Dave Campbell
CFL.ca
Edmonton is a city that isn’t blind to the reality of a star athlete being traded away by either the Eskimos or the Oilers. Wayne Gretzky, Matt Dunigan, Mark Messier, Tracy Ham, Ryan Smyth, and the blockbuster news on Monday. The Gretzky trade gave birth to the phrase: “If Wayne Gretzky can be traded, anyone can be traded.” How true in any sport.
In football, the most important position is the quarterback and the Eskimos had a good one. Ricky Ray who played nine seasons in the colour of green and gold was traded to the Toronto Argonauts on Monday in exchange for quarterback Steven Jyles, kicker Grant Shaw, and 2012 first round draft pick (second overall).
It’s the biggest trade Eskimos fans have seen since 1992 when quarterback Tracy Ham was traded to Toronto as part of an eight-for-eight deal. The news of the trade lit up the phones lines on 630 CHED here in Edmonton, the message boards, and Twitter.
The man who pulled the trigger on the trade is general manager Eric Tillman who isn’t afraid of making a controversial deal. In 1994 as GM of the B.C. Lions, he traded Kent Austin to Toronto and gave the football to a young Danny McManus. In 2007, he traded the Most Outstanding Player and Grey Cup champion Kerry Joseph to Toronto and Darian Durant rose to stardom.
He says Argonauts general manager Jim Barker approached him close to two weeks about acquiring Ray and was relentless in his pursuit of Ray.
This deal is perhaps the biggest risk of Eric Tillman’s career. The Eskimos are coming of an outstanding season finishing 11-7 which was good for second place in the CFL West.
Outside of B.C. Lions pivot Travis Lulay, Ray was likely the second best quarterback in the CFL last season and yes, in the same league with Anthony Calvillo. He passed for over 4,500 yards, a very respectable 24 to 11 touchdown to interception ratio, and he led the CFL in passer rating at 99.3.
The salary cap now plays a huge role in the Canadian Football League these days. Reality is, Ricky Ray is making $400,000, the Eskimos save $200,000 in cap space. That might be the most important aspect of this deal is Tillman has the flexibility to sign another Canadian or two. He has a quarterback who’s younger by almost three years in Steven Jyles.
This is where the risk comes in for Tillman. Jyles has never show the consistency to be a starter in the CFL. He’s started with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Argos in the last two seasons with limited success with both teams.
He does show tremendous upside as far as a quarterback who’s able to stretch defences with his strong arm or with his feet. Scheme wise, Tillman wants a quarterback with the mobility to keep defences guessing. Working in Jyles’ favour is he knows the offence run by offensive coordinator Marcus Crandell. They played together in Saskatchewan and Crandell coached Jyles as well.
The trade goes deeper than the quarterbacks. Grant Shaw who’s from Edmonton gives the Eskimos a big leg and he can do all three kicking duties, and he’s young. The 2012 Canadian College Draft is very deep and Tillman feels the chance is very good to grab a potential impact player at the number two position.
All of the above however can’t overshadow that fact that “the franchise” is no longer a member of the Eskimos. Ray spent nine seasons in Edmonton and won two Grey Cups in three appearances in his first three seasons in the Canadian Football League.
He endured the dark days following the 2005 Grey Cup win. He’s put up with constant criticism from some fans about his play, his demeanor, and even his level of care. He dealt with it all with an outstanding level of class. He never once lashed out at the fan base, him teammates, or the organization when you could’ve made a good argument that he had every reason too.
He loved playing in Edmonton and he loved the pressure of playing in a city that demanded a winner.
Like it or not, here are the facts:
He’s the most accurate passer in CFL history, he has the second best passer rating of all-time in the CFL, and he sits sixth overall in that department in pro football history. Two Grey Cup titles, and holds many Eskimo records. He’s going to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and he’ll be up on the Eskimos Wall of Honour.
Optically, the trade right now doesn’t look good. A year from now, two years from now, who knows. This trade for the Argos is about now. For the Eskimos, it’s about having an eye to the present and to the future.
Before the new era in Edmonton truly begins, a heartfelt “thank you Ricky” is in order.
Thank you Ricky.