Roughriders Jerrell Freeman wraps up Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray on Sept. 20. Saskatchewan is hoping to get even more pressure on Ray this Saturday.
Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Leader-Post file
Photograph by: Troy Fleece, Leader-Post file
REGINA — Members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defence tossed bouquets at Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray on Tuesday.
On Saturday, they’ll be throwing everything they’ve got at him in the hopes of getting him off his game.
Ray completed his first 20 pass attempts and finished 25-for-34 for 315 yards and two touchdowns Sunday in the Eskimos’ 31-27 CFL victory over the Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium. Saskatchewan’s defenders don’t want a repeat performance when the teams meet Saturday in Edmonton.
“He was in a groove the other day,” said defensive tackle Marcus Adams. “He’s one of the best in the league and he was just in one of those Michael Jordan zones where every ball he threw was on the money. We’ve got to change up our defence and make him hold the ball a little so we can get to him.”
“We can’t let him stand in the pocket like a statue,” added defensive back Lance Frazier. “Everybody knows that if Ricky Ray gets in a rhythm and he has time, he’ll pick you apart. We’ve just got to confuse him, move around a little bit more, try to somehow get more pressure on him, and play the receivers tougher.”
Ray was 16-for-16 in the first half, but had a longest completion of just 16 yards on his way to 139 yards in the opening 30 minutes. The Eskimos, under new offensive co-ordinator Kevin Strasser, often threw underneath the coverage with Ray getting the ball away quickly.
Frazier said the dink-and-dunk style didn’t surprise the defence, but it still was successful.
Frazier said the dink-and-dunk style didn’t surprise the defence, but it still was successful.
“They had a couple of different wrinkles that they haven’t showed this year having a new co-ordinator in place,” he said, “and I’m sure they’ll have a lot more going into this game.”
“The ball came out really early,” noted Saskatchewan head coach Ken Miller. “(Ray) was doing a
lot of quick-rhythm passing and that’s really good. When you’re hot and you’re throwing that kind of a passing game, it’s tough to get pressure and it’s really tough to cover those, too.”
Ray’s 20 straight completions left him two off the league record, which is held by Edmonton backup Jason Maas. A number of Ray’s incompletions in the second half were the result of dropped passes that hit receivers in the hands.
Ray’s 20 straight completions left him two off the league record, which is held by Edmonton backup Jason Maas. A number of Ray’s incompletions in the second half were the result of dropped passes that hit receivers in the hands.
Roughriders defensive co-ordinator Gary Etcheverry suggested his charges often were close to making plays on Ray’s throws, but he admitted the veteran pivot had “a perfect outing.”
So, Etcheverry was asked, did Ray deserve the credit for his showing or should the Roughriders’ defenders have been kicking themselves?
So, Etcheverry was asked, did Ray deserve the credit for his showing or should the Roughriders’ defenders have been kicking themselves?
“If this week the same thing happens in either the first or the second half, then we might have an issue,” Etcheverry replied. “But I doubt very highly that that’s going to happen.
“Just like in Joe Montana’s (NFL) career, how many times did he do the same? I’m sure he did it once or twice in a Hall of Fame career. Just about every quarterback has done that. We happened to be on the field when (Ray) did that.”
The Roughriders’ defence turned in a better effort in the second half — at least until Ray hit Maurice Mann for a 68-yard pass-and-run touchdown with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter that lifted the Eskimos to the victory.
That play was typical of Ray’s approach before Strasser assumed control of the offence, so the Roughriders could have something to think about for Saturday’s rematch.
Adams, however, doesn’t think the Eskimos’ offence has the Roughriders’ defence off balance.
“This week, we’re going to make them prepare for us,” he said. “We’ve got some different things coming in and we’re going to make them feel how we felt in the first half of the last game.”
“This week, we’re going to make them prepare for us,” he said. “We’ve got some different things coming in and we’re going to make them feel how we felt in the first half of the last game.”
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