Dave Campbell
CFL.ca
Three guesses if you know what a Serratus Anterior is? No, it’s not an island by the Antarctic. No, it’s not the name of a new grunge rock band. It’s the muscle that stabilizes the shoulder blade and is what has put starting quarterback Ricky Ray on the shelf for an undetermined amount of time. The injury prevented Ray from throwing in practice all of last week up until the present. He’s unable to extend his arm forward without feeling major soreness and discomfort. Ray really can’t put any sort of torque on the football. He’s out of the lineup for Saturday’s game vs. Winnipeg and possibly the next week in Regina. Possibly even the entire post-season, if the Eskimos make the post-season. All Ray can really do now is to sit, rest, and wait.
“It’s a muscle so it’s just like doing it to your hamstring or any other muscle in your body”, explained Ray. “It just takes time for it to heal up. You just do all your rehab stuff to strengthen the muscles around it and just give it time to heal.”
Ray figures he was hurt in the third quarter of the team’s 31-28 overtime victory in Vancouver when he was hit by B.C. Lions middle linebacker Soloman Elimimian in the third quarter. That makes sense because Ray attempted only one pass for the rest of the game. Backup Jared Zabransky filled in admirably in last week’s win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Boise State product was 16 of 23 for 188 yards, he threw two touchdown passes and most importantly, he didn’t throw an interception. Zabransky says getting first team reps in practice made the difference.
“Not having to come in and be a spark plug and being able to come in early and manage the football team and be a quarterback instead of an ignition guy,” he said.
Zabransky will be the starter for the time being. Seeing what happened in Winnipeg’s loss to the Toronto Argonauts where the Bomber lost starting pivot Steven Jyles and backup Alex Brink in the same game, General Manger Eric Tillman decided to bring in some insurance in the form of 2007 Grey Cup winner and CFL Most Outstanding Player Kerry Joseph. The 37 year-old has been out of football since the end of the 2009 season when he was released by the Toronto Argonauts. Joseph signed a practice roster agreement and likely won’t be back next season. Whether he plays or not will depend on how Zabransky performs in the next week or so. Joseph is thrilled to be a part of a team who’s in the hunt for a playoff spot, a time of year where he feels he’s played his best football.
“This is money time, you play the game to win championships,” said Joseph. “I can remember back in 2007 when (then Roughriders head coach) Kent Austin said look, take us where we got to go. This is the time where players step up and you play games. It’s exciting, it’s cold but that’s when you know you’re getting close to playoff time.”
Joseph is one of a few veterans Eric Tillman has brought in to the fold to help the Eskimos in their quest for a playoff spot. Two weeks ago it was receiver Derick Armstrong, last week it was kick-returner Jason Armstead. Tillman cautions that even though the Eskimos, winners of four of their last five games are playing great football, there’s lots of work to be done for next season.
“Sometimes one of the worst things you can do is you can let that success mask areas that still need to be addressed,” said Tillman. “We need to be honest about where we are and where we aren’t and sometimes winning can camouflage problems and if you let it, then you preclude yourselves from making smart changes.”
Tillman has said from day one that he has one eye on the future and one eye on the present. The present right now looks very promising. Whether Joseph plays or is reduced to helping out the young gunslinger Zabranksy, he has just one thing to say to Eric Tillman and head coach Richie Hall.
“Thank you, thank you, and thank you.”
Notes: Ray has been placed on the 1-game injured list meaning Kerry Joseph will dress as the third quarterback behind Jared Zabransky and Jason Maas. Left tackle Jeremy Parquet is out with a knee injury. Import Patrick Afif will make his CFL debut starting at left tackle, Afif was released at training camp back in June. Left guard Kyle Koch will miss the game due to an injured arm, Kelly Bates will fill-in. The Eskimos with a win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday combined with a B.C. Lions loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday will clinch third place in the CFL’s Western Division.