to make this move. It may not work out for them but if the Grey Cup is the prize they need to make a change. Travis Lulay proved this season that you can win a Grey Cup with a dynamic but not a very experienced quarterback.

One person in all the quarterback speculation that we won't likley see in the CFL, dispite Geroy Simon's tweet to the contrary a few games ago, is Denver'sTebow...who is now 7-1.... with a string of comeback victories we'e never seen put together before.
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WestCoastJoe
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http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/ ... 13616.html
The Eskimos described the decision as difficult and “emotional.”

The deal, from their side, wouldn’t appear to make much sense: a future Hall of Famer in return for an unknown future. But they denied any league involvement in boosting Toronto’s fortunes as the league tries to boost interest in the 100th anniversary celebrations.
I agree. I just don't think you can find an unknown guy who can step in and give you what Ricky Ray gives a team. Travis Lulay was not unknown going into this year. He had shown very well last year, and all the way back to Training Camp. Plus the Lions had him in their sights for years.

It seems to me Eric Tillman is going to be under a bit of pressure to make this deal look good. To me, it just looks good for the Argos, so far.

The old adage in trading players about who wins the deal ... the team that gets the best player wins the deal. Argos ... hands down.
RICKY RAY’S CFL HIGHLIGHTS

— In 2002 started the season as the Eskimos third-string quarterback but ended up replacing Jason Maas and throwing for 2,991 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions with the highest quarterback rating in the league (101.3).

— In 2003, he led the Eskimos to a 34-22 Grey Cup win over Montreal. It was Edmonton’s first Grey Cup in 10 years with Ray completing 22 of 32 passes for two TDs and 301 yards against Don Matthews’ renowned blitzing defence.

— Named the most outstanding player of the 2005 Grey Cup as he led the Eskimos to a 38-35 victory. He threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns while completing 35 of 45 passes.

— In 2006, playing with a non-contender, Ray led the league in passing with exactly 5,000 yards. He was also more evasive in the pocket than many observers expected. Playing behind a suspect offensive line he came in with 469 yards rushing with nine TDs.

— He became the Eskimos’ all-time leader in career passing yards in 2007, eclipsing CFL and NFL hall-of-famer Warren Moon.

— In 2008, Ray completed 422 of 608 passes to set a single season Eskimo record of 5,661 yards.

— This past season, Ray threw for 4,954 yards, 24 TDs and 11 interceptions for a 99.3 QB rating. He also showed that at age 32 he still had some scrambling ability, running for 258 yards and one touchdown
Ricky leaves a lot of fans cold. Something about his lack of expressivness for one thing? Dunno. To me, he is Hall of Fame, first ballot.
— In 2002 started the season as the Eskimos third-string quarterback but ended up replacing Jason Maas and throwing for 2,991 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions with the highest quarterback rating in the league (101.3).
Quarterback rating ... high completion percentage throughout his career. Tons of passing yardage. Running yardage too.
— In 2003, he led the Eskimos to a 34-22 Grey Cup win over Montreal. It was Edmonton’s first Grey Cup in 10 years with Ray completing 22 of 32 passes for two TDs and 301 yards against Don Matthews’ renowned blitzing defence.
Pressure game, the Grey Cup, shoots lights out vs Don Matthews' vaunted defence ...
— Named the most outstanding player of the 2005 Grey Cup as he led the Eskimos to a 38-35 victory. He threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns while completing 35 of 45 passes.
Once again, on the big stage, the Grey Cup, ice water in his veins, shoots lights out ...
— In 2006, playing with a non-contender, Ray led the league in passing with exactly 5,000 yards. He was also more evasive in the pocket than many observers expected. Playing behind a suspect offensive line he came in with 469 yards rushing with nine TDs.
Surprisingly elusive in the pocket ... the Lions know about his ability to run for yardage on broken plays.
— This past season, Ray threw for 4,954 yards, 24 TDs and 11 interceptions for a 99.3 QB rating. He also showed that at age 32 he still had some scrambling ability, running for 258 yards and one touchdown
Still in his prime ... Except for this year, perhaps, he has almost always played very well against the Lions. That is why I notice his play, and why I respect his abilities.

I still find this deal strange from the Eskimos' point of view. And as a fan of the Lions, I like it. Get him out of town, out of the West. I also like how it tends to improve the weak link franchise of the CFL, the Argos.
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Toppy Vann
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I just can't see Jyles being no. 1 in Edmonton.



