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Ray Day in Toronto

Sportsnet.ca
Thu Dec 15 2011
Byline: Perry Lefko

It's been said Grey Cups are won in November, not June, and certainly not in December.

So before the Toronto Argonauts are congratulated this week for acquiring quarterback Ricky Ray from Edmonton, feeling he is a key component to winning the Cup next November at home, or Eskimos' fans burn general manager Eric Tillman in effigy for making what appears to be a boneheaded trade, let's review this move next year at this time.

Right now, the Argos can crow about acquiring Ray, who was introduced on Wednesday in a room high atop the CN Tower, overlooking Lake Ontario. Coincidentally, Steven Jyles, the pivot the Argos shipped to Edmonton, along with punter/kicker Grant Shaw and the second pick overall in the 2012 Canadian Football League Draft, was unveiled in the Eskimo locker room.

"It's a little more low key in Edmonton," Ray said of being introduced in such a spectacular fashion. "We don't have a big tower or skyline."

This is the Argo way, full of pomp and circumstance to compensate for a lack of winning, compared to the Eskimo way, which is more defined by success in the City of Champions. The Argos trumpet the acquisition of quarterbacks such as Ray, Kerry Joseph, Damon Allen, Doug Flutie, Kent Austin, Tracy Ham, Matt Dunigan, to name a few. All have come to Toronto with Grey Cup success. Some took the Argos to the Grey Cup and won it, some failed big time.

By his own admission, Ray is only a piece of the puzzle, and with a salary of $350,000- $400,000, he represents about one-tenth of the team's salary cap.

"It's more than just one guy out there," he said. "It takes a full team to win in this league."

A year ago at this time, Ray was asked to take a pay cut because of declining production. There was interest in his services from Hamilton, but Ray wanted to continue in Edmonton, where he had played eight seasons.

View original item at www.sportsnet.ca...»

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Coach feels for his QB

The Toronto Sun
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: S4
Section: Sports
Byline: MIKE GANTER

Scott Milanovich knows what it's like to be traded from a place you started to consider your professional home.

It takes some getting used to. even now, the argos' new head coach is dealing with the anxiety that came with leaving montreal, which had been his team for five seasons.

so he can empathize with his new quarterbac, k who was leaving a pretty solid eskimos outfit.

"I did go through it and your initial reaction is surprise," milanovich said. "No one really likes change, but that's how things get better and that's how things grow.

"When you are built like ricky and I are, you want to get entrenched in the team and the organization and you build friendships and relationships," he said. "Those things are tough to leave, but you also have to look at the opportunity that is ahead of you and I think he realizes he has a great opportunity ... It's okay for him to be taken aback a little bit. he has been there for nine years and he was the face of that franchise but now he is the face of our franchise."

milanovich experienced it as a player when after four seasons in the Tampa bay buccaneers organization he suddenly had to switch allegiances to the cleveland browns.

"I was traded to the browns in the expansion draft," milanovich said.

"so that was a brand new organization and I was coming from one that had Tony dungy as the head coach and we thought we were on the verge of what we thought was greatness. I got traded to a team that was going to struggle.

"all you can do is sink yourself into the new opportunity and things work out the way they are supposed to work out and I think that's why ricky is here."

© 2011 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

Edition: Final
Length: 304 words
Idnumber: 201112150077

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This GM job is a blast! ; Barker on roll without dual role

The Toronto Sun
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: S5
Section: Sports
Byline: MIKE GANTER, TORONTO SUN

The longer Jim Barker is general manager of the Argonauts, the more certain he feels he made the right decision giving up the coaching reins.

Barker has been on a bit of a roll since the end of the season, nabbing the head coach he wanted to replace himself and now engineering the trade that brought stability to the quarterback position in Toronto for the first time since Damon Allen was under centre.

We've seen Barker smiling and in a good mood before, but Wednesday's press conference to introduce Ricky Ray to the city was clearly one of Barker's better days in some time.

Barker admits leaving the sidelines was a tough decision, albeit the right one. Looking back on it now, it's more clear than ever that he best serves the team in the solo capacity of general manager, allowing him to focus all his attention on player procurement.

While the dual roll didn't suit him in this situation, he pointed out it has worked before but only in perfect conditions.

"It depends on what you come into," Barker said. "When Wally (Buono) went to B.C., he had Bobby Ackles there. I think it's a difficult job if you don't have that strong support person. I think if Scott (Milanovich) had come in here two years ago as a coach and GM into a situation like it was, it would have been difficult. The situation I came into was difficult. You have to get your whole organization set. You don't have anything there."

Barker was in Calgary when John Hufnagel came aboard and took over as head coach and general manager. Barker, who had been the GM was re-assigned as senior vice-president of football operations and acted as that support person for Hufnagel.

Still, Barker doesn't see many situations where he would recommend a single person take on both duties.

"It's rare because there are very few Bobby Ackles (who passed away in 2008) out there and I feel there are very few Jim Barker's that were able to help Huf in his transition," Barker said. "You have to have that right guy there to make it work. I was fortunate when I came in that I had Adam. He was still the GM when I came in so I was able to transition into it a little easier. But with that being said, once Adam was gone, I found it a bit too much and that's why I stepped aside."

© 2011 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

Illustration:
• photo of JIM BARKER Smiling, again

Edition: Final
Length: 412 words
Idnumber: 201112150010

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Free agents ... if the price is right

The Toronto Sun
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: S5
Section: Sports

The CFL has issued a list of potential candidates for the 2012 free agency period which begins Feb. 16. If the Argos have any money left at that point here are some potential targets given their needs.

* 1. sasK receiver Andy Fantuz: made one run at the NFL last season and when that didn't work returned to the cFL to a sub-par performance. If he is not resigned and remains in the cFL, he would solve a lot of the argos' problems at receiver.

* 2. mON Guard Scott Flory: yes, he's a little long in the tooth but he knows scott milanovich's offence and would be a huge help bringing the other vets up to speed. Point could be moot though as there is talk of retirement.

* 3.WPG receiver Greg Carr: again there's every chance the bombers re-sign this guy but if they don't his combination of size, speed and hands should have most teams salivating, Toronto more than any other.

* 4. edm middle linebacker Rod Davis: again,

no spring chicken and unsure of what chris Jones wants to do with his defence but davis is coming off a great year with 79 tackles and five sacks and if Pottinger isn't re-signed there would be an opening.

