Adrian McPherson (6) during the 2016 Toronto Argonauts training camp in Guelph, ON. (Photo: Johany Jutras)
The Toronto Argonauts participated in the final practice before their first preseason game of 2016 on Thursday, returning to the grass field at the University of Guelph.
The team will participate in a walk through tomorrow morning in a last-minute preparation for their preseason showdown with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 4:00 p.m. ET at BMO Field on Saturday.
“I’m just looking for them to keep playing the way they’re practicing,” said head coach Scott Milanovich. “We’re playing hard, we’ve been better with our discipline on penalties as the camp’s gone on, the defence is flying to the ball.”
The Argos coach is anticipating big hits on opposing receivers and efficiency from his own offence, stating that he’d like to see the team run the ball well against the Ticats.
Although he won’t personally see significant playing time, quarterback Ricky Ray is looking forward to the weekend’s tune-up as a chance to get used to the mental and physical pace of a real game.
“That’s what it’s all about, is getting used to real life situations out there,” explained Ray. “In training camp, we can sit back there and hold the football and nobody’s going to hit us, and you get too comfortable. Saturday’s going to be the day where we’re getting hit and your thought process has to speed up a little bit and get used to that game speed.”
2016 Training Camp Prospectus: http://bit.ly/1TGT2tc
Backup QB position up for grabs in preseason
The battle for the backup quarterback position will reach its peak on Saturday,as the performance of each quarterback during the preseason game will play a large part in who winds up with the job.
Scott Milanovich announced the team’s quarterback rotation on Thursday morning, stating that Logan Kilgore would be given the ball to begin the preseason bout with the Tiger-Cats.
“Logan’s probably going to play the first quarter,” said Milanovich, “Ricky [Ray] will start the second quarter and he won’t play more than two series, I wouldn’t think. Adrian [McPherson] and Cody [Fajardo] will finish up.”
The Argos head coach and former professional quarterback will look to give the younger quarterbacks a chance to start in the team’s two preseason games, explaining that he’s already seen Ray and McPherson start enough games throughout their CFL careers.
“I’d like them to get that feeling of coming out of the tunnel and it’s their ball,” Milanovich explained.
All three quarterbacks in contention for the backup role have shown well so far in camp, leaving the job wide open for anyone’s taking heading into the two games.
“The preseason games are important,” said Milanovich. “They’ve all had good camps…We’ll see how this one goes, and how we play them against Montreal will be determined by this week.”
Kilgore, who will start the game for the Argos, is taking a simple approach to his first CFL game since last year’s preseason.
“Our main focus is getting out of the huddle, protect the football and make plays when they’re presented to us,” stated Kilgore. “We’ll try to limit the mistakes and hopefully both teams stay injury-free.”
Ray breaks down the quarterback group
The Argos veteran starting quarterback Ricky Ray talked about what he sees from each of the quarterbacks who are competing for the backup spots behind him:
- On Logan Kilgore – “He’s very talented. He’s got a great arm; he gets the ball out quick. I think now that he’s getting more reps and more experience in this offence, his mind is able to work a lot faster, he’s not thinking as much. That’s what it’s all about, getting those reps and getting more comfortable to where you can go out there and play fast, and he’s doing that.”
- On Cody Fajardo – “With Cody, it seems to me watching him that he’s one of those guys that’s going to make a lot of plays with his athletic ability. You can’t really see that in practice because we’re not getting tackled or anything like that. Cody’s one of those guys that I think can get out of the pocket when things break down and make some plays with his athletic ability. I’m excited to see that.”
- On Adrian McPherson – “Adrian’s the same way, him and Cody have that athletic ability to make plays with their feet. AD’s got that special arm where he can throw a lot of balls that most quarterbacks can’t throw in this league. Same with him, he’s getting more comfortable with what we’re doing offensively, he’s getting more reps in camp and like I said with Logan, it’s just about getting that experience and getting comfortable.”
Training Camp Day 12 Anecdotes:
- This year’s Argos team feels like more of a veteran team to Milanovich, who believes that the close bond shared by the team at this point is due to continuity on the roster and the quality of players brought in during the offseason. “I love the mix of veteran leadership with the rookie enthusiasm,” said Milanovich. “Right now I’m pretty pleased with where we’re at, to be honest with you.”
- Rookie running back Edwin Baker has his priorities in order to play in the Argonauts protection-first offence. The Michigan State product, who’s enjoying a strong first CFL training camp, has noticed littlechange between American and Canadian football, stating that the demands of a running back remain the same. “You have to be able to protect the quarterback, keep the quarterback upright, catch the ball out of the backfield, and run downhill,” explained Baker.