A Jyles - Joseph tandem? Or they give their 3rd guy a shot at TC?

Another move afoot?

Burris is still out there I suspect and I guess Buck Pierce could be a free agent too (IIRC).

I can't see Edmonton not wanting to improve on last year and Jyles running is fine but his passing is not in the Ricky Ray league by far.

Tillman looked a bit defensive today and possibly he has another move in the making that he can't yet speak of to make this more sensible.

Edited to add this story which makes Tillman's thinking a lot clearer than much earlier today:
Curiously and pointedly, neither Tillman nor Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed would anoint Jyles their starter for 2012.

He’ll be in the mix with incumbents Matt Nichols and Eric Ward and veteran Kerry Joseph next training camp.

“This is not a Ricky Ray for Steven Jyles trade,” Tillman emphasized. “This is Ricky Ray for Steven Jyles, a high draft pick, a Canadian kicker and $200,000 of salary-cap space.”

In other words, this is Tillman making hard asset management decisions about a thirtysomething quarterback and living with the consequences, even if the payoff doesn’t come until the 2013 or 2014 season.

Tillman has done this before, most recently in Saskatchewan in 2007, when he dealt CFL MVP Kerry Joseph to Toronto, off-loading his large contract and handing the Roughriders quarterback duties to a group that included Marcus Crandell, now the Eskimos offensive co-ordinator; Jyles; Drew Tate, who now plays for Calgary; and Darian Durant.

“It’s always a roll of the dice,” Tillman said. “But this is not being done without a plan, without a thought process, without an eye for the big picture.

“This deal would never have been made if we did not feel we had tremendous upside with Matt (Nichols) and Eric (Ward).”
http://www.cflblogzone.com/2011/12/john ... ray-trade/
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WestCoastJoe
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Toppy Vann wrote:
“It’s always a roll of the dice,” Tillman said. “But this is not being done without a plan, without a thought process, without an eye for the big picture.

“This deal would never have been made if we did not feel we had tremendous upside with Matt (Nichols) and Eric (Ward).”
http://www.cflblogzone.com/2011/12/john ... ray-trade/
This pretty much puts it on Matt Nichols and Eric Ward. Did they even get game reps this year? They did not seem to make much of an impression on the media.

Still a head shaker IMO ...
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“This is not a Ricky Ray for Steven Jyles trade,” Tillman emphasized. “This is Ricky Ray for Steven Jyles, a high draft pick, a Canadian kicker and $200,000 of salary-cap space.”

Good trade for both parties IMO
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http://www.edmontonsun.com/2011/12/12/t ... -esks-reed
"I'm not going to be Nostradamus and predict we're going to be a better football team," said Kavis Reed. "I believe the pieces that we're getting will, probably in the long term, make us a better football team. I believe the intention is for us to be better in the future."
If you are not going to be a better football team next year, I would have to say you don't make the trade. A kicker? You must be kidding me. A second rate quarterback (Jyles). Even a number one draft pick. Not enough. Not even close to being enough.
...............

http://www.edmontonsun.com/2011/12/12/j ... an-outrage
Ray trade an outrage

By Terry Jones ,Edmonton Sun
CALGARY - OK, so lets get this straight again.

It wasn't the Eskimos' idea to trade Ricky Ray.

"Toronto came to us. They were very aggressive. We were reluctant to do so," said Edmonton Eskimos GM Eric Tillman.

Toronto kept coming back to the table, two, three, four times, said Tillman, until they produced an offer that he couldn't turn down.
Those dirty, tricky Argos. They kept coming back. They kept sweetening the deal. Poor Eric never had a chance. LOL
Steven Jyles!

A back-up quarterback the Eskimos brought into the league in the first place, found wanting and that nobody has much wanted since.

But relax, Edmonton, this doesn't mean Jyles is going to be No. 1.

No, no.

They're hoping he'll be beat out by the clip-board carrier Eric Ward and the fourth stringer Matt Nichols, who the Eskimos pretended was hurt and kept on the injury list all year. And there will also be ancient Kerry Joseph that Tillman brought out of retirement last year.

And you get a largely unproven Edmonton kid, Grant Shaw, back from the Argos as a kicker.

And the No. 2 pick in the Canadian college draft.
The only way it could possibly make sense is if Ricky was just too expensive. But if that is true, they have written off next year. IMO ...
What the hell were their first, second and third offers?