* 5. sasK middle linebacker Jerrell Freeman: he is already checking out his NFL possibilities but if he is back, you can't go wrong with 105 tackles and the league's most valuable defensive player.

* 6. Free agent receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux: he could wind up back in the cFL after spending the year on the minnesota Vikings' practice roster and not getting an opportunity. areceneaux was a stud in 2010 with b.c., surpassing the 1,000 yard mark and, as you know, the argos need receivers.

© 2011 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

Illustration:
• 6 photos

Edition: Final
Length: 280 words
Idnumber: 201112150052

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O'Shea eyeing greener pastures

The Toronto Sun
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: S4
Section: Sports
Byline: MIKE GANTER

The Argos want their creative special teams coach -- Mike O'Shea -- back in the fold, but at the moment he has better opportunities elsewhere.

Both the Hamilton and Saskatchewan head coaching jobs remain vacant and O'Shea has already interviewed for both. Obviously if either team wants him, Toronto will be looking for a new special teams coach and Jim Barker is preparing for that possibility.

"He has interviewed in Saskatchewan and Hamilton and until we hear something there, we won't know," Barker said. "We have Plan B and Plan C in case he doesn't return. As a general manager, I'm a big believer that you have to look three steps ahead, just like a coach does."

For the Hamilton head coaching job, O'Shea is believed to be up against Stampeders offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson, Bombers defensive coordinator ordinator Tim Burke, Ticats defensive co-ordinator Corey Chamblin and possibly Buffalo Bills' QBs coach George Cortez.

In Saskatchewan, where Brendan Taman is being extremely thorough, the candidates' list includes all five names on the Hamilton list in addition to Riders' coaches Richie Hall and Craig Dickenson.

© 2011 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

Illustration:
• photo of MIKE O'SHEA

Edition: Final
Length: 184 words
Idnumber: 201112150011

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Double Blue's new QB brings Ray of hope

Toronto Star
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: S1
Section: Sports
Byline: Chris Zelkovich Toronto Star

Ricky Ray may look fearless in the face of a ferocious pass rush, but he didn't look too comfortable standing near the window of a CN Tower restaurant.

"I'm a little afraid of heights," he admitted after Wednesday's media conference to introduce the new quarterback of the Toronto Argonauts.

That fear is really more about falling.

And considering the high pedestal the Argonauts have built for Ray, you too wouldn't blame the 32-year-old if he had some trepidation about an accidental tumble.

The Canadian Football League's top-rated passer last season - a 99.3 efficiency rating - doesn't see himself as the saviour of a franchise that has struggled both on and off the field in recent years.

"I definitely don't want to get to feeling that way," Ray said. "No one guy's going to come in and be the answer to anything. They're building a good coaching staff, we're going to have a good team out there. We've all got to do it together.

"That's what I tell myself, that I'm just one piece of the puzzle and I've got to go out there and improve and play well. It's going to take more than me."

While the self-described small-town boy from the northern California village of Happy Camp still looked a little shell-shocked after learning four days ago that his nine-year career in Edmonton had ended unexpectedly, his new teammates looked positively thrilled at his arrival.

Defensive tackle Kevin Huntley, who admitted to landing on Ray more than once, talked about his composure and toughness in the pocket.

Slotback Andre Durie talked about being a big fan of Ray's before arriving in the Canadian Football League.

"I had a big smile on my face when I heard he was coming here," he said "It's an honour to have a player like that on our team."

It's also an advantage to have a quarterback with a delicate passing touch that makes receivers better - even the butter-fingered Argo entourage.

Former Argo Andre Talbot, who caught passes from Ray two seasons ago in Edmonton, calls him a magician.

"He makes it easy for a receiver," said Talbot, who now runs his own yoga studio here. "It's just perfect touch and it just falls into your hands. It's a beautiful thing."

Equally as important, Talbot says, are Ray's quiet leadership skills that are more about setting an example than being vocal.

"He's a great teammate, a calm, cool, collected kind of guy who gets along with everyone," he said. "That's what you want in a leader.

"This is a huge step in the right direction for the Argonaut organization."

Ray's first step, beyond getting over the shock of being traded, will be to familiarize himself with his teammates. Then, he's looking forward to working with new head coach Scott Milanovich, who said that Ray will easily fit into an offence similar to the one he ran in Montreal.

"We've all seen how they've done it up in Montreal," he said. "I'm looking forward to just being able to learn more and take my game to another level."

His very arrival has done that for the Argos.

"It makes (my job) at lot easier," Milanovich said. "This just gives us a chance to be successful."

© 2011 Torstar Corporation

Illustration:
• Ricky Ray New Argos quarterback Ricky Ray, 32, says he was shocked when he was told by the Edmonton Eskimos that he had been dealt to Toronto. Frank Gunn/THE CANADIAN PRESS

Edition: ONT
Length: 541 words
Idnumber: 201112150117

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SWAP SHOP ; Ricky Ray trade ranks with the biggest the Argos have made for a QB since 1980

The Toronto Sun
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: S4
Section: Sports
Byline: MIKE GANTER

KERRYJOSEPH

March5,2008

saskatchewan roughriders trade 2007 cFL most Outstanding Player Joseph and saskatchewan's third-round pick in the 2010 cFL canadian draft to the argos in exchange for import offensive tackle Glenn January, import defensive lineman Ronald Flemons, Toronto's first-round selection in the 2008 cFL draft and second-round pick in the 2010 cFL draft. Joseph was a bust here. No matter what was sent the other way, the riders won this deal.

DAMON ALLEN * June 7,2003

b.c. Lions trade allen to the argonauts in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2004 cFL draft and a third-round pick in the 2005 draft. The cFL's all-time leading passer goes on to defeat the Lions in the 2004 Grey cup, and was named the cFL's most Outstanding Player in 2005. This was a clear win for the argos.

TRACY HAM * Jan. 28,1993

edmonton eskimos trade ham, 1989's cFL most

Outstanding Player, defensive backs Enis Jackson and Travis Oliver, slotbacks Craig Ellis and Ken Winey, fullback Chris Johnstone, linebacker John Davis, defensive lineman Cam Brousseau and a draft choice to the argonauts in exchange for quarterback Ricky Foggie, slotbacks Darrell K. Smith and J.P. Izquierdo, wide receiver Eddie Brown, cornerback Ed Berry, defensive tackle Leonard Johnson, defensive back Don Wilson and linebacker Bruce Dickson. The 16-player deal is the biggest in cFL history, and provided the eskimos the nucleus for their 1993 championship team. edmonton wins the trade.

