The last thing the Toronto Argonauts wanted was to watch their starting quarterback Ricky Ray suffer another injury in a meaningless Week 18 game. The team announced Ray would be on the sidelines Thursday, while backup Jarious Jackson gets the call as the Argos host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Not Worth the Risk
If the Argos have any hope of doing some damage in the postseason, they will need Ray to be healthy. He has already missed close to four full games with a knee injury this year and Toronto lost three of those games. Ray was just named the CFL’s Offensive Player of the Week and has thrown for 688 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception in his last two games. “It’s a short week and (Ray) isn’t 100 per cent healthy,” Argos head coach Scott Milanovich told reporters. “I believe it’s my job to get him into the playoff game as healthy as he can possibly be.” The Argos will host the conference semifinal game on Nov. 11.
Helping Hands
The Argos have confirmed that Jackson will make his fourth start of the season, but expect to see Trevor Harris and Zach Collaros take some snaps too. Toronto also plans to sit as many as seven other starters including running back Chad Kackert and wideout Maurice Mann. This is all very good news to Hamilton fans. The Tiger-Cats need a win over the Argos combined with a Calgary win against Edmonton to secure a playoff berth. Despite the lineup changes, Toronto says it won’t let up on Hamilton. “They’re our biggest rival. It’s nice to knock a team out of the playoffs but your biggest rival is even better,” Ricky Ray told reporters.” We have a lot to play for still. They have a lot to play for, they’re going to come out ready to go and we’re going to go out there and try to get the win.”
Now or Never
Hamilton, which has lost three of its last four against the Argos, still ranks second in the CFL in producing 29.3 points per game. The Ticats do turn the ball over too much, but that really isn’t the major problem. Hamilton allows about 423 total yards and 31 points per game. That said, if Henry Burris takes care of the ball like he did during last week’s win (171 yards, two TDs, no INTs), Hamilton should be able to get the better of Toronto’s scrubs. The Argos just aren’t going to risk any significant injuries before the playoffs, so if the Ticats can’t win Thursday, they have no place in the postseason anyway. Final score: Hamilton 27, Toronto 17.