A back up quarterback! An unproven kicker! And a Canadian in the bush!

Who could turn down that deal?
For a franchise player in the prime of his career, an Eskimo of tradition who was the poster boy for 'The Eskimo Way', a person of excellent character and an outstanding representative in the community?

The Eskimos just climbed out of the basement to get to the Western Final. And new CEO Len ÔThe Brand Man' Rhodes is allowing Tillman to make this giant gamble on going back to where they were, by going forward without a credible quarterback much less the No. 1 brand in his band?

Tillman called it win-win.

It looks more like lose-lose.

Ray is now stuck with playing for he Argos.

And Edmonton is left without a quarterback.
This is the biggest trade in Eskimos history and the Oilers got more back in the $18 million sale of Wayne Gretzky!

Jackie Parker was traded to the Argos in 1963. But that was the end of his career. And it wasn't until a decade later, after going through two dozen quarterbacks the likes of Don Trull, Rusty Clarke, Larry Lawrence, Corey Colehour, Charlie Fulton, Harry Theofilides, Frank Cosentino, Terry Baker, Randy Kerbow, Bill Reddell, Lynn Amedee, Jim Walden, James Earl Wright and many more that the Eskimos found Tom Wilkinson, and were able to win again.

That's the risk Tillman is taking here. Jyles, Joseph, Ward and Nichols are more likely to be the first four names on another very long list, than your next Grey Cup MVP.
I agree. You don't replace Jackie Parker. You don't replace Ricky Ray.
Tillman thrives on making moves with stop-the-presses shock value, which bring focus on him as the mad genius of the CFL. But this one, it says here, is mostly mad, with minimal amount of genius involved.
Tillman just traded arguably the best quarterback in the Canadian Football League (when Ray is behind an offensive line which is capable of protecting him) and is a marvel to everybody in the league with his ability to keeping on ticking when he's forced to take a licking.

Ray is only 32. He was the top-rated quarterback at the front end of last season before the offensive line came completely unraveled and all four starting receivers were lost due to injury.
Tillman called it "having the courage to do what you think is right, short-term and long-term."

He said the Eskimos "get younger at the quarterback position and add the mobility dimension."

He also added "salary cap flex space" which, combined with mobility, is what it is all about."
He said "in 2007 the joke was that my house was going to be burned down" for allowing one-year-wonder Joseph to go to Toronto for big money.

He listed his previous successes.

There's been enough of them that maybe everybody should stop doubting Eric Tillman and concede his genius.

But on this one, trading Ricky Ray away, I doubt it.

I think Dec. 12, 2011, goes down as a dark day in Edmonton sports history.

And I consider Eric Tillnman trading Ricky Ray an outrage.
LOL ... Is Terry Jones just a little bit upset? Ummm ... Yeah. As I've said, as a Lions' fan, I like it. I just think it was stupid, dumb, the devil made me do it thinking on Tillman's part.
...................
WHAT THEY'VE SAID ABOUT RICKY RAY

Former Saskatchewan head coach Kent Austin:

"How much time do you have? He's mature. He's composed. He really understands what it takes to win. He understands defences. He understands the offence they're running against the defences they play. He makes great decisions. He's accurate. He's tough. He's durable. He doesn't get hurt. He's got a knack to get out of trouble. He can break tackles. He's stronger than he looks. Is that enough for you?"
That is a pretty complete list.
Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed:

"I think we're going to go as far as we're going to go on the basis of how Ricky Ray goes. Ricky's been and Ricky's proven. He's been our leader all year and his experience is our biggest asset. He has two Grey Cup championships under his belt. He's been in this position before. It's not foreign territory for him, as was indicative of the way he played Sunday in the Western semifinal. When we needed a drive, he put together a drive. When we needed big plays, he put together big plays. The man is proven and that gives us tremendous confidence in our football team."
True. Oh yeah, and since he is so important to us, we decided to trade him. :dizzy:
Eskimos All-Star Receiver Fred Stamps:

"He's our captain. He's our leader. We all look up to him. The whole team knows Ricky Ray is going to show up and that if we all show up, too, we should win. As long as he gets some protection the sky is the limit for us. He's going to make the decisions for us and make the right ones. With him at quarterback, you know he's going to get the ball there. He's going to get the ball to you and it's not going to hurt your hands."
Eskimos Linebacker Greg Peach:

"Every year when we show up to training camp we think we have a chance because we have Ricky Ray."