MATT DUNIGAN * March 20,1990

The Lions traded dunigan to Toronto for defensive tackle Jearld Baylis, quarterback Rick Johnson, linebackers Willie Pless and Tony Visco, slotback Emanuel Tolbert and safety Todd Wiseman. dunigan would lead the argonauts to a Grey cup title in 1991. he is a member of the canadian Football hall of Fame. It was a steep price the argos paid for dunigan but by delivering a Grey cup, it was well worth it.

CONDREDGE HOLLOWAY * April 27,1981

Ottawa rough riders traded holloway to the argonauts in exchange for offensive tackle Kevin Powell. holloway was named the cFL's most Outstanding Player in 1982, and is the argonauts all-time leading passer. holloway was a member of the 1983 Grey cup championship team and is a member of the canadian Football hall of Fame. easy win for Toronto.

© 2011 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

Edition: Final
Length: 357 words
Idnumber: 201112150025

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Ray takes biggest hit in off-season trade; Longtime Eskimos quarterback floored by deal to Argonauts

Edmonton Journal
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: B1 / Front
Section: Sports
Byline: John MacKinnon
Column: John MacKinnon
Dateline: CALGARY
Source: Edmonton Journal

Ricky Ray always could take a hit.

Make no mistake, the 32-year-old quarterback, who for the last nine years was the Edmonton Eskimos' franchise player, was floored when he was told Sunday night he had been traded to the Toronto Argonauts.

"I didn't know anything about it until I got the call on Sunday," the self-effacing Ray said at a Toronto news conference. "Definitely, it caught me off-guard."

Ray said it had been a "tough couple of days" since Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed told him of the deal that sent the two-time Grey Cup champion to Toronto for a first-round draft choice, kicker Grant Shaw and quarterback Steven Jyles.

He also said it had been an exciting couple of days as he thought about the possibilities of going to Toronto, a team with a new head coach in Scott Milanovich, who himself is a former star college quarterback and has worked so successfully with the Montreal Alouettes' Anthony Calvillo.

Milanovich and Argonauts general manager Jim Barker, hardly the CFL's most bubbly personality, could scarcely contain their glee at acquiring Ray, the Eskimos' all-time leader in a cluster of career passing records, for a team whose biggest problem for years has been erratic to incompetent quarterbacking.

If the winner of a trade is the team that gets the best player, then in the short term, the deal Eskimos GM Eric Tillman engineered to ship Ray out of Edmonton is lopsided in Toronto's favour. But the Argos were touting this a victory for another reason: They know who their starter is next year; Edmonton does not.

Reed and Tillman made it clear when the Ray deal was announced that Jyles would be part of the QB group in Edmonton with Kerry Joseph, Matt Nichols and Eric Ward.

It's not that such a transitional approach can't work, eventually. But the move sure is harder to sell in the off-season.

In Toronto on Wednesday, it was Ray Day. The Argos held the splashy news conference atop the CN Tower and Ray was doing media hits all over the place in a city whose passion for the Argos is lukewarm in mid-season, let alone mid-December.

Ray Day was a major marketing coup for the Argos on a day the Eskimos introduced Steven Jyles, who may or may not be their starting quarterback next season. And no disrespect to the classy Jyles, but that's the fact.

Ray, as you would expect, took the whole thing in stride, hit all the right notes. He certainly showed far more grace in paying respect to his former team than the Eskimos did in saying goodbye to him.

Ray thanked the organization, including the great players he played with in Edmonton, his coaches, the fans, the city.

"They've been awesome to me in my career," Ray said.

As he would, Ray paid tribute to Dwayne Mandruziak, recounting how his jersey number (No. 15) was assigned by the longtime Eskimos equipment manager when he joined the team as a fourth-string unknown back in 2002.

"(In Edmonton), you don't go against anything Dwayne says," Ray said, affectionately.

As for resuming his career in Toron to, Ray was his typical honest self.

"It's a little bit more low-key out in Edmonton," Ray said. "We don't have a big tower to go up into and a big-city skyline to look at. It's going to be an adjustment for me.

"I'm from a small town (Redding, Calif.) in northern California. I'm not a big, flashy guy. So, coming to a big city, my wife (Allyson) is definitely going to love it, but for me, it's going to take some getting used to."

Strangely, in mid-size, blue-collar Edmonton, some mistook Ray's quiet, grounded, unpretentious manner for a lack of strength or leadership. The reality is, in addition to his physical toughness and uncanny passing accuracy, Ray brought a working man's focus and intensity to his job. He was the single biggest difference-maker for the Eskimos his entire career, a perfect fit for the team he led.

"I think every athlete dreams of being in one place their whole career," Ray said. "But it just doesn't happen very often.

"Definitely, I had that opportunity, but it just didn't work out for me there. I have a lot of great memories in Edmonton. I'm going to miss a lot of the guys out there. It's been really great for me, but I realize that this is part of the game, guys move around."

Ray joked about an ongoing friendly competition he had with his great friend and longtime Eskimos teammate Jason Maas about who would last the longest, since most quarterbacks stayed in Edmonton just five or six years.

"He finished with nine years and I was at nine this year," Ray said. "So, he called me and kind of laughed and said, 'You didn't beat me out.' "

Of course, Ray had beaten out Maas for the starting job in his rookie year and had been the undisputed starter ever since, right up until the moment he was told he was no longer wanted.

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Twitter.com/rjmackinnon Check out my blog, Sweatsox, at edmontonjournal.com/blogs

Illustration:
• Tim Fraser, National Post / Ricky Ray holds up an Argonauts jersey as he poses for the media during a news conference Wednesday at the CN Tower in Toronto.

Edition: Final
Story Type: Column
Length: 861 words
Idnumber: 201112150077

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RAY HAS DAY ATOP CN TOWER

The Globe and Mail
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: S4
Section: Sports
Dateline: Toronto
Source: The Canadian Press

Toronto -- Scott Milanovich isn't going to mess with success.

The Toronto Argonauts rookie head coach plans to go with many of the same offensive schemes used during his four seasons as the Montreal Alouettes offensive co-ordinator.