Ha ha ... Well, not anymore. Now he is in Toronto. LOL
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Sir Purrcival
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Even if the Eskimo's pick up Burris, I'm not sure they have improved themselves. The Stamps are making an announcement tomorrow. I am assuming that such an announcement would be concerning a trade. A trade to the smoes means that they have to give up something in return (their first draft pick? Maybe a defensive player or maybe an Oline player. Life in the off season sure hasn't been boring so far.
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TheLionKing
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If the Argos were that interested in acquiring Ray ( as it appears to be), Tillman could have waited and got alot more than Jyles, a kicker and a 1st round pick.
Blitz
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TheLionKing wrote:If the Argos were that interested in acquiring Ray ( as it appears to be), Tillman could have waited and got alot more than Jyles, a kicker and a 1st round pick.
AbsolutelyTheLionKing!! Jyles may not have proved himself yet but he does have potential. Ricky Ray was sacked the most times in the league this season..that mey be on the Edmonton scheme and offensive line more than it is on Ray but Ray is not that mobile. Edmonton is likely looking for more mobility from its quarterback and we all saw what Lulay's mobility this season could do to help an offence. I prefer mobile quarterbacks for the CFL game and when you look at most of the great ones they had that ability from Parker to Allan, Lancaster, Kapp, Russ Jackson, Doug Flutie etc. You really have to be a terrific pocket passer that can read defenses tremendously like a Cavillo or a Dickenson if mobility is lacking and that is not easy to do consistently.

I like this trade for Edmtonton and for Toronto..it gives them a name quarterback to try to bring back respectability and fan interest. Longer term, I think Edmonton will get the most out of this trade..from SMS room to the draft choice to a good kicker etc. as well as Jyles. I think Tillman made the move at the right time, when trading Ray could bring Edmonton some good assets as well as flexibility.
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In his attempt to put a positive spin on the trade, Eric Tillman criticized Ray for not being mobile enough and not having the arm strength to spread the field hotizontally and vertically.
Tillman said while Ray has made his mark in the CFL with pinpoint accuracy on short-to-medium passes – Ray has a career completion average exceeding 66 per cent – he and coach Kavis Reed want to stretch opposing defences more in 2012.

“When (the defence) has to honour the perimeter, it puts pressure on the defensive ends and defensive backs and opens up some inside running lanes,” Tillman said. “So from a style standpoint, where we're trying to go in the long term this is a step (in that direction).”
Canadian Press article

One of the knocks on Ray has always been that he likes to throw high-percentage short crossing routes and dump the ball off to his running backs rather than challenge defences by going vertical. I don't think that's valid any longer. In recent years, with the likes of Stamps and Bowman to challenge defences, Ray has thrown a lot of deep balls with accuracy, as he did in the past with Jason Tucker in the lineup. The Eskimos led the league this year, averaging 8.6 yards per pass attempt. (Calgary and B.C. were next at 8.4 yards and 8.1 yards, respectively.) The Esks also led the league with 30 passing plays of 30 yards or more. That's even more impressive alongside the fact that the Esks ranked just fifth in yards after the catch. That shows that their big passing plays were mainly the result of deep passes, not pass-and-run plays.

Another criticism of Ray and the Eskimos over the years, through a series of offensive coordinators, is a lack of red-zone productivity. They would move the ball well between the 20-yard lines and then stall. That is still valid. The Esks ranked fifth this year in red-zone touchdowns with 25 and sixth in red-zone percentage, 49%, just slightly ahead of the Argos in both categories. Still, there wasn't much difference between the Esks and most other teams in the red-zone productivity. Hamilton and Calgary were miles ahead of the rest of the league in that stat.

The net result of this trade is that the Esks dumped some salary and the Argos landed the best player and can use him to build a Grey Cup contender. No matter how Tillman tries to spin it, this is a win for the Argos.
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WestCoastJoe
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B.C.FAN wrote:In his attempt to put a positive spin on the trade, Eric Tillman criticized Ray for not being mobile enough and not having the arm strength to spread the field hotizontally and vertically.
Tillman said while Ray has made his mark in the CFL with pinpoint accuracy on short-to-medium passes – Ray has a career completion average exceeding 66 per cent – he and coach Kavis Reed want to stretch opposing defences more in 2012.

“When (the defence) has to honour the perimeter, it puts pressure on the defensive ends and defensive backs and opens up some inside running lanes,” Tillman said. “So from a style standpoint, where we're trying to go in the long term this is a step (in that direction).”
Canadian Press article

One of the knocks on Ray has always been that he likes to throw high-percentage short crossing routes and dump the ball off to his running backs rather than challenge defences by going vertical. I don't think that's valid any longer. In recent years, with the likes of Stamps and Bowman to challenge defences, Ray has thrown a lot of deep balls with accuracy, as he did in the past with Jason Tucker in the lineup. The Eskimos led the league this year, averaging 8.6 yards per pass attempt. (Calgary and B.C. were next at 8.4 yards and 8.1 yards, respectively.) The Esks also led the league with 30 passing plays of 30 yards or more. That's even more impressive alongside the fact that the Esks ranked just fifth in yards after the catch. That shows that their big passing plays were mainly the result of deep passes, not pass-and-run plays.

Another criticism of Ray and the Eskimos over the years, through a series of offensive coordinators, is a lack of red-zone productivity. They would move the ball well between the 20-yard lines and then stall. That is still valid. The Esks ranked fifth this year in red-zone touchdowns with 25 and sixth in red-zone percentage, 49%, just slightly ahead of the Argos in both categories. Still, there wasn't much difference between the Esks and most other teams in the red-zone productivity. Hamilton and Calgary were miles ahead of the rest of the league in that stat.

The net result of this trade is that the Esks dumped some salary and the Argos landed the best player and can use him to build a Grey Cup contender. No matter how Tillman tries to spin it, this is a win for the Argos.
"The net result of this trade is that the Esks dumped some salary and the Argos landed the best player and can use him to build a Grey Cup contender. No matter how Tillman tries to spin it, this is a win for the Argos." - BCFAN

I agree, BCFAN.

An MVP type QB is so hard to find, so hard to develop, that the Argos top ten players are not worth what he is worth. If the Argos had offered their entire team, I would have to say Ray was worth more. LOL

I don't think it is as if the Eskimos have the next guy in the pipeline, as they used to have in the days of Moon, Wilkinson et cetera.

Money saving move? Nah ... Ray was not overpaid for what is on his resume, and what he does on the field.

Is Toronto happy to have him? Oh yeah. Buyer's remorse? Not a chance. They know they stole one.

Meanwhile I took a gander on esksfans. Some fans want to lynch Tillman. They don't see the value in what is coming their way.

I'm going to break down Kent Austin's evaluation of Ricky Ray ...

Former Saskatchewan head coach Kent Austin:
"How much time do you have? He's mature. He's composed. He really understands what it takes to win. He understands defences. He understands the offence they're running against the defences they play. He makes great decisions. He's accurate. He's tough. He's durable. He doesn't get hurt. He's got a knack to get out of trouble. He can break tackles. He's stronger than he looks. Is that enough for you?"
mature

composed

understands what it takes to win

understands defences

understands the offence they're running against the defences they play

makes great decisions

accurate

tough

durable

doesn't get hurt

got a knack to get out of trouble

can break tackles

stronger than he looks


"Is that enough for you?" he asks ...

Well, he plays big in the biggest game, the Grey Cup.

He always gets up after the big hit.

He is slippery in the pocket.

He is mobile IMO, despite what Tillman says. You don't gain 170 yards or so on the ground in one game in the CFL if you are not mobile. He is ungainly, true. He moves like a crane, true, but he does move, and he can read the field.

..........

To me it is a head shaker. Perhaps Tillman has been reading the press clippings about how astute he is, and how many teams he has turned around in short order, and he ventured way too far outside of the box. Dunno. IMO he would have to pull a Lulay type quarterback out of his back pocket to justify this move. Or he would have to get to the Grey Cup next year. I can't see either of those things happening. Porous O Line. No quarterback next year (he is now in Toronto). IMO the number one ingredient for success in the CFL is top quarterbacking. The Eskimos had that with Ray. Now they don't have it.

Kavis Reed said he could not sleep for a couple of days before the trade. That should be telling you not to do the trade. D'oh ... It is like gambling when there is no need to gamble. That is when you lose sleep. Plus his instincts/hunches were telling him not to do it. Sounds to me like it is Tillman's trade. Reed had to go along with it.