In Montreal, Anthony Calvillo pulled the strings. In Toronto, Milanovich will look to newly acquired quarterback Ricky Ray.

"Ricky has a lot of the same talents that Anthony Calvillo has," Milanovich said Wednesday as the Argos officially introduced Ray at a news conference atop the CN Tower.

"The possibility of [the Argos offence] looking somewhat similar to what you saw in Montreal I think is high now, but there are things Ricky does differently than Anthony and there are different types of players here so it's not going to be exactly the same."

Toronto is counting on Ray to kick start a league-worst offence. Toronto went 6-12 and finished last in the East Division.

Ray completed 343-of-526 passes (65.2 per cent) for 4,594 yards and 24 touchdowns against 11 interceptions for the 11-7 Eskimos.

In nine seasons in Edmonton, Ray has developed into one of the league's top quarterbacks. The Esks' career passing leader led Edmonton to two Grey Cup titles.

"I think every athlete dreams of being in one place their whole career but it just doesn't happen very often," Ray said.

"I just didn't fit into their plans and it's exciting to come to a place where I fit into the plans they have."

© 2011 The Globe and Mail Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Length: 239 words
Idnumber: 201112150107

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Sky's the limit for Argos new QB Ray; CN Tower intro; 'I'm just a guy who plays football'

National Post
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: B9
Section: Sports
Byline: Matthew Scianitti
Dateline: TORONTO
Source: National Post

TORONTO - Near the top of the CN Tower, with Toronto's expansive skyline stretching itself outside and cameras ready for tight close-ups inside, a video was played to introduce Ricky Ray as the Toronto Argonauts' newest quarterback Wednesday morning.

It was a montage of Ray's best tosses in nine years as Edmonton's quarterback--green and gold salvos into the hands of Jason Barnes and Fred Stamps and Jason Tucker.

Ray, in a tailored suit with a double blue tie, watched the video with the same diffidence he has with his helmet on. Those were plays he needed to make. Nothing special. The video ended with the Argonauts symbol and the words, "Welcome to the Toronto Argonauts," and Ray looked away for a half-second.

Toronto general manager Jim Barker claimed Ray, acquired in a Monday trade that sent quarterback Steven Jyles, kicker Grant Shaw and a first-round draft pick to Edmonton, had changed Toronto's position "in the landscape of the CFL." Head coach Scott Milanovich, his smile bigger, announced Ray as the Argos' starting quarterback, as if there was any question.

"If you would have asked me a few days ago [about seeing the No. 15 on a Double Blue uniform], it would have been a little strange to think about it," said Ray, who found out about the trade from Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed Sunday night.

"I just didn't fit into [Edmonton's] plans, and it is just exciting to come to a place where I fit into the plans that they have for us."

They sounded like words Ray never thought he would say. When the Eskimos cleaned out their lockers following their loss to the B.C. Lions in November's West final, the 32-year-old Ray told the media he wanted to eventually retire in Edmonton. His name, with 40,529 passing yards and 210 passing touchdowns, is ubiquitous in the Eskimos' record book.

But now, after following the likes of Warren Moon and Damon Allen and Danny Mc-Manus in Edmonton, he will try to match the standards of Matt Dunigan and Doug Flutie and Allen in Toronto.

"I'm just trying to come in and be the best player that I can, help my teammates out, because it is more than just one guy out there," Ray said.

Barker and Milanovich repackaged Ray's words later on, saying the quarterback is only a "piece of the puzzle" and a "great start towards team unity." Ray's new teammates, standing at the back of the room, tried to be circumspect, too.

But the pomp and circumstance of this unveiling betrayed their words. Wednesday was about delight, and anticipation, and expectation.

"I think it is a long-term solution, for sure," offensive guard Jeff Keeping, "I mean Anthony Calvillo is still playing great ball at 40. So when people talk about short term, are you winning in a year or two? [Ray] is 32, so that is eight years; he could play well into his 40s. You can win a lot of championships in eight years."

No one with the Argos asked Ray if he was comfortable with the decision to hold his introduction at the CN Tower. No one knew if the Happy Camp, Calif., native was comfortable with heights, although he better be.

That right arm is supposed to help the Argos pull Torontonians back to the CFL and, if all goes right, take the Argos to next year's 100th Grey Cup at the Rogers Centre. There are more decisions to come for Barker and Milanovich, including the contract negotiations involving Toronto's 13 free agents. But the quarterback will garner the headlines.

"We're all in this together," Ray said, smiling shyly and shrugging, deflecting the pressure on his first day in town.

All Ray wants is to analyze Xs and Os with his teammates, because hard work has defined his long journey from potato chip salesman to professional quarterback.

"I'm just a guy who plays football and I'm lucky to do that," Ray said. "I know I'm part of the team, but it is not going to be all about me, it is going to be all about the guys and I'm just going to be part of that.

"So I don't get too caught up in [the media], I try to keep myself on pretty level ground and just realize that I'm nothing special and try and do my job the best I can."

But in Canada's largest city, on a team desperate for a saviour, the evaluation will not be up to him.

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it /mscianitti

Illustration:
• Black & White Photo: /

Edition: All but Toronto
Story Type: Sports
Length: 750 words
Idnumber: 201112150167

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Bombers' home finds its Investors

Winnipeg Free Press
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: C4
Section: Bombers
Byline: Adam Wazny

It may take some getting used to, but the new home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Manitoba Bisons will be called Investors Group Field.

The Winnipeg Football Club has extended a long-standing partnership with financial services giant Investors Group to include the naming rights of the new football stadium at the University of Manitoba, it was announced Wednesday. A stadium logo was also revealed, featuring the corporate IG logo, a black serif font with the name Investors Group Field and two white arches -- which will become the signature impression of the facility.

"This is a team that Winnipeggers take pride in... to be able to have some pride in the types of companies that are built, rooted and started here in Winnipeg, we feel that's a good thing," said Murray Taylor, president and CEO of Investors Group.

"We wanted to be a part of that."

Both the Bombers and Investors Group say the move was simply the right fit. Investors is a nationally recognized company based out of Winnipeg and has been a corporate partner with the Bombers for over 35 years -- two major factors in what the football operation was looking for when they put out the call for the naming rights earlier this year.

Jeff Thompson, the chief transition officer in charge is moving the Bombers into the new facility, said the club approached about 100 national and provincial companies during the process -- looking for the right fit both economically and publically -- before drafting a 12-year naming-rights commitment with Investors Group.

"We're very fortunate that we not only met all of our commercial requirements and needs, but we are also so fortunate to have this national company that is 80-plus years old, as we are, and totally aligned with our core values and principles," Thompson said.

The duration of the arrangement between the not-for-profit football club (with its new taxpayer-funded stadium) and the financial group runs until the 2024 season but the monetary details of the deal were not disclosed.

In 2001, the football club sold the naming rights to Winnipeg Stadium to Canad Inns, a Manitoba-based hotel chain, for $1.5 million over 10 years ($150,000 annually).

The deal wasn't great for the Bombers, as they had little leverage with a crumbling stadium and a product that didn't enjoy the rabid fanbase it does today.

Sources in the business community indicate the club was looking for at least $500,000 per year for the rights this time around, but Thompson wouldn't confirm that figure or expand on what Investors Group is on the hook for.

"We're very proud of having a 12-year deal that (meets) all of our financial requirements," he said.

The football stadium is the second sporting venue at the U of M campus that carries the Investors Group brand. The Investors Group Athletic Centre houses both the Bisons men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams, along with the Canadian national women's volleyball program.

The new 33,500-seat bowl stadium (which can be expanded to seat 40,000 for major events) is under construction. Blue Bombers interim CEO Ossama AbouZeid said the building is on schedule and doesn't anticipate any delays in the immediate future.

The $190-million facility is scheduled to open for the start of the 2012 CFL season.

Investors Group Field is just one of three CFL stadiums that have corporate names attached to them (Rogers Centre in Toronto and Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field are the others). Percival Molson Stadium, home of the Montreal Alouettes, is named after the former McGill University athletics star, not the beer company.

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THE HIGH PRICE OF A NAME

A look at some other football stadium naming deals both in Canada and in the United States:

Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field

Location: Regina

Terms: Taylor Field is an institution, so Mosaic and the Riders agreed on a 10-year, $3.75-million deal to name the stadium back in 2006. Team Green gets $375,000 per year from the phosphate and potash giant.

Rogers Centre

Location: Toronto

Terms: There aren't any, really. Rogers Communications, which owns the Blue Jays, purchased the retractable dome in 2005 for $25 milion. They own it, they can name it. The Argos lease the venue for games.

Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

Location: Minneapolis

Terms: In 2009, the city gave the Vikings permission to sell the naming rights to the football field. The Mall of America stepped up, signing a three-year, $6-million deal to start one of the longest names in sports stadia.

MetLife Stadium

Location: East Rutherford, N.J.

Terms: Tagging the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets doesn't come cheap. The insurance company signed a 25-year, $400-million deal earlier this season.

Farmers Field

Location: Los Angeles

Terms: There is no stadium and no football team but Farmers Insurance signed off on a 30-year, $700-million arrangement to put their name on the place if/when the NFL returns to Los Angeles.

-- Wazny

© 2011 The Winnipeg Free Press. All rights reserved.

Length: 817 words
Idnumber: 201112150044

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Blue thrilled by name deal ; Investors Group Field 'lucrative' choice

The Winnipeg Sun
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: 9
Section: News
Byline: ROSS ROMANIUK, WINNIPEG SUN

Investors Group Field is where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will make their home when the next CFL season begins.

The Blue Bombers and the Winnipeg-based national financial services company confirmed Wednesday that the firm has purchased the naming rights for the community- owned team's new University of Manitoba stadium for 12 years.

"It's a very, very good deal from a business perspective for the Winnipeg Football Club," Jim Bell, Bombers president, said at the announcement at Canad Inns Stadium -- the team's 58-year-old home slated for demolition following the city's planned sale of the site.

"The financial components are lucrative, there's no question. We're ecstatic."

No financial terms were revealed.

"We're not disclosing the cost," said Murray Taylor, Investors Group's president and chief executive officer. "It's something we're obviously taking quite seriously, and something we're very much behind."

The 33,500-seat Investors Group Field -- costing about $190 million -- remains under construction at the U of M's Fort Garry campus, on a schedule to open around the time the Blue and Gold's next season begins in June.

Canad Corp., which owns the Canad Inns hotel chain, had the naming rights for the previously named Winnipeg Stadium since 2001 -- a period when the team was in financial difficulty -- through a deal believed to have been worth more than $1 million for the 11 years.

It's unclear whether Canad Inns had made a serious pi tch to keep its name on the Blue Bombers' home, which will be shared with the U of M Bisons football team.

Canad CEO Taras Sokolyk said the hospitality firm had talked with the Bombers about the new facility's name, but gave no details.

"We're looking at what other opportunities there are going to be," he said, adding Canad Inns will remain a Bombers sponsor. "We'll have other programs with the Bombers too, and those are being determined."

U of M president David Barnard noted the stadium is the campus' second major facility to bear the Investors name, as the company has long sponsored a separate athletic centre.

'PRETTY TENUOUS TIMES'

Sokolyk said he's proud of what Canad Inns president Leo Ledohowski and the Bombers achieved through their partnership on Maroons Road.

"The Bombers were in pretty dire straits. Leo made more of a community contribution than a marketing effort for Canad Inns. If you look back, that was one of the things that kept the Bombers afloat in some pretty tenuous times," Sokolyk said.

"We were happy to do it to help the Bombers out. And we're still raving fans of the Blue Bombers."

© 2011 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

Illustration:
• photo by Winnipeg Sun
• Artist's rendering of the Bombers' new stadium which has been given the name Investors Group Field. It's scheduled to open in June next year.
• photo of MURRAY TAYLOR Company happy

Edition: Final
Length: 425 words
Idnumber: 201112150037

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Blue Bombers' new home gets name; Winnipeg stadium to be called Investors Group Field

The Globe and Mail
Thu Dec 15 2011
Page: S4
Section: Sports Business
Byline: Scott Edmonds
Dateline: WINNIPEG
Source: The Canadian Press

WINNIPEG -- The concrete and steel are taking shape at the University of Manitoba and now the new home of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers officially has a name.

The 33,500-seat stadium will be called Investors Group Field.

The CFL club announced Wednesday it had reached a 12-year agreement with the financial services company to name the stadium.

It wouldn't say what it received, although at one time it was reportedly looking for around $20-million.

"We're very proud of having a long-term 12-year deal that does meet all of our financial requirements for sure," Bombers transition officer Jeff Thompson said.