One of Wally Buono's absolute greatest strengths has been his ability to see talent in prospective QBs, to have an environment where they can develop, and the patience to allow that to happen. Flutie, Garcia, Dickenson, Burris, Pierce, Jackson, Printers, Lulay. Is Tillman gonna pull one of those type of guys off of his Practice Roster? I doubt it.

My vote: Clear winner Toronto. Strangest trade by a GM: Tillman trading Ricky Ray for a few rolls of tape. Just IMO ...
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What surprises me the most about this trade is the Esks now essentially, have no starting Qb.

Jyles has received plenty of chances, has never really done very much.

Kerry Joseph? really?

If it were about salary, then why then think about bringing in Henry Burris?

It's good to be the Argos...screw up...screw up..avoid the work of developing a Qb, then have one handed to you.

I do want to see a better product in Toronto, but I don't like some of the aspects of this deal, and as Wpg showed when you are down in the valley the search and moves to try and improve is half of the fun of being a fan, the Argos appear to me to not wish to engage in that effort and went the microwave route.
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In addition to drafting a cornerstone player (Shologan), the Roughriders ended up replacing Joseph with Durant, thereby getting younger and cap-friendlier in the process.

Now, Tillman is hoping to replace Ray with a younger pivot (Jyles) while again hitting the jackpot with a high draft pick.

"Yes, it's similar to 2008,'' Tillman said. "And, like then, there was risk involved. Always has been. Always will be. But, obviously, young quarterbacks only have a chance to emerge when given the opportunity. At some point, with each club, there simply has to be a transition period.

"Of course, the devil is always in the details, right? When and how? Ricky is about to turn 33 in 2012. Is it now? A year from now? Or, does he continue to play at a high level for many years? Hey, it's not an exact science. But whenever you start the transition, there's always going to be an adverse reaction.

"When we made the Kerry Joseph trade, many people suggested we were nuts, too. Now, looking back, three of the young quarterbacks we had competing to be his successor were Darian Durant, Steven Jyles and Drew Tate - low-profile guys then who have subsequently all enjoyed success."
I think too that trading Ricky Ray to Toronto was not a bad thing much like trading Kerry Joseph as you can always rely on the modern Argos to make a good QB look bad. Of course with this new HC we won't know for a bit whether this will work out.

Tillman's reasoning is clearer today. And it is like he has said too many times:
"I've always said it's much more important to be popular in October and November than it is in the offseason, when you're making unpopular moves,'' Francine Tillman's husband said from Edmonton on Monday. "So, today is a lot like when we made the Joseph trade.

"Let's just put it his way: If I croak in the next week or two, Francine will probably be able to have my funeral in a phone booth."
If you look at the successful GMs in pro sports they don't always stand pat and they don't always make the popular moves from a fan's point of view.

http://www.canada.com/sports/football/c ... story.html

Is Ricky Ray the right QB if they don't get better protection for their QB in Toronto? I am not sure.

Burris is not likely heading to the Esks but stranger things have happened.
"Ability without character will lose." - Marv Levy
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WestCoastJoe
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Toppy, Ricky Ray racked up huge numbers in Edmonton without a good O Line.

And I would not compare Kerry Joseph to Ricky Ray. Kerry Joseph IMO rode the coattails of Kent Austin.

Is it possible that Ricky Ray will not look good in Toronto? I can't see that. Milanovich is pretty highly regarded.

Tillman may be right in that they were able to replace Joseph with Durant and things went smoothly. I don't see that happening in Edmonton.

Ricky Ray leaves some fans cold. It seems to me he leaves his GM and coach in Edmonton cold also. There is just that tendency for people to think RR is overrated and overpaid. Not me. As I've said, I would rate him just behind Travis Lulay in the CFL quarterback sweepstakes.

Would a trade of Travis Lulay for a second rate QB, a new kicker and a 1st round pick be considered fair? I don't think so. It seems to me the trade, and peoples' reaction to it is closely co-related to how highly (or not) they value Ricky Ray.

I think it is a huge gamble for Tillman and the Eskimos.

And I think Tillman could have pried much more out the trade. Did Tillman even talk to Hamilton? That kicker better be good. Jyles better be good. If Jyles does not start for the Eskimos, the trade comes down to a 1st round pick plus a kicker for the second best QB in the league. IMO that is an absolute steal for the formerly hapless Argos.

In any case, it will hold our interest in the coming year. And it will be a good test case of whether Tillman still has his GM A game happening.
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