"We had tremendous interest. We weighed all of the pros and cons every time we met with prospective partners and we landed here today."

The stadium is currently expected to cost a relatively modest $190-million and be open in time for the 2012 CFL season. It will also be home to the University of Manitoba Bisons.

The province is paying the lion's share up front but the Bombers are supposed to repay about $85-million over time. The city and federal government are also making contributions.

Winnipeg-based Investors Group Inc. was founded in 1926, and is now part of the IGM Financial Inc. group of companies, which together have around $121- billion in assets under management.

Winnipeg-based hotel chain Canad Inns had the naming rights to the old field and Thompson says he expects they will continue to have a sponsorship relationship with the football team in some fashion.

Premier Greg Selinger and Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz were on hand for the announcement, along with Investors president Murray Taylor.

Most of the seating at the stadium is covered, although the field is open to the sky, and it's expandable to 40,000 seats for special events or the Grey Cup.

The new stadium plus a little spillover of sports hype from the return of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets drove Bombers season-ticket sales - and overall attendance - to new highs in 2011.

On the field, the team also saw a resurgence, finishing first in the East Division and making it to the Grey Cup, although the Bombers lost to the B.C. Lions in the title game.

They now have a waiting list for season tickets at the new field, which will become active once current season-ticket holders make their selections next month.

© 2011 The Globe and Mail Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Length: 386 words
Idnumber: 201112150109

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CFL News - East - Wednesday December 14, 2011

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Mosca appears on Dr. Phil Friday

Hamilton Spectator
Wed Dec 14 2011
Page: A4
Section: Local / News
Byline: The Hamilton Spectator

Angelo Mosca's appearance on Dr. Phil will be broadcast this Friday.

The show, called Grudges, Gripes and Grievances, will feature the Tiger-Cats great talking about his now infamous fight with former B.C. Lions quarterback Joe Kapp at a CFL alumni luncheon on Nov. 25 in Vancouver.

The fight, which went viral on YouTube, goes back to the 1963 Grey Cup Game, when the former Ticats defensive lineman hit Lions running back Willie Fleming with a shot that many, including Kapp, believed was dirty.

Mosca, 74, will appear on the show with two other guests.

A promotional ad for the episode says: "Today's guests say they resolve to forgive, forget and move on, but are their friends and loved ones prepared to do the same?"

And on the Mosca segment, the promo asks if it is true that time heals all wounds. "When 40 years of resentment reached a boiling point between football greats Angelo Mosca and Joe Kapp ... fists and canes were thrown."

Mosca will tell his side of the story and also talk about his new book.

Dr. Phil airs in the Hamilton area at 3 p.m. on Channels 9 (CFTO) and 13 (CKCO).

© 2011 Torstar Corporation

Edition: First
Length: 190 words
Idnumber: 201112140010

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LIKE FLUTIE, JOSEPH, ARGOS DEAL FOR ANOTHER STAR QB

Yahoo Sports
Wed Dec 14 2011
Byline: Dave Naylor

For longtime fans of the Toronto Argonauts, this week's trade that brought Ricky Ray to Hogtown must have felt a tad familiar.

A blockbuster deal for a star quarterback is the oldest call in the Argo off-season playbook, one repeated in the acquisitions of Matt Dunigan, Tracy Ham, Kent Austin, Doug Flutie and Kerry Joseph, among others, over the years.

Sometimes it's worked out and sometimes it hasn't. But when you're a franchise that's gone more than 40 years without developing its own star quarterback, (the last one being Joe Theisman) there's not much choice but to go shopping.

Still, there's good reason that Argo fans were pinching themselves on Monday at news that a star quarterback who is still in his prime (although Jim Barker's suggestion that his best years are ahead of him is a bit of a stretch) was available without Toronto having to give up any of its own best players.

At age 32, Ricky Ray is coming off his sixth season of throwing for more than 4,500 yards, throwing 24 touchdown passes against just 11 interceptions and once again proving to be among the most durable quarterbacks in the game.

He's the best pure passer to come to Toronto since Doug Flutie and even brings with him some star power, something the Argos have desperately lacked during the parade of Michael Bishop, Kerry Joseph, Cody Pickett, Cleo Lemon and Steven Jyles in recent years.

The Argos have now traded away their first-round draft pick for the second year in a row. And Ray's salary will make it difficult to compete for free agent talent come February. But for a team that has finished dead last, or second last, at throwing the football for three consecutive seasons, the addition of a seasoned passer is like a cool glass of water in the desert.

The Eskimos side of this deal is a lot more subtle, with Eskimos general manager Eric Tillman dialing this one up straight out of his own off-season playbook.

View original item at www.tsn.ca...»

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It's a slow burn ; Ray might not have a quick release, but it's effective

The Toronto Sun
Wed Dec 14 2011
Page: S21
Section: Sports
Byline: MIKE GANTER, TORONTO SUN

It's inevitable that the big acquisition gets torn down a little bit.

It's in the media's nature.

So when Ricky Ray's 32 years on this Earth or his speed-challenged release of the football when he throws it gets brought up, Scott Milanovich simply turns the page.

The Argos' new head coach can only control what he can control and if the detractors are looking to take Ray down a peg or two, that's their right.

Doesn't mean, however, that Milanovich has to agree with them.

It's the lack of a quick release that most frequently gets mentioned when Ray's game gets picked at. That and his lack of mobility.

Ray was sacked a league-high 46 times last year in Edmonton which may or may not be attributed to his inability to get rid of the ball in a timely fashion and a lack of foot speed.

Milanovich could care less. "The thing you have to look at is does he anticipate better than other people?" Milanovich said. "Does the ball get out of his hand and into the receiver's in the proper windows? There have been numerous guys that people have claimed have had a slow release, or a bad release or a funky release but the ability to anticipate and see the window and get the ball there on time is much more critical in my opinion."

Offensive coordinator Jonathan Himebauch said the success Ray has had in the past trumps any style points he may lose for technique.

"Everybody would love to see this prototypical delivery but you look at the results and everyone has their own way of doing things," Himebauch said. "He has proven himself. He has done it and had success. No matter what the league, whether you're in the NFL or CFL, it's a results-oriented business and that guy has done it for years.

"So whatever the release looks like, it's are we moving the chains? Are we putting points on the board? That's the most important thing."

With over 40,000 yards in passing over nine seasons, Himebauch doesn't feel like he has much to worry about.

© 2011 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

Illustration:
• file photo by Darryl Dyck, QMI Agency
• To say Ricky Ray has a slow release would be an understatement. The Argos' new QB started this throwing motion back in November and he still hasn't released the ball. "Everyone has their own way of doing things," Jonathan Himebauch says.

Edition: Final
Length: 350 words
Idnumber: 201112140063

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WHAT 'S NEXT FOR SCULLERS?

The Toronto Sun
Wed Dec 14 2011
Page: S21
Section: Sports
Byline: MIKE GANTER

Most of his coaching staff is settled, his veteran quarterback is on board. What's next for Scott Milanovich and the Argos?

The honest answer is a lot of evaluation.

The whirlwind of the past week and a half where the Argos hired Milanovich, stole offensive and defensive coodinators from two other CFL staffs and signed Ricky Ray has left them little time to digest what they have on hand.

"We are evaluating all of the positions," Milanovich said when asked if he would address the receiving corps or the offensive line next. " he thing with Ricky just happened (when it did) because the timetable happened this way. We didn't expect it to happen this quickly. With regards to the rest of the team, we're still evaluating and we're still putting a staff together." Offensive coordinator Jonathan Himebauch couldn't say for sure what areas the next moves would hit either. "We're always looking to upgrade our talent," he said. "Whether that's finding a re ceiver or another guy for the offensive line that can help stabilize us, this is the time for us to look."

© 2011 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

Edition: Final
Length: 184 words
Idnumber: 201112140067

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Argos get a leg up

The Toronto Sun
Wed Dec 14 2011
Page: S20
Section: Sports
Byline: MIKE GANTER

While the Argonauts dominate the CFL headlines north of the 49th, the Boatmen are also crashing a football party down south.

The Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders coaching staffs were asked to step in as guest coaches for this year's HBCU all-star game which features the top 120 draft eligible players from the major HBCU Football conferences (MEAC, SWAC, SIAC, and CIAA).

That was before Montreal's Jonathan Himebauch and Calgary's Chris Jones defected to Toronto.

"I'm here coaching in my Argo gear with my Montreal staff and I'm wearing it proud," Himbauch, the Argos new offensive coordinator said, enjoying the moment.

"Chris (the Argos' new defensive coordinator) is down here too coaching on the other side with the defence and he's wearing his gear too. We've got this game scouted from one side to the other."

It's a little bonus for the Argos who weren't supposed to have this kind of access to this many players staring at the end of their college careers.

"One more way we can get eyes on 100-plus more prospects that we would normally only see on film," Himebauch said. "But when you work with them directly (like Jones and Himebauch are) you can find out right away the type of player they are, and how they learn and what physical attributes they have."

© 2011 Sun Media Corporation. All rights reserved.

Edition: Final
Length: 218 words
Idnumber: 201112140004

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Ray just what Argos need, CFL legend says; Improves offence

National Post
Wed Dec 14 2011
Page: S6
Section: Sports
Byline: Matthew Scianitti
Source: National Post

Damon Allen, the last Toronto Argonauts quarterback to win the Grey Cup in 2004, believes the kind of pivot that wins games and puts bums in seats in a big city like Toronto has a flamboyance that stimulates a gravitational pull.

Ricky Ray's reticent personality does not sparkle that way. But Allen believes the Argos newest quarterback, who will be introduced Wednesday, has what Toronto needs heading into a season when the city will host the Grey Cup: the necessary skill sets of a winner.

"Ricky is a combination of the things you desire [in] a quarterback," Allen said, "cool, calm and tough in the pocket, along with [strong] decision making and accuracy."

Despite Argos general manager Jim Barker's insistence the sudden trade with Edmonton for Ray on Monday was not necessitated by the 100th Grey Cup, Allen says Canadian football's biggest game puts pressure on a host city, especially one that has not had a stable quarterback like Toronto.

"The Argos have always been a very good football team, special teams-wise and defensively, and the last three or four years I believe they struggled offensively because they didn't have a veteran presence and a quarterback that is cool and calm enough to know what to do with the football," said the four-time Grey Cup-winner.

The addition of Ray, Allen said, can give Toronto a confidence it did not show with Cleo Lemon or Steven Jyles under centre, because Ray has a Grey Cup pedigree. And, perhaps more importantly, the Rogers Centre could be the change of atmosphere Ray needs to reestablish himself as the best quarterback in the CFL.

Despite being the league's highest-rated passer last season (99.3) Ray has not thrown for more than 5,000 yards and 25 touchdowns since 2008.

"[Ray] is coming from a situation where Edmonton has missed the playoffs three times in six years, so maybe this is the kind of change he needs to rejuvenate himself," Allen said. "And the Argos desperately need him back to playing the kind of football we still talk about with Ricky Ray."

While Ray could be a tonic for Toronto's offence and impel the team to consistent playoff appearances, he might also give the Argos time to develop a young quarterback, a process they seem to have avoided the last two decades.

B.C. quarterback Travis Lulay stood on the sidelines nearly two seasons before embracing the starting job and leading the Lions to the Grey Cup this season. Saskatchewan's Darian Durant waited three years before he led the Roughriders to consecutive Grey Cup appearances. And, like Edmonton, Calgary appears ready to jettison veteran quarterback Henry Burris for 28-year-old Drew Tate. The Argos, by contrast, have started nearly two dozen quarterbacks in 20 years, often replacing one Band-Aid solution with another.

"If you look at all the teams that have good years, good presence and good records and play consistently throughout the year, you have to look at their quarterback position," Allen said. "If the quarterback position is solid, then you see how he consistently makes his team better and gets it into the playoffs ."

A successful Ray, Allen said, could put Toronto in a similar position to Montreal, where Anthony Calvillo has given the Alouettes the freedom to develop backup Adrian McPherson to a point where Allen thinks the 28-year-old could play on any team in the league. Barker acknowledged Monday that a young quarterback like Toronto third-stringer B.J. Hall could excel under Ray, but the deal was not done with Hall's growth in mind.

Everything, at least on the surface, seems to be about the short term for the Argos. It is not surprising after Toronto's 6-12 season, but it has been attempted before. Toronto tried to build its offence around quarterback Kerry Joseph in 2008, after the Grey Cup winner was acquired from Saskatchewan - a move that gave Durant his starting chance in Regina. Joseph's two seasons at the Rogers Centre were failures.

But Allen is sure the pressure, internally from the organization and externally from the media, will not weaken Ray the same way it did Joseph.

"That is the kind of pressure quarterbacks want, anyway," he said.

ARMED AND DANGEROUS?

The Toronto Argonauts have started two dozen quarterbacks over the last couple of decades. Three have won Grey Cups; many of the rest are easily forgettable. Here is a sampling of the good, the bad and the ugly:

THE GOOD

- MATT DUNIGAN (1990-1991)

Injuries limited Dunigan to 16 games in two seasons with Toronto, but in 1991 he lifted the Argos to the Grey Cup, throwing for two touchdowns in a 36-21 win over Calgary despite playing with a broken collarbone.

- DOUG FLUTIE (1996-1997)

He arrived in Toronto in 1996 and in two seasons not only won back-to-back Grey Cups but also cemented his reputation as one of the greatest CFL players. He threw for 11,225 yards and ran for 1,298 more in just 36 games with the Argos.

- DAMON ALLEN (2003-2007)

Although Allen was nearly 40 when he signed with the Argos in 2003, the four-time Grey Cup winner was effective enough to led the Argos to the Grey Cup in 2004. The next year, at 42, Allen threw for 5,082 passing yards and 33 touchdowns and claimed the league's outstanding player award.

THE BAD

- MICHAEL BISHOP (2002-2008)

Bishop, pictured, was thought to be the Argos' quarterback of the future but, outside of an 11-1 run as a starter in 2007, he could not displace Allen.

- KENT AUSTIN (1995)

Austin, a Grey Cup winner with Saskatchewan and B.C., arrived in Toronto in 1995 as the veteran who could lead Toronto back to the Grey Cup. The Argos finished 4-14.

- KERRY JOSEPH (2008-2009)

Joseph won the Grey Cup and the CFL's outstanding player award with Saskatchewan in 2007, but was suddenly traded to Toronto in 2008. He never recaptured his championship form and the Argos failed to make the playoffs in his two seasons.

THE UGLY

- KERWIN BELL (1998, 2000, 2001) AND JIMMY KEMP (1999-2002)

In fairness to Bell, he had a career year in 1998 when he just missed a 5,000-yard season and was an East Divsion all-star.

But his return was ugly; Bell and Kemp shared the starting job for two seasons, and the competition was a catalogue of desperate throws and frantic gesticulations. Toronto missed the playoffs both years.

Matthew Scianitti, National Post

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Illustration:
• Todd Korol, Reuters / Ricky Ray, traded to the Argonuats, was the CFL's highest rated passer last season.

Edition: National
Length: 1052 words
Idnumber: 201112140144

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Argos sing praises of new pivot; Veteran quarterback Ray 'gives the receiver every possible chance to catch the ball'

The Globe and Mail
Wed Dec 14 2011
Page: S5
Section: Sports
Byline: Rachel Brady
Dateline: TORONTO

TORONTO -- The way Maurice Mann describes it, Ricky Ray throws the football so his receivers can comfortably pluck it out of the air, rather than fighting to stop it zipping through space.

The Toronto Argonauts acquired the popular quarterback from the Edmonton Eskimos on Monday, in exchange for Toronto's starting pivot, Steven Jyles, kicker Grant Shaw and the second-overall pick in the 2012 CFL draft.

Those who have worked with Ray before - like Argos receiver Mann - say the signal-caller's unique touch on the football makes those around him remarkably better.

"He plays like Drew Brees in the NFL - not throwing hard, but with perfect timing," said Mann, who played in Edmonton from 2007 to 2009. "If he was two steps faster, he'd be all over the NFL, because his accuracy is crazy. You see the ball, all you have to do is go snatch it."

Mann had his best CFL season in 2009, catching passes from Ray, nabbing 73 balls for 917 yards and six touchdowns. At first, Mann mistook Ray's quiet leadership for a lack of fire, but he soon learned the even-keeled nature was part of his success.

"He has a very patient but strategic way of approaching the game - a very consistent guy with ridiculous timing," Mann said. "If he's got a cold, he's going to throw the ball in your chest. If he's tired or he's got a sore shoulder, he's still going to throw it in your chest. It's always right there."

Newly-hired Argonauts offensive co-ordinator Jonathan Himebauch is in Atlanta this week, coaching at the HBCU All-Star Bowl, a premier game for recruiting U.S. college talent.

He says he's keeping an eye out for new receivers for Ray, who will be on hand Wednesday, during a news conference in Toronto.

"From watching him, you see he's always on time with his throws, and it's very apparent that he knows the defences and what a co-ordinator will throw at him," Himebauch said by phone from Georgia. "His experience is invaluable because he's not taking so much time to go through that in his mind when he's looking to throw, because he's got so much of it figured out presnap."

Veteran Argonauts kicker Noel Prefontaine says he had not watched a quarterback complete so many passes with such precision in practice before his two-plus seasons with the Esks (2008-10). A former quarterback himself, Prefontaine marvelled at Ray's knack for throwing with perfect velocity, not with the sort of overzealous mustard he had seen some blister the football.

"He doesn't throw the ball hard because he doesn't need to - he anticipates breaks and [defensive] coverages and that anticipation allows him to throw the deep ball so well," Prefontaine said. "He really gives the receiver every possible chance to catch the ball. And I assure you the receivers in Toronto are going to love him, because they're going to have more success because of it. "

Ray, 32, joined the Eskimos in 2002, and has been with the team his entire CFL career, winning two Grey Cups along the way. The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder from Happy Camp, Calif., leaves as the Esks all-time leader in many categories, including career passing yardage. In his nine years in the CFL, he's become one of the most accurate passers in league history (66.8 per cent completions, 96.1 quarterback rating).

He had a bounce-back 2011, passing for 4,594 yards and 24 touchdowns against just 11 interceptions with a 99.3 quarterback efficiency rating that topped the CFL. He took the Esks from a 7-11 team in 2010 to an 11-7 squad with a playoff victory.

"It's hard to explain to people how exciting it is to play with someone who makes you better by making things so easy on you," Mann said. "Grey Cup, here we come. This is a blessing for all of us, for me, for Toronto, for everyone here."

© 2011 The Globe and Mail Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Length: 638 words
Idnumber: 201112140126

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